This magazine rack first made it's AT:Chicago debut back in May when we talked about $3 Makeovers. Since then we have had a steady request for information about this Kermit-colored piece. Click through for information and ideas on how to come across one of your own!
At On: Where To Find This Magazine Rack
This vintage piece came from a school auction in western Nebraska (Mother-in-laws are fantastic auction hunters!).
It now resides in my home in Kansas City and if I were to purchase one again, here's where I would start (since you can't Google, "really cool mid century magazine rack that someone painted bright green").
First, try the following search words: Library Media Rack, Children's Book Display, Library Magazine Rack, Mid Century Library Shelving.
Any combination of those words should yield you some results on Craigslist, Ebay and plain old Google.
Like any good hunt, it will require patience and diligence to track one down.
Magzineracks.com sells a similar version that is legless:
There are other library supply websites you can purchase things from, although we liked the looks of this one.
A piece of MDF could be fitted inside the bottom (they are typically hollow, although I have never purchased from this company before), nailed in and have mid century legs attached to them for a vintage look. Simply hit up a few auctions and you are sure to find a side table with such legs for a few bucks.
Don't forget to keep an eye out at auctions for schools across the country, you never know what you'll find. Also, be sure to use the search function on sites like auctionfinder.com to help narrow things down. Even if the auction is 12 states away, you might be able to find someone you know willing to make the trek for you!
Happy hunting!
Comments (13)
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such a big piece of furniture for books which could fit on one bookshelf shelf? oh dear.
view *heather leaf*'s profile
Although I agree that it's a big piece of furniture, I think it would work really well in a kid's room. Kids (at least mine) tend not to find great books when they're lined up on a typical shelf. It would be fun to rotate books through a stand like this so all the books can be enjoyed.
view gem's profile
not to be picky, but the plural is mothers-in-law, not Mother-in-laws. There is more than one mother, not more than one law.
view inkstainedwriter's profile
Thank you for answering this question! I've been looking for something like this for a while, and I decided to hunt online after seeing this picture. Wish me luck! :-)
view Christina @ Pardon My Vintage's profile
inkstainedwriter- thanks for the keen eye!
view sarahrae's profile
yes, too big.
view Haunted_Studio's profile
For those without the hunting instinct, new library and bookstore furniture - including magazine racks - is available from:
Brodart
http://www.shopbrodart.com/
Gaylord
http://www.gaylordmart.com/
DemCo
http://www.demco.com
If you long for your own bookcart, giant movable AV stand, or really really sturdy chairs...
view m_j_s's profile
Waay too big and of very limited use.
view bepsf's profile
I think it's an interesting kind of piece. Yes, it's limiting how much you can load on it, and it is kind of big. But it's different. Anyone can have a bookshelf, that can be practical but kind of ho-hum. This is eye-catching, and if you have room, it's not a bad thing to look at. I'm not sure about the green, but that's a personal preference. I wouldn't have room for this in my current space, but I still think it's an interesting alternative if you can score it.
Church pews and theater seating is another thing that falls into this category for me. I had an opportunity to snag some fantastic (let me remember them fondly; they may have been pretty awful on closer inspection) auditorium seats out of a dumpster by a building during their renovation, but given the space I lived in then, it wasn't really as if anyone would have said it was a reasonable alternative to a couch, much less that I didn't have an easy way to drag 4-seats-across back to my apartment several blocks away. I also once had access to old hairdryer chairs from a salon (actually a theater set at that point), but that's a little too kooky for a chair. I used to believe more in weirdo stuff than I do now. A wooden magazine rack, however, is a lot more practical and interesting usage of what might be called an oddity of furniture, if you have room to spread things out that much.
view K T G's profile
Oh man......love this. I am going to see if I can have something like this made in Marrakech. Maybe out of found wood.
view Maryam in Marrakesh's profile
I'm a fan of card catalogs myself. The most useful library furniture, IMHO.
view dialmformarvel's profile
Just a note - The space which this unit sits is in a standard width hallway and is "technically" in the traffic pattern into our spare bedroom. It really is more shallow than the pictures show and was a great find.
Yes, you are limited to how much you put in it... but it helps keep our magazine obsession in check. When it's full, it's time for things to go!
-sarahrae
view sarahrae's profile
Lol, talk about coincidence, SF Craigslist: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/fuo/909120185.html
view girlonthem00n's profile