Things were better in the old days back in Ashdown, Arkansas.

Because of that, I’m building a room in our house with almost all vintage items.

I’m calling it, “The Retro Room.”

I never thought I’d hear anyone else besides my dad and grandfather say that. But now I’m saying it.

Things were made better in the old days.

Cars used to be better. Furniture used to be better. Appliances used to be better.

Show me one thing today that’s made with better quality and durability.

I’ll wait.

The cars I drove growing up were built out of solid, Detroit steel. Today, some manufacturers make the bodies of their trucks out of aluminum.

The same material we wrap meat in when we throw it on the grill.

Which sounds safer to you?

In my office, I use a 1960 Coffeematic Percolator to make coffee. I hand-grind the beans and then watch the brew hit the clear, round, glass handle in the lid.

The liquid goes from clear to black, and eventually the percolator stops and turns quiet.

The folks in the office migrate in when the smell reaches them. The comments range from, “…this is the best coffee ever,” to “How can this be so superior to what I make at home?”

The answer is simple. The method and the design.

Today, we spend a fortune on paper filters and K-cups, which are piling up in the landfills.

With a percolator, you don’t need either and the drip method maximizes the coffee flavor.

Appliances used to be passed down in families like a fine watch. That harvest gold refrigerator your grandmother used to have? It’s still running in a cousin’s garage somewhere.

It will outlive us all. It is time itself.

A refrigerator today? Usually comes with a five year warranty, and dies one month after the five years is up. This actually happened with a freezer we bought.

And no, the manufacturer didn’t cover it.

I’ve written before about what the government did to ruin Crockpots. Originally called a slow cooker, at some point, folks who thought they knew what was best for us changed the rules so that the lowest setting on newer Crockpots is boiling.

Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t that the opposite of a “Slow Cooker?” Now, if you want to slow cook something such as a brisket, chicken, or ribs, you’d better have a smoker or grill. Otherwise, if you cook it in a new Crockpot, the only use you’ll have for the meat is to make roof patches for your shed.

Today, working, vintage Crockpots go for a premium online. Save your nickels. They ain’t cheap.

Many of the Formica Dinette sets we all grew up eating on, doing homework on, and pasting S&H Green Stamps into books, survive.

Not the case for the overpriced kitchen tables and chairs available today, which are made of pressed fiberboard.

And then there’s mattresses. Used to be, you’d get a bedroom set with a box springs and mattress when you got married. When you died, someone else in the family got it and kept using it until they died, and so on.

Once again, the government got involved and made the mattress makers take out the stuff that allowed a mattress to hold its shape and comfort. Materials that gave your bed the same eternal prospects as the refrigerator in your cousin’s garage.

Today, a mattress is sagging before you get the plastic wrap off and get it on the Ikea frame you spent four days putting together, with three extra bolts left over.

So, I decided to find some old things. Some good things. Things that have lasted.

And build a Retro Room.

The first acquisition was a 1955 Formica Dinette Set, with an extra leaf and six chairs. It looks new. I suspect that someone got it as a wedding gift and never used it.

The second purchase was a Murphy Bed. The first one of these I ever saw was when the Three Stooges got folded up inside one. I’ve wanted one ever since. It’s installed and works great.

I have a countertop in one end of the room. There’s a section for food prep, including a place for vintage Crockpots and other items, and a spot for a vintage radio I’m having restored.

The plan is to sit down at the table and play cards, work a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, or just talk.

All while we listen to the oldies station on the 1946 Philco my dad gave me years ago. It’ll be the first time that radio has played in about 70 years.

If we have company, we’ll fold down the Murphy bed for them.

If the company turns out to be any of the government folks who ruined Crockpots and mattresses, I’ll fold them up in the bed.

Just until we finish the jigsaw puzzle.

 

©2024 John Moore

John’s books, Puns for Groan People and Write of Passage: A Southerner’s View of Then and Now Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, are available on his website TheCountryWriter.com, where you can also send him a message.