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Treasures I've Found

elizabethowens15

Updated: Dec 4, 2022

There's a weird myth in decluttering that "Old = Bad."


"You've had that for twenty years? It's time to get rid of it."


"Those belonged to your grandparents? Take them to Goodwill!"


"That Bible was published in the 1450s? Take that sucker to Mackay's."


I call BS. Just because something is it, it's not necessarily something you have to get rid of. Now, if you have your great-aunt's china collection packed in cardboard boxes in the back of your storage shed (hypothetically speaking, of course), then that's something you should think about rehoming. But not because it's old. Because you aren't loving it and using it regularly. I have a sweater I bought at a thrift shop when I was in high school. That means the YOUNGEST that sweater can be is 29 years old. Have I thrown it out? Absolutely not. I still wear it regularly. Are the cuffs frayed? Yes. But do I love it and use it? For sure.


One of the many cool parts of my job is finding old treasures and helping people figure out how to incorporate their history into their present-day lives. One client discovered an awesome hand-drawn picture of her father buried in a box of memorabilia. She was getting rid of a lot of stuff from that box, but she loved the picture of her dad, so she found a frame and hung it up! Another client found a dress she'd worn as a kid, and her own daughter loved it, so it found a new life! In my own dining room, I have a giant wooden spoon and wooden fork hanging on the wall. My grandmother had them hanging in her kitchen, and I remember looking at them as I'd make cookies or snap beans with her. Now they hang in my house where I can see them regularly, a tangible and enjoyable reminder of those days.


Here are a few of the treasures I've come across with clients. Tell me in the comments about some of the things you have in your own space that break the myth of "Old = Bad."



Englander Wood Stove


When I was a kid, I lived in a house built in the 1920s. We had gas heat, but we also had a wood stove with a chimney pipe that went up past the back stairs. We used it for additional heat in the winter, and it made the back of the house and the back stairs so warm and cozy. Because of that, I've always had a fond nostalgia for wood stoves. This wood stove was tucked away in a garage, and would make a SUPER awesome addition to a vacation cabin or rustic kitchen.







Starr Coca-Cola Bottle Opener


This wall-mounted Coca-Cola bottle opener is from 1943, and was sitting in a drawer gathering dust. After a good cleaning and a few new screws, it's back to life opening bottles!











Original Nintendo Gameboy


They don't make 'em like this anymore,

folks. Thirty years old, and just needed some new batteries! A client found this in his attic as he sorted stuff and packed items for a move to a new city. He even still had the original Tetris cartridge!







Elvis's Death on the Front Page of the WS Journal


This discovery definitely stopped my in my sorting tracks and put my butt on the floor to read the articles. I'm not a Graceland-pilgrimage, saw-Elvis-at-Burger-King level fan, but I do really like the man, so getting to read the news coverage from the actual paper than actually came out at the actual time of his death... pretty awesome. Are stacks of magazines and old newspaper useful? Nope. Is it okay to keep a few about things you really care about? Of course.

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