Learning from History

Parents aren’t cool.  That seems to be a generally accepted fact among offspring of any generation.  Grandparents however are different, they are cool.  How many of us remember funny or poignant stories with the central character being a grandparent?  Oftentimes these stories were born in the homes of your parents’ parents.  If we close our eyes we can transport our minds back in time to a celebration at Grandma’s house.  We remember the food, we can almost smell the aromas, we can picture the furniture.  Yes, the furniture.  That old stuff from Grandma’s living room, the dining room set, and the old beds and dressers are cool again.  So cool that it has a name and a style: “Mid-Century Modern.”    

The old furniture of the 1950s and the early 60s is white hot right now and people are buying it as fast as they can.  If it is true that all trends are cyclical, that all things come back around again, then this is the time for the return of Mid-Century Modern (see picture for six fine examples).  Some people have stated that the style is popular because the folks doing the purchasing are reliving their childhood and reviving the memories of their grandparents.  Sociologists have studied this phenomenon and they have discovered that trends often skip a generation.  This may explain why today’s buyers who grew up in the 1980s are skipping the styles of their parents and the 1970s and going all way back to the 1950s.  It could also be that the designers of the Mid-Century Modern era used simple lines with understated yet elegant touches.  Chairs were angle-shaped, tables were slight yet strong.   It could be a case that people just appreciate things that are well designed and well crafted.

It also helps that these furniture pieces are readily available now.  The baby boom that followed World War II and the rush to the newly built suburbs meant that houses were filling up with new furniture and new kids.  Now, sixty years later that furniture is being liquidated as the boomers move to senior living facilities or downsized homes.   This means that not only is this popular style available, it is also affordable.  In the 1950s, everyone had the stuff and they held onto it.  

Is the Mid-Century Modern style reflected in the bicycles of the era?  Yes.  In the 1930s and 40s bikes had fat tubes and balloon tires, white-walls too.  There would be a large tank under the top tube that served no purpose, just a design feature.  In the 1950s the tires started to get smaller and thinner and the idea of cutting weight was first starting to be discussed among manufacturers. The lines of bikes were taking a more pointed and angular shape.  They were known as middleweight bikes (pictured). Two things at the time helped to bring this change: the “Space Race” and the jet airplane.  Things were built for speed, even if speed was only a hint.   

And where were these bikes?  The local bike shop had yet to arrive so the best place to find a new ride was Sears.  Next was the local hardware store.  The hardware store was how Schwinn began to gain market share.  The small shops would become exclusive Schwinn dealers and soon Schwinn was nationwide.  Are these old bikes selling well?  Not really, they weren’t very popular at the time and today the brand new cruisers are a better value.  What the era did do was convince designers that weight was a factor and frame design important.  There is a collectors market for the old machines.  .

If you are interested in old bikes and want some appraisal tips please visit our website for a short how-to video.  Please click on videos at www.stickybottleteam.net.