Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Vintage Bar Cart Score.

Back in October, I blogged about wanting a bar cart and my fruitless Craigslist searching.  Well the fruitless searching continued up until a few weeks ago.  And I'm not talking about the occasionally-remembering-to-search-Craigslist kind of searching.  I'm talking about the every-day-compulsively-searching-holding-out-hope-that-I-would-find-something kind of searching, with this image always in the back of my mind:


I was searching Austin's Craigslist for a friend and came across the perfect bar cart, which was listed for $125 in Lockhart, Texas (a small town about 2 hours and 45 minutes away).  Thankfully, Lockhart just so happens to be the BBQ Capital of Texas so it was an easy sell to convince Justin to make it "on our way" to Austin.  

We showed up and walked around the antique shop, which had a bunch of gorgeous pieces in perfect condition at great prices.  The owner pointed us in the direction of the bar cart and told me no matter the price marked, he would honor the Craigslist price.  He asked what it was and I told him $125; he said he had it marked for $120, but that he would take $100.  Sold!!  I didn't even have to negotiate -- he knocked down the price without me even asking!  (Although, for the record, I thought I was already getting a heck of a deal for $125.)   Check out this ebay auction, which has ended.  They look pretty similar right?  That one was listed for $695.

So with all that build up, here she is in all of her bar-cart glory.  Amazing, right?


And all styled up.


In case you're curious, those frames above the cart contain hand-written recipes from our family.


I love the look of displayed glassware, but I have an aversion to storing glasses out in the open.  It's easier for them to get dusty and ours would probably end up with puppy noses on them! 


And see those fun stripey straws?  Justin bought them for me (without any hints) for Christmas.  They are perfect to display on the bar cart! 


One of my favorite parts of the cart are its neat little casters.


And just in case you want to take a gander at our liquor selection (which I always like to do), here you go.


The more embarrassing ones (peppermint schnapps) and the ones in not so pretty handles bottles (Firefly sweet tea vodka) are still stored in our cabinet with the glassware and related bar tools.  I love seeing the bottles displayed now.  And yes, I bought that tequila just because the bottle was in the shape of Texas.

So the moral of the story is: obsessive Craigslist searching (even in different cities) persistence pays off!  Cheers!  

39 comments:

  1. What time is the party, and what should we wear?
    Love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it!! You are not going to believe this, but I saw the EXACT same cart at an antique store here in Dallas a couple of months ago. I even have pics of it bc I almost bought it!
    I think I may go back tomorrow to see if it's still there!
    Great post!

    Emily Hewett
    A Well Dressed Home
    awelldressedhome.com/blog

    ReplyDelete
  3. I looooove the family recipes. What a fabulous idea.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Two blogs I read this week have/or are wanting bar carts. Even crazier...I just bought one yesterday!!! I took my casters off b/c they were too big, I like the little wheels on yours.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awesome Emily! It's perfect! I'm so jealous of your liquor collection too:) Can't wait to get going on my own!

    ReplyDelete
  6. nice score! Obsessive craigslist searching is how I found my coffee table!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! It really is amazing, Emily! Love those. I want one. Even though I'm not 21 and don't drink..but they're just so darn cute! The wheels are my favorite part.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It looks absolutely amazing! I am on the hunt for a bar cart myself. This is a definite score and styled just right!!


    www.sadieandstella.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love it! I loved the one in your inspiration photo in silver and never would've considered gold but I love it! I love the thrill of the hunt and when it finally pays off. Awesome find!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You got one heck of a deal!
    At $100 it was worth the wait!
    I know this bar cart will get a lot of mileage.



    Rashon aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm jealous of the cart and your liquor collection! What a great deal. Maybe I should continue being patient to see if something comes along. I love the idea of framing family recipes--very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great find! Love your bar cart...and my hubs loves Hendricks :).

    ReplyDelete
  13. This bar cart is absolutely stunning. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  14. it's just lovely!! i could spend hours on craigslist :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. i love it! gotta love craigslist :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. So pretty! I love bar carts. The detail on the casters are so neat!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, that is a beauty. I love the cart and you did a fabulous job of styling it. I'm impressed with your extensive selection. I know where to go for a drink if I"m visiting Texas:)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Adorable!!
    My glasses would also have very LARGE puppy smudges on them...much like the windows in my car!

    Love the recipes, what a fun and sentimental idea!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great post! I love this bar cart- and my favorite part are the casters too! I also love the thoughtfully framed recipes above the cart. I'm inviting myself over for a drink! :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Girl - that cart is AMAZING! I LOVE IT! What a steal! You did so good. I see a number of my favorite friends :) oh - and uh, peppermint schnapps and I had a bad run in college and we have never spoken to each other again :) I also heart those cute straws!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my gosh - what an incredible set up! the cart is lovely but the styling really makes it look good. And I love the handwritten recipes on the wall - what a cute idea. I think I should start buying alcohol based on the bottles in the shape of places I should visit haha

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love it! I think they are so classy looking, and the brass looks fantastic. I have seen one on craigslist that I keep coming back to, even though I have nowhere to put it. Great find!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Emily, I love it! What an awesome find. I also love how you framed the family recipes, what a special touch. I see lots of good liquor on the cart, if I lived close by I would stop in for a drink with a stripped straw of course!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'll say it does!!! And big time! That cart is so awesome and the detailing is so cool...seeing your bar cart makes me wish I drank so I could find myself some fabulousness like that!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lovely, lovely, lovely! So well worth the wait (and the trip to Austin - ha) :) Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Emily, did you know your score is almost exactly the same as one just featured in High Gloss magazine?
    http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=474068&cur_tab

    How fun is that! Makes the find even more satisfying!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Awesome find. I love how you've styled it; very Mad Men.

    ReplyDelete
  28. So jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding. That rocks. Roll it on over sister!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love bar carts - they remind me of old hollywood!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your bar cart is Perfect! And I love how you styled it up! . . . Didn't you and Court get a pic together?? :) both of you just teased! :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Great find! I just scored a bar cart myself not too long ago. New to blogging and it was one of my first posts. I absolutely have barcartjealousy now though... LOVING the wheels on yours!

    fortheloveofluxe.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. I remembered this beautiful bar cart when I moved into my new home and saw that one of my neighbors had an identical one on their porch just sitting there. I kept saying I was going to ask if I could buy it then saw it at a garage sale and didn't have time to stop. I was sooooo sooooo sooooo upset when it was gone later that day. I should have just asked.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Concerning financial and business news you can purchase in to a RSS channel. This gets you email cautions on the latest breaking news in the business and hold division. Driving news channels and reporting working conditions have overpowered the web. medios independientes

    ReplyDelete
  35. Concerning financial and business news you can purchase in to a RSS channel. This gets you email cautions on the latest breaking news in the business and hold division. Driving news channels and reporting working conditions have overpowered the web. medios independientes

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! It's great to hear from you!