Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[tonyb]

Not long ago I read an article about the semi-recent phenomenon of "urbanizing" big cities. The main reason they cited for this was simply that younger generations don't want that daily commute from the suburbs to the city--they want to live, shop, dine, or whatever, within walking distance (or a very short drive) from wherever they work. I can understand this to a point--my last place of employment was a 15-mile commute, and in the 18-1/2 years I worked there the one-way trip went from 20-30 minutes to an hour or more. So, yeah, I'd rather not have to drive an hour or more to get to work, but since I grew up in the suburbs I can't imagine living in the middle of a big city would be a better option.

In my early "independent" years I lived in the heart of the city, right near downtown, because that's where the affordable housing was. Now I live in a suburb, because that's where the affordable (relatively) housing is.

The in-city neighborhoods where I once resided are now gentrified. I have to resist rolling my eyes at the self-congratulatory newcomers to my old neighborhood who crow about how they "treasure the diversity" there. If by "diversity" they mean people of many racial and ethnic categories in significant numbers, well, the district is made all the less diverse by the newcomers' presence. There's more diversity in the suburb where I now live.

 

[LizzieMaine]

With the impending elimination of the moving expense deduction, it's a pretty good guess that you're going to see even more stuff being thrown away or left at the side of the road when people are forced to relocate, including, no doubt, a great many "heirlooms."

As far as gentrification goes, my views are already on the record, but I'll say that it's gotten even worse in just the past couple of years. Several people I know have either left town, or are in the process of leaving town, because of rampant gouging by the cartel of landlords who control the majority of rental housing in this town. The thing is to get rid of your long-term tenants and turn the place into a short-term Air B-N-B kind of deal for well-heeled tourists. "It's dough, let's go!" And the result is a chronic housing shortage for the people who actually make the functioning of the community possible.

 

[tonyb]

With the impending elimination of the moving expense deduction, it's a pretty good guess that you're going to see even more stuff being thrown away or left at the side of the road when people are forced to relocate, including, no doubt, a great many "heirlooms."

As far as gentrification goes, my views are already on the record, but I'll say that it's gotten even worse in just the past couple of years. Several people I know have either left town, or are in the process of leaving town, because of rampant gouging by the cartel of landlords who control the majority of rental housing in this town. The thing is to get rid of your long-term tenants and turn the place into a short-term Air B-N-B kind of deal for well-heeled tourists. "It's dough, let's go!" And the result is a chronic housing shortage for the people who actually make the functioning of the community possible.

Many municipalities now have ordinances restricting short-term rentals. Where I live, they are limited to a single rental unit on the property where the owner or leaseholder also resides. Accessory dwelling units (aka mother-in-law apartments) are permitted, and that's what most short-term rentals here are.

I've heard of locales where entire apartment complexes have been converted to short-term rentals. I can see how that would squeeze out the lower-income residents.

A family member resides in a resort community where she started a vacation rental agency going on 20 years ago. Whatever sentiment for restricting short-term rentals that popped up there was met with strong opposition from property owners, many of whose properties are second homes which, prior to the short-term rental phenomenon, were unoccupied most of the time.

A much bigger player in the industry approached this relative of mine about buying her business. Said relative is approaching retirement age, and she figured this company would probably become her competition if she didn't sell. So she did.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We've had efforts to get some kind of restriction on short term rentals. The result was that the landlord cartel/tourist industry took over the City Council and quashed those efforts post haste. We're not much better than a company town now, but I refuse to leave because of sheer cussedness.

 

[tonyb]

We've had efforts to get some kind of restriction on short term rentals. The result was that the landlord cartel/tourist industry took over the City Council and quashed those efforts post haste. We're not much better than a company town now, but I refuse to leave because of sheer cussedness.

Know thyself, eh?

Believe me, I was quite happy to realize a 350 percent appreciation on a house my wife and I sold in our once "blighted," now gentrified neighborhood. But without that windfall it would have been difficult to buy a new place to live.

