Melrose Park Collectible Collection

East meets west and goes to the circus in this Melrose Park condominium.

We begin with the three stages of geisha-hood. I think that's a cocktail umbrella that the littlest one is carrying.

On one side of this buffet men toil in the rice paddies.

While on the other side women dressed in their far-East finery look on and laugh.

This would be a peaceful-looking scene...

... if not for the howling multi-colored coyote on the left.

From north to south, Eskimos to Mexicans are represented here.

This Indian maiden clearly enjoys her life on the reservation. "Thank you," she seems to be saying, "for taking our land and bringing us smallpox."

This little one seems less than thrilled about her future of poverty and alcoholism.

Both belong to this set of American Indian plates from the Hamilton Collection. Each originally retailed for $24.99. I think that's what you call red man's revenge.

Time to send in the clowns.

The only thing that would have made these two more perfect is if salt came out one side of their heads and pepper from the other.

Now there's some sad things known to man...

... but there ain't too much sadder than...

... the art of a clown.

Melrose Park Chinese Garden, Part 2

Let's climb the stairs of this Melrose Park split-level and see what's inside.

A bathroom. Something about that wallpaper makes me want to snark, but I really can't think of anything good to say about it. You can take that statement whichever way you want.

Here's the vanity, which was actually pretty cool. It juxtaposed two different colors/patterns of mid-century Formica. When I opened that door on the left it fell off in my hand. Someone obviously needed a handyman.

That's when the major insight about this place struck me. There was very little masculine influence anywhere to be found. Possibly none.

I suddenly got a very clear picture of this home's owner as a strong, independent, possibly single-for-life woman. A tough, trail-blazing working girl who did things her way. I don't know if that's the case of not, but it makes sense.

One of the bedrooms, in what I was coming to think of as her trademark style. The funny thing about this photo is that I later saw an old woman walking out with that entire stack of afghans. I'd like to think she was going to pass them off to friends and relatives as her own work.

Second bedroom. Lavendar walls, aqua drapes. What these pictures don't show is that this place was mobbed. People were buzzing around like this was some incredible bonanza.

Maybe it was. This room had a couple interesting finds.

An interesting lamp. I'm guessing she lived here 40-50 years, and during that time the livingroom went through three distinct looks.

The first, when she moved in, happened some time in the early '60s and was all about pink and teal. The second, around the mid-'70s, embraced red, which is where those chairs and the matching lamp came from, along with a solid-red sofa I didn't photograph. Finally, some time in the '90s, she moved on to the current theme of yellow florals.

I'd also like to think she had a nightclub act.

This bathroom was right off of this room, and was oddly pristine. I don't think it was ever used. It was like a movie set.

This Oriental diptych hung in the living room.

Living room, different angle.

This hung nearby. Great lamp. $85. Wish I owned a vintage furniture store, or a prop house specializing in '60s-'70s. Yeah -- those sound like two money-making career ideas.

There was even more stuff in the garage. Mostly clothes.

Come over for dinner Saturday night with me and the girls. I'll make stir-fry and Singapore slings.

I also found this drink coaster/ashtray combo, which I had to buy. They said the price was fifty cents, but I gave them a dollar.

I'd like to think it's right.

Melrose Park Chinese Garden, Part 1

This was the home of a woman who loved flowers. All kinds. The mysteries of the Orient. Pink and aqua, purple and yellow. Things with a bit of flash and pizazz. Or a lot.

This was the home of a woman who didn't believe in dialing things back.

Here's the kitchen. The appliances -- a cooktop and separate wall oven from the '50s or '60s -- were pink. The refrigerator was newer, but I'm willing to bet the original was also pink. On sunny mornings, I'm sure this room glowed.

This chair was in the kitchen, too. I don't think it lived there, but had been brought up from the basement for the sale.

Speaking of the basement, let's take a look.

The house was a split level. This is the first lower floor, and it held quite a few treasures.

I wish I had space for this, and a spare $250. It was in great shape and worth every penny.

This exuberant duo sat right across from the buffet. There's something very current about them right now. In the proper setting, they could be focal points and conversation starters.

Especially when paired with the matching lamp.

This is when the flowers caught my eye.

There were a lot of them. And all priced to move at $1.00.

I found this on one of the tables nearby. I can't decide if it's ugly, offensive, or both. The back said "Bowen Coolie (c)1963." The company is still around, and has since graduated to comic-book character figurines.

A second set of stairs led to the basement.

There was plenty of room down here, and a couple interesting finds. I found a good-sized wet bar at the far left end, with several stacks of books around it. Among them, Female Sexual Slavery by Kathleen Barry. Books tell a lot about the person who owned them. This one said quite a bit.

Also on the left, just behind the bar, was a second kitchen. It was the second home I'd seen with one today.

View #1. It had everything but a dishwasher.

View #2. Not in great shape, but not because it was used a lot. As a matter of fact, I was getting the impression the former owner wasn't much of a cook at all.

This looks like something you'd see on the set of a community theater production of Sweeney Todd, but had once been a pretty sharp wall oven. What's the deal with the second, downstairs kitchen? All I can guess is that people used to entertain a lot in their homes -- that would explain all the wet bars in homes built in the '50s and '60s -- and the second kitchen downstairs made those swank dinner and cocktail parties easier to host.

On to the second floor in part 2.

Melrose Park Bungalow with In-Law

There wasn't much left at this place when we arrived, but that didn't stop the guy who was running the sale from complaining about how badly things were going.

This bedroom was kind of sad. It had a very distinct, lived-in odor.

It emanated from here.

These were at the foot of the bed, and must be the world's most beautiful clothes hangers.

This glass-topped table was pretty cool, but would have been more tempting if the chairs hadn't been so worn and sagging.

This seemed an odd place to install an air conditioner, but I imagine it made washing dishes on a hot Summer day so much more refreshing.

The stairs to the basement were just to the left.

The basement had been converted into what Chicagoans call an "in-law" -- a separate, usually below-code apartment.

The kitchenette was pretty shabby, but it held a couple interesting finds.

For some reason, this struck me as a charming tableau.

This strange appliance was located across from the sink. It was in surprisingly good shape for its age.

Basically, it's a portable oven. Or fire-starter, depending on how well the electrical components have held up over the past 50 years. I wasn't interested in running the experiment. But it's nice that they kept the owner's manual with it, and the cover illustration certainly makes it look like a joy to use. It could be yours for $25.