I recently visited my local dealer, Southern Indiana Arts and Crafts, and thought you might enjoy some pictures. He has some great stuff right now. See if you can find:

Large Gus Stickley Rocker
Gus Stickley Table
Lakeside Craft Shop book shelf
SOC chair (has orginal paper label)
Michigan Chair Co table (very nice, all original, hint: look for the Rookwood)
Absolutely massive settle (guess who made it?)
One ugly finish but otherwise great condition Stickly Bros settle (pegged through tenons)
Gus drop front with terrible repair job
and others....

Hey, Steve
Looks like a place I could spend the day! I am in central Indiana. Where is this place located?

Thanks
Debbie

Their place is located about 15 minutes southwest of Bedford IN, just north of The Middle of Nowhere, right outside the bustling city of Williams. Yeah, so it is an adventure just to go out to their place. He does mostly wholesale and retail to select customers (you have to make an appointment to go out there). However, it is super fun to go there and Chuck will indeed sit there and talk to you all day. I know, I have done it many times. I think I have his card scanned at home. I'll post it later. Best thing to do is just contact him and see if he or his wife is around. Saturdays are bad since he is usually out hunting for more A&C. He will usually make you a great deal since a lot of it gets wholesaled to other deals anyway.

Please post his info - I don't want to make a long trip for nothing!

Thanks

What a great place to spend my lunch breaks. Too far to drive from Arizona.... Thanks for the images.

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by DebbieSpicer:
Please post his info - I don't want to make a long trip for nothing!

Actually Steve has posted this dealer's info before in a previous thread :

support your local dealer part dieux

And here is Chuck's business card from the same thread :

Southern Indiana Arts & Crafts Antiques

It's probably a 45 minute drive from Bloomington, which is already about a hour south of Indy. He also sometimes has a few pieces in the Antique Bazaar mall out on old state road 37 in Bloomington (right after the shortcut overpass College Ave exit).

That sound you just heard was my chin hitting the floor Awesome, but begs the question why sell wholesale? Build a website or sell on eBay. On the other hand, if he has lots of dealer clients and can flip stuff fast then I guess it works. The big settle/sofa - Lifetime maybe, or going out on a limb here, Joseph McHugh? (had massive chairs similar to this I believe); I guess there were really several companies who did the 'massive' thing but as runner ups, maybe Phoenix, Cortland, or even Limbert, or of course any of the "brothers", but maybe S.Bros. who sort of avoided using through posts too much (like the pic shows); too many catalogs to check - just tell us

Didn't happen to check this chair did you?


I have 2 chairs of the same construction (based on the part that can be seen anyways) and saw one on eBay once that had a partial label for New York. Maybe anyone that drops in here anytime soon could check, I would appreciate it

That lamp with the green glass looks a lot like the ones in the Come-Packt Furniture Catalog of 1912-13.

A local dealer has one of them but there is a big chunk of the wood missing out of the base. It is nice to know that there are more out there.

Bev.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecat:
That sound you just heard was my chin hitting the floor Awesome, but begs the question why sell wholesale? Build a website or sell on eBay. On the other hand, if he has lots of dealer clients and can flip stuff fast then I guess it works.

I suspect that it has more to do with the market in this area. While there are some dedicated and addicted clients (like myself), there just isn't enough of a client base, especially for the high end pieces that are expensive. I know that if I had the money, there are many pieces that would already be in my house, but I just can't afford them. While he gets less by wholeselling to dealers, they tend to buy *alot* and he can turn over his inventory faster (and it does go pretty fast). I also suspect that he doesn't have the time to run a website or ebay store, which does take some work and hassle. He's sold stuff in the past on ebay and still does now and then, but ebay has its headaches and issues (like dealing with shipping or con artists). Anyways, as a local client the wholesale pricing is better. If he had a real store, the prices would be higher as his overhead would go up, plus he'd have less time to travel and hunt down the stuff then too (which I think is his passion).

quote:

The big settle/sofa - Lifetime maybe, or going out on a limb here, Joseph McHugh? (had massive chairs similar to this I believe); I guess there were really several companies who did the 'massive' thing but as runner ups, maybe Phoenix, Cortland, or even Limbert, or of course any of the "brothers", but maybe S.Bros. who sort of avoided using through posts too much (like the pic shows); too many catalogs to check - just tell us

The big settle with the country yellow finish (which is original) and the hideous vinyl coushins is marked Stickley Brothers if I recall. He originally had a matching armchair and rocker as well but they were sold quickly. The other settle with the spring wire seat and missing coushins is new since I was last out there about a month ago so I havn't looked at it. I recall Steve telling me it was Stickley Brothers as well though.

quote:

Didn't happen to check this chair did you?