Sounds like your little burg is similar to that of the relative of mine to whom I alluded above. The economy of the town itself is driven by tourism. In your case, there is still an active fishery and, I presume, other industries -- agriculture, maybe, and forestry. In hers, it's agriculture -- orchards, vineyards, and, not far to the east, wheat and potatoes as far as the eye can see.

 

[BlueTrain]

On Thanksgiving Day at relatives, I met a man from Croatia who was complaining about how tourism along the coast of Croatia and how that was no way to base an economy. He gave Greece as an example. But it's hard to think of a good thing to base the economy on, given how fickle consumers are and self-interested the rich politicians are. Maybe agriculture is good, since we all eat (and eat) but even that has its ups and downs and farmers receive less for their efforts than anyone in the food chain.

 

[Fading Fast]

On Thanksgiving Day at relatives, I met a man from Croatia who was complaining about how tourism along the coast of Croatia and how that was no way to base an economy. He gave Greece as an example. But it's hard to think of a good thing to base the economy on, given how fickle consumers are and self-interested the rich politicians are. Maybe agriculture is good, since we all eat (and eat) but even that has its ups and downs and farmers receive less for their efforts than anyone in the food chain.

Unfortunately, my read of history is that you are spot on - survival means being flexible and "reinventing" yourself - whether the "self" is an individual, a business or community. Of course, there are examples of this or that, that has survived for 100 years doing the same thing - but those are the exceptions.

The reality is things change. Business, government, consumer, religion - all change over time and the communities around them either adapt or die. Right or wrong, that is what happens. It's hard. It's hard to watch your skills become superannuated (has happened to me more than once). It's hard to watch your neighborhood go south - been there. It's hard to see your successful business fail (I've worked for several) because of changing tastes, supply chain shifts, stiffer competition, etc. It's hard, but IMHO, most attempts to hold off that change just let the pressure build and distort things, but they don't create a sustainable status quo.

 

[BlueTrain]

The hardest thing to accept is the fact that it has been that way--change--for hundreds of years.

 

[Foch]

Vintage things that disappeared.
Butchers, Milk delivery, Stationary stores, News Stands, My hair, Ice Delivery, News paper boys...

 

[Fading Fast]

Based on the movies (the only place I've ever seen one), muffs (from Wikipedia: A muff is a fashion accessory for outdoors usually made of a cylinder of fur or fabric with both ends open for keeping the hands warm) disappeared right about the time I was born ('64), and, IMHO, probably were dealt a death blow by the late '60s clean sweep.

But they can be seen quite regularly in classic movies from the '30s - '60s, usually, but not always, worn by wealthy women. That said, in movies of that time period, they will pop up on humbler people in humbler styles as well.

My guess, as noted, this kind of stylized fussiness represented "your dad's Oldsmobile" to the '60s social and cultural changers - so bye, bye they went. Also, that they are hardly convenient couldn't have helped their survival as woman moved into the workforce and, in general, led more active lifestyles.

Mary Astor sports a fur muff

 

[LizzieMaine]

You can't really manage a muff if you're carrying a heavily-loaded bag. During the days of the muff, women seldom carried anything more than a few coins and a handkerchief, but as the 20th Century wore on you had to carry various and increasing numbers of other items. By the end of the "muff era," they were largely gimmicky fashion accessories designed to show that you had no need of practicality, rather than being something you actually used. Even by the 1930s they were more a cutesy affectation for little girls going to church than they were an ordinary part of an ordinary woman's wordrobe.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Speaking of muffs, whatever happened to earmuffs?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Speaking of muffs, whatever happened to earmuffs?

Um, didn't survive the 90s.

 

[Nobert]

Having grown up in the town where earmuffs were invented, I must take issue with the idea that they are completely passé, although I will admit they do not enjoy the popularity they once did. They obviously go hand-in-hand, or head-in-ear, with brimmed hats, which also are not as common these days. A belated Happy Chester Greenwood Day!

