I've been wanting a decorative vintage chair for quite some time now. Not necessarily for decoration. Certainly not for Lisa and I to sit on. For. The. Kids. That's right. The kids. I had a certain style in mind. I've searched high and low at every yard sale, flea market, antique store, country store, and garage sale we've been to. Over the past few years, we have seen at least a dozen vintage chairs that fit my style criteria, but the chairs were either too worn, needed a new upholstery job, smelled like mold and mildew or cigarette smoke. Or, they were too expensive.
Yesterday, we started off Lisa's Birthday with a list of yard sale addresses in our hand. We were in our vehicle by 10 a.m. After grabbing pastry and coffee we plugged the first address in the GPS and took off.
The 3rd yard sale we visited was located at the top of a small hilled driveway. As we made our way up, this chair became visible. I didn't get my hopes up. The items lining the driveway to the top were priced a bit on the steep side.
When we got to the top, I immediately walked over to the chair. There was an index card sized price tag on the chair. A cut ribbon was attached to the price tag. It looked as if the price tag had been attached to something else and thrown on the chair. The price written on the tag was $5.00.
I stood there. Mouth to the gravel driveway. Inhaling slowly. Exhaling even slower. This was the chair. This was it. I took the cushion off, smelled it, and made sure there were no rips or surprises.
Lisa walked over to where I stood.
"You like that chair?"
"Yes. Do you?"
Snicker.
"No."
"Why?"
"It's ugly. Where would we put it?"
I put one hand on my hip.
"Listen. Ever since Sophie joined our family, I've been wanting a vintage chair like this one for the kids. It would make a perfect lounge and nap spot for them. I already have a dog bone shaped pillow that I made. I just have to make a small blanket to match."
Lisa tilted her head.
"This explains why you've always checked out the vintage fabric chairs at flea markets."
"Exactly, but they were in horrible shape, stinky or too expensive. Look at the price. It's only $5.00."
I could tell Lisa was warming up to it.
At that very moment, one of the yard sale hosts came up to us and said, "The price of the chair is negotiable."
Lisa and I giggled.
Lisa jumped in and told the man we didn't want to negotiate. We were more than happy to pay the $5.00 for the chair. The man looked a bit shocked when he noticed the large price tag on the cushion.
I told the man the chair would be for our 4 rescue kids. We wanted a vintage chair that was all their own. Something special and unique...just like them.
The expression on his face went from shocked to pleased.
"You know what? It's all yours! I'll even carry it to your vehicle for you."
I was bursting at the seams about this yard sale find. I handed the man a $5.00 bill. He grabbed the chair and brought it to our vehicle.
I couldn't help but ramble on about how excited I was after we left this yard sale location.
"The kids are going to love it. I'll wipe the cushions down, polish the wood, and make a matching blanket for it. It can go in the office in front of the window. I can't wait to get photos of the kids napping on it. After all this time, I finally found our kids the perfect vintage chair."
Lisa smiled from ear to ear.
"I so love you..."
My excitement was contagious. By the time we arrived at the next yard sale on our list, she was totally on board with the purchase of our vintage decorative chair.
On a side note, Lobo has already given us his paws of approval...
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