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Before & After: Cast Away Card Catalog Turned into a Marvelous Media Stand

Sarah Rae Smith
Sarah Rae Smith
Sarah Rae Smith has lived all across the Midwest and currently calls the bratwurst-laden city of Sheboygan home. She seeks out kitchens that make the best pie and farmers with fresh eggs.
published Mar 1, 2012
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I’ve happened upon several card catalogs at auctions in the past, but truth be told, I could never figure out what to do with them. They’re a little small for CDs and a little low to the ground to do much good, but this family in Portland had grander visions than I.

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This library card catalog has come a long way with a few simple add ons and is now a practical piece for any home. This specific one belongs to Robyn and Michael Wood up in Portland and like every good piece it has a quaint little story behind it. Want to hear how it came to be?

We were having brisket brunch with friends at Podnah’s Pit (2 blocks from our house) and they suggested we all pile into our tiny new car and go snoopin’ for antiques/junk.

Robyn has always wanted a card catalog but has had a hard time swallowing the retail prices at places like Schoolhouse Electric and Design Without Reason. When she saw this piece and noted that the price was reasonable she just had to have it even though it was missing the legs/base. It most likely lived on a counter in it’s former life and was in remarkably good shape so we paid the proprietor and carried it out to the car.

With four adults in a VW Golf TDI there was just enough room in the wayback provided that the contents of the trunk were carried on the passengers’ laps. It was so worth it and I knew just how I would fix it up for our living room — hairpin legs! They were found at hairpinlegs.com and we opted for the raw metal finish so we could let them age naturally. Soooo, a quick coat of Johnsons Pastewax and 12 screws and our new TV stand was ready to break in, which we did with the pilot episode of Twin Peaks.

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It’s a fun piece that now holds their tv and music system. it doesn’t take up as much space as those all-too-common credenzas and it has a heartfelt story to go with it. Does anything beat an impromptu antiquing trip? Ok, maybe an antiquing trip with a side of bacon, but that’s beside the point.

Thanks Robyn and Michael!

(Image: Michael Wood)

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