Well folks, it’s been exactly one year since I’ve updated this site and for that I am truly sorry. 2009 has been the busiest year of my life. Thanks for all your e-mails and comments. I’m sorry if I did not get a chance to reply to each and every one of you.

After seeing a wonderful piece of mid-century architecture here in Richmond suffer the wrath of the wrecking ball (The Inns of Virginia, post and photos to follow), I’ve decided that one of my New Year’s resolutions is to revive this site so we can all enjoy other MC marvels while they’re still around. Time is so precious - whether you’re human or a gorgeous building.

So with that, I’m going to jump start with an e-mail I recently received from Kyle Kranzo, who is selling a whole set of almond-colored MC appliances. Jump on them before they’re gone!

I am selling a whole set of original almond-colored Mid-Century (Circa 1959) appliances. The set includes an amazing Frigidaire Refrigerator, a double General Electric wall oven, and a General Electric built-in range. They are all in GREAT working condition(we use them all currently). I recently moved into this mid-century home and it has a full St. Charles Mid-Century kitchen… including these great appliances.

The refrigerator has a great fold-down compartment inside, plenty of storage, a butter warmer, and tons of other unique items. The handle and accents on the refrigerator are also great! I have never seen anything like them. The freezer is also really neat. You have to press down on the foot pedal near the floor and it just pops it open. Very unique.

The Oven unit (both ovens) work great. It also has a neat meat thermometer that plugs into the inside of the oven and sticks into the meat you are cooking. It then shows you the temperature of the meat on the outside of the oven.

The range works great as well. It has many different settings. The very back left burner does not work…but I am imagining it is just a simple fix. I don’t cook enough for it to bother me.

All appliances include the original Owners Manuals (pictured below).

The Frigidaire refrigerator is from 1960
The General Electric double wall oven is from 1959
The General Electric Built-In Range is from 1959

Please make me an offer on either each item separately or as a complete set. I am aware of the great condition and going prices of these appliances, so please… only reasonable offers will be considered. I would love for these to go to a lover of mid-century design who will appreciate them as much as I do.

Please email me if you would like to see more photos, have any questions, etc. I would also be willing to ship these items if the buyer was willing to pay for shipping.

Thanks.

Retro Richmond reader Barry sent me some scans of a couple of issues of the Petersburg Progress-Index newspaper — two from 1959 and one from 1960 — that I thought I’d share.

The first is an advertisement for Kelly’s Drive-In from Oct. 21, 1960.

Hamburgers for $0.15; milkshakes for $0.20. If you ordered one of everything on the menu, you’d still get out of there for less than $1. A bottle of water cost more than that these days.

If you were looking to catch a movie Oct. 4, 1959, here’s what you’d have to choose from:

I really liked “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Millie Perkins did a fabulous job, and you can’t go wrong with Shelley Winters. “Liane, Jungle Goddess” sounds exciting and a little naughty! That probably would have been my choice!

And to make us all groan and shake our fists at inflation, check out these grocery store prices in Aug. 26, 1959:

Pork chops for $0.33 a pound! A 50-pound bag of potatoes for $1.49! What I wouldn’t do to see prices like that again!

Special thanks to Barry for sending these my way!

All right all you mid-century enthusiasts! The first official Retro Richmond MCMeetup will be at Dot’s Back Inn this Saturday, Aug. 2, at 10 a.m.

It’s not the most mid-century place in town, but it’s cheap, the food is good and it’s close to my house (so if no one shows up, I didn’t drive out of my way for an overpriced brunch).

I wanted to keep the first MCMeetup casual so everyone can get to know each other. We can discuss where the next meetup should be during brunch. (I’m already casting my vote for duckpin bowling!)

If you think you can make it, let me know. That way I’ll know about how many seats we need. We can meet outside at 10. If you’re coming late and we’re already seated, look for the girl with bling’d out vintage cat eye glasses. I’m sure I’ll be the only one!

Dot’s Back Inn is located in Northside at 4030 MacArthur Ave. Here are some directions if you need them:

View Larger Map

I look forward to meeting everyone!!

I won’t have Internet access this weekend, so I’ll leave you with post No. 3 to mull over until Monday.

A couple of people have mentioned the idea of having a Richmond mid-century enthusiasts meet-up of sorts. Retro Richmond reader Barry has suggested maybe getting a group together and hitting up some of the old drive-in theaters around the area. MCM enthusiast and Manchester resident David suggested maybe getting a group together and grabbing a bite to eat somewhere, like the Satellite Lounge.

I love both these ideas. I was thinking maybe one Saturday (or Sunday) a month (we would need to decide which one — first, second, etc — for consistency) Retro Richmond can host a mid-century enthusiasts meet-up. (MCMeetup? I can see the logo now!)

One Saturday we’ll get brunch or dinner at one of the many fabulous MCM diners around town. Maybe another we’ll take in a drive-in movie. If there’s a particular event in town on MCMeetup day, we could go there. If people are interested, we could even meet at a specific MCM building and then discuss it over coffee or a meal somewhere. The ideas are endless.

I guess what I need to know is whether this is something people are interested in? If so, please suggest a day that works for you, ie: first Saturday of the month, fourth Sunday of the month, etc. I want to know what kind of interest, if any, there is before I make this an official monthly event.

While I love a good mid-century diner, eating by myself is pretty depressing! So if you’re interested, post a comment. Let’s make MCMeetup a reality!

Thanks to Barry and David for the great suggestions!

The summer 2008 edition of Atomic Ranch magazine is out! It’s choc full of mid-century goodies including a feature on an Eichler renovation!

For those new to Atomic Ranch, it is a quarterly magazine that celebrates the marvels of mid-century homes, the designers who created them, and the folks who renovated them to make them what they are today. It’s also a great resource for anyone interested in adding some mid-century flair to their humble abode.

Don’t scour the shelves of Barnes and Noble for this magazine. It’s only available at Mongrel in Carytown. Grab a copy today and let me know what you think!

For $0.42, you can send your love of mid-century design anywhere in the world! A friend, and fellow mid-century enthusiast, sent me a link to the new Charles and Ray Eames commemorative postal stamps, which will be issued June 17.

This 16-stamp set features photos of some of the husband and wife duo’s most-notable designs including the molded plywood chair, the multi-colored storage unit, the wire shell chair, and the highly sought after Eames lounge chair and ottoman. There’s even a stamp featuring a photo of the happy couple.

You can pre-order the stamps through the U.S. Postal Service Web site.