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  • Home » Other Rooms » attic & basement » 1950s cowboy basement bar — from a house where $45,000 was discovered in the attic — Yeehaw!

    1950s cowboy basement bar — from a house where $45,000 was discovered in the attic — Yeehaw!

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    Posted by: pam kueber • August 9, 2011

    vinyl cowboy bar in the basementcowboy theme formica laminateRetro goodness is indeed bountiful in Bountiful, Utah. Reader vintigchik gets snaps for spotting this cowboy themed basement bar for sale and emailing me about it. I reached out to the seller — and in our exchange, he mentioned how this 1950s house had held another treasure: $45,000, which he found in the garage attic right after he bought the house — and which he promptly returned to the original owners’ heirs. Yowza. Is there anything else we really need to know than: Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You.

    cowboy-bar-in-the-basement

    Here are the Cowboy Chronicles. First, vintigchik writes:
    Pam, Just a quick note to send you the link to this awesome bar I found for sale out here in Utah…. The owner has the good sense that this is unique and should be saved! I also emailed the seller with info about your blog in hopes they’ll send you pics before the rip out all of this 50’s greatness. Enjoy! -vintigchik
    cowboy theme countertopThen I called Josh Ferrin, the owner of the cowboy bar for sale, and he emailed me back right away:
    Hey! Just got your message about our cowboy bar.  
    We’d love to have you blog about it.  Do you need larger pictures? Also, you might have heard of this house before.  See here. So excited!  Thanks!

    Now, first: No one will be permitted to get into a Comment tizzy because Josh is selling this set. He totally appreciates the set, and says there is plenty of other retroliciousness going on in the new/old house. This just doesn’t fit their vision. So — he’s putting it out there into the retro universe.

    Moreover, this a family that discovered $45,000 in the garage attic when they bought their house — and then promptly returned the money to the heirs of the owner <—[be sure to read this story] from whom they had just bought it. These folks are putting out seriously good karma!

    One more link: Josh is a professional illustrator and designer. His etsy story is Ginormous Robot.

    Do you want to buy the cowboy bar? –> Contact Josh via the classified listing here. ‘Tis $350. I’ll also archive the text, for posterity:

    Antique 1950’s cowboy bar. Large, retro and unafraid of its western roots.

    Bountiful, UT    –   Aug 4, 2011:

    This has got to be one of a kind.So, I just bought a house built in the 1950’s and this is in the living room downstairs. It doesn’t quite fit with our vision of the house. But it is so unique I had to find a home for it.This bar is in pristine condition — the varnish top is still shiny and smooth. The bartop features a fantastic retro country pattern with cow skulls and brands. There’s a second shelf on the interior of the bar with the same pattern as the bartop.

    One end of the bar attaches to the wall and rotates upward to allow you, in your cowboy regalia to go behind and serve up brewskies, ice-cream or whatever you and your posse are hankering for.

    The faux-leather front is accented with similar patterns and a giant horsehead.

    The bartop has been partially disassembled for easy transport but the base is still attached to the floor. So, bring a truck (it’s at least 8-feet long), a friend, (solid wood, my friends) and a prybar (still attached to the floor with a few nails).

    This is something of a wonder. Take care of this beauty, she could be the last of her kind.

    Also included, a pair of antique saloon doors that match the bar.

    Thank you, vintigchik! Thank you, Ferrins!

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    Comments

    1. modern logic says

      August 9, 2011 at 9:41 pm

      I love cowboy anything and this bar is truly one-of-a-kind- LOVE IT!!!

      Reply
    2. J D Log says

      August 10, 2011 at 1:17 am

      wow great bar and a good price pity it’s not in Sydney Australia I’d buy it. It is always good to hear about honest people. A few months ago I was picking up a 50’s kitchen cabinet I bought of ebay and asked what else they had and ended up with another trailer load of stuff. Amongst this were a pair of metal wall decorations of a rodeo cowboy which I am going to restore and put on my backyard gates.

      Reply
    3. Betty Crafter says

      August 10, 2011 at 9:39 am

      *drool*
      Want.

      Reply
    4. Melanie says

      August 10, 2011 at 9:40 am

      Never mind the bar, I’ve fallen in LOVE with that floor. Love the plywood on the walls too. Simple, but looks great.

      Reply
    5. Mike says

      August 18, 2011 at 8:51 am

      I have a round coffee table, with hairpin legs, that has that same formica on the top of it.

      Reply
      • pam kueber says

        August 18, 2011 at 11:19 am

        oooooooooooh, Mike. I’d LOVE to see a pic. Can you send me an email via Contact and we’ll connect? https://retrorenovation.com/contact/ … I’d LOVE to see a photo and feature it on the blog! Many thanks!

        Reply
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