We stumbled upon this amazing trunk there marked for $130.
And this amazing trunk...
And this amazing trunk!
After much deliberation, the first trunk won out. We tried to pry it open in the store and the store employee said it wasn't able to be locked- and it was locked. She said we could take it to a locksmith and she'd take 10% off because we couldn't open it. Sold!
It's now our living room coffee table and has replaced our little $20 Ikea one.
This plaque inspired me to do a little search on Mendel Trunks. I'm guessing our trunk was made around the 1920's-30's. I found this website explaining a little more on Mendel trunks.
Promoting itself as “the Aristocrat of Luggage,” the Mendel-Drucker Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, manufactured this sturdy metal wardrobe trunk in the early 1930s for what it called the “class market.”
This trunk features an enclosed compartment for clothing on hangers, as well as several drawers for shoes, accessories, and folded items. It was also made with special gaskets, interior dust curtains, and sturdy bolts and locks to protect the owner’s expensive garments from moisture, soot, and theft.
I never really thought about trunks being so sophisticated before. It makes our modern day suitcases look really... boring and impractical. How awesome would it be to be able to have your own little mobile wardrobe wherever you went? If you just forget about how incredibly heavy these are you might be tempted to use one!
Ok, maybe not... I'll take my little boring suitcase with wheels.
Just a side note: imagine what the person who used this as travel gear would think about us using it as furniture in our home?
I have one just like it. It's amazing
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