I have 2 chairs of the same construction (based on the part that can be seen anyways) and saw one on eBay once that had a partial label for New York. Maybe anyone that drops in here anytime soon could check, I would appreciate it

Again it's new to me since the last time, but if I go out there this weekend or next, I'll find out.

OK Steve,

I think that there is an arts and craft wash stand in the fourth and fifth picture. In the lower left corner of #5 photo, you get a good look at it. I figured they existed but I have never been lucky to see one before. You can catch a good look the back of the an A & C piece of fabric hanging over the towel bar in the fourth picture. It is a nice classic ginko leaf design.


Looking at all of your pictures, I know where I want to go on vacation next year. With all of those treasures, I would gladly get rid of all of my generic A & C and replace it with a small fraction of what is there. I bet that he even has beds and dressers.

And in one of the those photos, I swear that there is a John Le Farge stained glass landscape. It just looks like his work.

You are very lucky, Steve. Sometimes the middle of nowhere is a great place.

Bev.

By the way, Steve, how are his prices? The stuff in NM, if it is by somebody famous is often priced out of my budget.

Bev.

quote:

Again it's new to me since the last time, but if I go out there this weekend or next, I'll find out.

Thanks

Bev,
I am afraid you will have to continue looking for an A&C washstand. Chuck and I have often discussed what you are referring when trying to decide how to restore it. It is a fireplace screen that is sitting on a desk that is perpendicular to the screen (you are looking at the end of the desk). The top and bottom of the screen frame have exposed dowels that we have hypothesized would have had some type of thick leather stretched between them...

Chuck believes the large settle (over 7 ft between the arms!) was made by Phoenix but I can't remember if it was marked or not. Good guess Stonecat! The yellow settle with the cute little girl in front of it is marked Stickley Bros. I believe the finish was called "weathered."

Chucks prices are VERY good, which is why I have yet to buy a single piece on Ebay or anywhere else. He has everything marked for retail but will often take substantially less for a piece. I know of at least one dealer in Louisville who buys pieces and marks them up 50-100% so it is definitely worth the drive to go straight to the source. Stonecat is right, the turnover is what makes it worth it. He has lots of good stuff that I highlighted but he also buys and sells generic things too. He just moves them fast and makes money on the volume...plus he truly seems to live A&C ideals - he is in it because he loves it, not for the money! However, he isn't just giving stuff away. The prices are usually about what you would expect them to be instead of what I often see, which is prices much higher than I expect.

Wow..


Lived in Indiana all my life and did not know this place existed.. Very cool...

Debbie,


If you do go, don;t forget to go by West Baden Hotel.. It has a huge Rookwood fireplace. It is in French Lick, About 30 minutes from Shoals..


~Rob

quote:

Originally posted by HouseOfYesteryear:
Debbie,


If you do go, don;t forget to go by West Baden Hotel.. It has a huge Rookwood fireplace. It is in French Lick, About 30 minutes from Shoals..


~Rob

I recall that a lot of the floor tiles on the outdoor porches/patios at West Baden are also Rookwood as well.

Rob-
I actually assumed you knew Chuck. I know he attends auctions around the state and seems to know of just about any antique store or dealer I mention. You should definitely give him a call and meet him and see his place. I will make him aware of House of Yesteryear. And actually I just looked at your web site again - great stuff!

By the way, did you see the auction that happened a few weeks ago of the old Masonic lodge property in Brazil? (for the rest of you Brazil, IN is close to Terre Haute and House of Yesteryear). Chuck sent me a link to the auction listing but now I can't find it. It was a period A&C property complete with loads of stained glass, light fixtures, woodwork, etc. Apparently someone from Terre Haute bought it and is going to renovate it and live in it. Wish I would have copied the photos...

with so many people within a short drive of the french lick area, maybe we should pick a weekend after the holidays to go see the rookwood tile at the resort and treck to shoals and shop the Southern Indiana Arts and Crafts place. and if any want to go on to louisville, we could do dreamlight as well.

Don, that sounds like a great idea. I would be interested.

we are thinking of going to French Lick the weekend of Jan 13 for an anniversary of sorts.