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Vintage professions you'd like to see come back.....

Blackjack

One Too Many
Messages
1,198
Location
Crystal Lake, Il
Well, I'm feeling pretty lucky here all of a sudden. We have two old fashioned barber shops, a dairy that delivers, an old fashioned butcher shop, a shoe repair shop that WILL put a buckle on a belt and Pop's popcorn crib at the train station that has the best popcorn balls I've ever had. I guess I'll stay...
 

Maj.Nick Danger

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,469
Location
Behind the 8 ball,..
Artist/Illustrator

Personally I would love to be able to make a living at illustration just like some of my favorite artists of The Golden Age of Illustration. But alas, photography and now all that new-fangled digital stuff has all but supplanted real fine art illustration as practiced by the likes of Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth,and Norman Rockwell. :confused:
 

lolly_loisides

One Too Many
Messages
1,845
Location
The Blue Mountains, Australia
Theatre organists. There's no musical instrument more *impressive* in every way than a real theatre organ being played in a grand auditorium by a master organist. Most of whom, alas, are now dead.
I'm fairly certain that this is the last cinema in Sydney that still has an organ & employs a theatre organist. The Cremorne orpheum is a wonderful movie theatre. http://www.orpheum.com.au/tour_organ.htm
 

Widebrim

I'll Lock Up
Theatre organists. There's no musical instrument more *impressive* in every way than a real theatre organ being played in a grand auditorium by a master organist. Most of whom, alas, are now dead.

The Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles used to, from time to time, feature the second-to-the-last living organist from the silent days, Bob Mitchell. I enjoyed his playing many times (even shook his hand). With the death of Rosa Rio this year, it was truly the end of the line...
 
Messages
10,883
Location
Portage, Wis.
We have an old-fashioned barber shop here in town, never been there as my Mom cuts my hair (used to be a barber) and the next town over, Portage has one too.
 

Blackjack

One Too Many
Messages
1,198
Location
Crystal Lake, Il
^ I think we might be moving there next if we have to move again ;)

Edited because my husband said he would never live somewhere called Crystal lake.I guess he fears Jason lol

As of late Rue, I haven't seen any hockey mask wearing killers running around town... ;-)
 

LocktownDog

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,254
Location
Northern Nevada
Window sign painters. My father used to do that for some down town shops before vinyl lettering became so cheap.

Hand painting the shop sign on the front glass. It was amazing to see some of the detail.

I used to do some of that 20+ years ago. It was the only way at that time to do any gold leaf on glass reliably. Now there's good quality gold leaf vinyl to run through the plotters ... but man, I do miss those days. That was a real art.
 

JimWagner

Practically Family
Messages
946
Location
Durham, NC
It's not so much that I want to see particular professions come back as it's that I'd like to see the economic and societal conditions that allowed those professions to exist at all come back.
 

David Conwill

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,854
Location
Bennington, VT 05201
Gunshoe, bootlegger, barnstormer to name a few.

Bootleggers are still around, it's just that DVDs and marijuana aren't as romantic as booze. I would definitely love to see a comeback of brave men in cloth-covered biplanes touring the countryside.

Oh, and isn't it "gumshoe" as in shoes with gum soles for quiet walking?

-Dave
 

bd3

New in Town
Messages
44
Location
Kentucky
Being that I myself am a piano tuner also I would consider that a pretty vintage profession, not much has changed in that field, but what other jobs would you like to see around these days?
Myself I miss seeing the guy who rode around on his bike when I was a kid sharpening knives, he had this three wheel bike with a hand cranked sharpening wheel on it and would ring a bell on his bike as he was riding down the street. All the housewives would bring their kitchen knives out to be sharpened for a buck.


I have thought about learning to be a piano tuner. I've even sent off for information from a couple of schools.

Bill
 

pompsnpincurls

Familiar Face
Messages
63
Location
Green Bay, WI
The delivery milkman
The homemaker...... sometimes I feel very alone in my 'profession'

Apparently the thing nowadays is to have both parents working, even if 90% of one of the parent's income goes to day care costs while kids develop deep resentment towards their parents. Doesn't make any sense to me :). I'd rather take care of my home and family than to bust my butt at an unappreciative company for 10%.
 

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