In the end, finding the thing, the person, the material, the trade, that no one wants to trade with you, is both victory and necessity.  A great Electrician, a reliable Plumber, affordable hardware, a Painter that paints between the lines, those to-die-for brass knobs that don’t cost the price of a four year degree, that special stain that will transform your thin plank oak floors from parochial to polished, can make one feel as if they are left with a rolodex of rejects.

Sometimes Walter plays a trick on you….these beauties aren’t for sale.  They will be reinstalled at 15 Commonwealth Avenue.  Those low number addresses have all the fun!

My suggestion – make friends fast.  A recommendation from a friend is worth…well at the very least the quick and relatively affordable relocation of your electrical panel…isn’t it?  Scouring the internet for resources can be time consuming.  As we quickly approach the new year, I am committed to finding a way to make Quest a better guide for you readers.  It’s great to write about the places one can go to find all that is necessary for a home reno and decoration, but if you don’t need it at the precise moment you read, finding it later is critical.  Stay posted on that.

Restoration Resources . Whole Bar …for sale to you.

My brain is a vast treasure trove of resources.  There are thousands of people, and places I have used, used again, fallen in love with, and out, and those that I know, will never leave me, or fail me.  Regrettably, this filing system, my brain, is deeply flawed.  It tucks information away down corridors I didn’t even know existed.  It splices data together like two ropes too short on the deck of boat – creating something that is entirely new, and in the case of the information – not at all true.  Hum,  that’s decidedly unhelpful, and rather amusing.  Not to me of course, but to those that are exposed to me, and on to my game.  Alas, desperation is my friend.  When I am desperate for a resource, that undoubtably disorganized disaster, becomes a model of efficient retrieval.  And just like that, exactly what I needed, when I needed it, appears.  I will do better by you.

A model of efficient retrieval.  Walter found me what I needed immediately.

Yesterday was just one of those days when a tickle of panic started to flutter in my chest over the closet debacle – I’ll explain later, and the temporary hinges that are holding my new, old door in place.  That won’t do at all.  The door demands something grand and stately.  It is after all 8’4″ of solid wood.  They don’t make them like that anymore.  No Mickey Mouse hinge will do.

One of my very favorite spots to find something old and beautiful, that will bring new life to one of my projects is:

Restoration Resources . 1946 Washington Street . Boston – South End. 

It’s an amusement park for adults like me.  Surprises around every corner.  It’s dusty, and dark, and full of possibility.  I adore it, and I adore Walter.  He knows his stuff and helped me find brass hinges.  5.5″ not so common.  Thank you Walter, and Merry Christmas.

Restoration Resources . 1946 Washington Street . Boston . South End.