Just before the holidays, I heard from Marcos at McMillan Sales, a plumbing supply company in Denver, Colorado, which has uncovered up to 50 New Old Stock vintage bathroom sinks stored in the business’ warehouse for the past several decades. Lots of pastel vintage bathroom sinks — now for sale. Isn’t the yellow sink with pretty scalloped edges so… pretty?! Marcos and I talked on the phone, and this story seems to reads like so many others we have discovered over the past several years, a classic tale:
ONCE UPON A TIME there was a nice local company — a family business — and they built a good solid enterprise selling (fill in the blank)…
They were so successful and so busy and grew so very fast that they got a great big warehouse where they had plenty of room to store the stuff they bought, then sold…
Over the years, lots of stuff kept coming into the warehouse. Almost as quickly, it was sold, and out it went. Moving trucks were coming and going all the time!….
Of course, not every last little thing got sold. What didn’t sell, the people running the company just pushed farther back into the warehouse. Golly, that was just the easiest thing to do, because they always were very busy, and they had so much room in the warehouse, and, well, the stuff that didn’t sell kind of lost value as more popular products were introduced to the marketplace….
Well, time passed. And before they knew what had happened, some 30 or 40 or 50 years had flown by…
All that old stuff was collecting dust. But it was safe in the original boxes. Funny, for the last few decades, folks thought that old stuff was “hideous.” But twinkle twinkle, time passed through a magical door — and that old stuff started to become popular again…
One day, someone in the company who was hip to the jive was staring at the stacks of strange old stuff and was struck by a bolt of lightning idea: “Hey, I think that there are people who want these again,” he or she said. “This stuff is historic! It’s retro! We can make more money! A gazillion dollars maybe even!”
“But who can we tell?” they wonder. And that’s when they go online searching for the folks who want this old stuff. And that’s when they find our leetle Retro Renovation clan. And we all lived happily ever after. THE END.
hehehehehe, I do amuse myself some times. I need to make this into a children’s book. It will be like The Brave Little Toaster, only it will be Adventures of NOS. Maybe the protagonist will be an Electro-Sink Center — she will be like, a (lost, now found) NOS Super Hero! hehehehehehehe
Note, I’m not saying these are super duper old. 1980s, 1990s maybe even? Even so, nice to see some color, and some styles no longer on the market today.
Marcos sent me photos of the first batch of sinks he was able to photograph. There may be more. I think he said there is a mile high city of toilet seats of many colors, too… If you want one of these sinks, call Marcos at (303)-399-8500.
More:
TG says
Do you have any photos of the inside of the bowl of the mid century bone ceramic toilet?
pam kueber says
TG, contact the company profiled.
Adele Bray says
How can I purchase a sink from you?
pam kueber says
We don’t sell anything here. The phone number for the seller is in the story.
jim says
where can i get 2 blue 20 x 17 1/2 blue bath sinks
pam kueber says
jim, all our research on this subject is in our Bathroom Help / Sinks category here — https://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/lav-sinks/
Michelle says
Where can one find a new seat for a pink “Bone ceramic square toilet 12 inch rough”
pam kueber says
See our stories on where to find toilet seats. Use the search box – it should take you right there.
MorningGloryModerne says
What a treasure trove! I personally love NOS and make it a point to search for it. These pictures were a blast to look through! I LOVE that yellow sunburst sink!
Pat says
I’m interested in both yellow sinks, are they still available?
pam kueber says
you gotta contact the folk in the story…
Tanner says
you should post some more pictures of that bone ceramic low flush toilet, particularity of the inside, I really love the mid century futuristic look of it
Jane says
I am looking for an American Standard Wedgewood Blue vanity sink oval to replace a chipped one. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
pam kueber says
See our stories on Peerless and Gerber fixtures in color, perhaps you can match it.
Denise says
Thank you for the story! We just bought a vintage pink pedestal sink and white cast iron wall mount sink from Marcos this morning. They still have most of the colored sinks pictured and are still uncovering a bunch of vintage white sinks. We combed through a pile in the back of the warehouse. He even has some vintage urinal troughs.
pam kueber says
Yay!
carmen cover says
Please let me know if it is possible to get a drop in oval light yellow sink.
Mine got a dent and I will like to replace it.
pam kueber says
Carmen, you need to look for the contact info within the story itself. Good luck.