 

[3fingers]

You can't really manage a muff if you're carrying a heavily-loaded bag. During the days of the muff, women seldom carried anything more than a few coins and a handkerchief, but as the 20th Century wore on you had to carry various and increasing numbers of other items. By the end of the "muff era," they were largely gimmicky fashion accessories designed to show that you had no need of practicality, rather than being something you actually used. Even by the 1930s they were more a cutesy affectation for little girls going to church than they were an ordinary part of an ordinary woman's wordrobe.

I remember the little girls with their muffs going to church. Some clipped to the front of the girl's coat, kind of looking like the St Bernard's brandy keg. I don't really remember seeing them worn anyplace else either. They may have been warm, but always seemed to be more trouble than they were worth.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

In the 18th century muffs were used by women and men. One advantage, besides warmth, was that in a dicey part of town, especially at night, you could hold a pistol in one without it being noticed.

 

[scottyrocks]

Going, going, but not quite gone... pianos. I read a piece by Neal Wertheimer in the AARP Bulletin for October 2017. Neal talks about the difficulty he had finding a new home for the family's upright piano. Having recently lived through the exact situation, I thought it worth commenting.

My mother - now 95 - recently moved into an assisted living facility. She was a graduate of the Chicago Conservatory of Music back when and had saved for years to buy a piano. Immediately post-WWII, she bought a beautiful, new Lyons and Healy baby grand and maintained it in impeccable condition till her recent move. She taught piano lessons and both my sister and I took lessons.

Imagine her shock and disappointment when when we couldn't find even one buyer in Chicago for her pride and joy. No one wanted to devote the space, time or money to move and tune a piano. We couldn't even gift it. We were faced with closing on her house and were left paying to have it trashed. The day before closing, her daughter came through... her church in Michigan's Upper Peninsula agreed to take IF mom paid to have it moved 350 miles north.

So there it sits, still played on Sundays and available for piano lessons by my sister. Mom feels good even though her estate is a few dollars lighter. Rather than move, maintain and tune a real instrument, when your digital keyboard goes bad, you can toss it and substitute a digital percussion set. Are pianos soon to be gone?

We have a 1925 Hardman & Peck upright that belonged to my in-laws. My wife wants it gone, but we have not been able to find anyone who will take it, and we've been offering it up for a year by now.

On top of the space it requires, and the manpower to lift and move it, it needs a going over to bring it back to good playing condition (it's playable, but needs some work). No one seems to want an old piano, especially a huge one that needs a full tuneup, when an electronic portable is so much cheaper, and easier to own in every way.

I fear it will end up on the curb, if I can find people to get it out of the house.

 

[Bugguy]

We have a 1925 Hardman & Peck upright that belonged to my in-laws. My wife wants it gone, but we have not been able to find anyone who will take it, and we've been offering it up for a year by now.

On top of the space it requires, and the manpower to lift and move it, it needs a going over to bring it back to good playing condition (it's playable, but needs some work). No one seems to want an old piano, especially a huge one that needs a full tuneup, when an electronic portable is so much cheaper, and easier to own in every way.

I fear it will end up on the curb, if I can find people to get it out of the house.

Several years ago I watched a beautiful light oak upright reduced to firewood. The craftsmanship was exceptional. I wish I had a huge warehouse and could adopt these beauties. Though at my age I'd need a college football team to haul them.

 

[scottyrocks]

Several years ago I watched a beautiful light oak upright reduced to firewood. The craftsmanship was exceptional. I wish I had a huge warehouse and could adopt these beauties. Though at my age I'd need a college football team to haul them.

My wife is very gung-ho on getting it out of the house, although I know she will have second thoughts once the process actually begins.

I don't have much history with it. I just hate to see old things go to feces.

 

[3fingers]

This has probably been mentioned somewhere in 303 pages, but one that occurred to me today was advertisements for something where you sent 10 cents or 25 cents in coin or stamps to the address to receive the widget or catalog etc.
I remember doing this from time to time.
I wonder what reaction you would get if you ordered some small thing now and put five bucks worth of stamps in the envelope to pay for it.