Shaw-Walker Card Catalog File Cabinet~~Shipshewanna

In August, Louie and I took a little two day trip to Shipshewanna, Indiana for a nice little getaway and to see a Gaither Vocal Band Concert in the event center. Now most people who go to Shipshewanna go the auctions and shop all the little shops in Shipshewanna. Nope. Not us. We looked for all the thrift shops and flea markets in the surrounding areas. I found this little gem in an indoor flea market. I think in Elkhart. Don’t quote me. Looks pretty sad, doesn’t it, but it was HEAVY! I was very excited, and Louie saw the vision of a ‘refinish’.

Louie started with a complete teardown so he could reglue it after the finish was removed.

As he started removing the finish, he found this Shaw-Walker decal under the blackened finish. Of course, this was not salvagable.

Yes, this side has quite a bit of ‘character’.

Isn’t the dovetailing and contrast in the color of the wood pretty with the staining and first coat of finish?

We even found a new decal to put back on it.

The drawers were missing the rods and knobs that went through the cards, so I found some small knobs and Louie inserted them into some wooden plugs he made for the open holes in the fronts of the drawers. He also shined up the pulls. He then wanted to put four words of inspiration inside the pull openings. He chose Live Love Laugh Believe.

I set it on top of my end table next to my chair where I can look at it from across the room from where I normally sit. It will be my constant reminder of the time we spent in Shipshewanna and better than any souvenir I could have ever chosen.