It was mighty frosty when I opened the door. For $35.00 I couldn’t resist. But when my husband came to the estate sale later and saw the fridge I had just purchased his jaw dropped. The house was full of old, old items. The vintage 1950’s fridge was all frozen inside. I secretly couldn’t wait to unfreeze it, from the big block of ice, to see what contents were chilled inside. What a giant chunk of freezer burn! The fridge seemed a powerhorse as I opened the door and a burst of cold air rushed out. I couldn’t understand why my hubby was flabbergasted. My brother came to help move it on a truck, they had to drive down a hill, to load it on. When I saw them moving the monstrosity I will admit I feared for their backs and muscles. What had I done???
The fridge came home that day and went directly into the garage. I thought it a vintage beauty! My husband refused to plug it in. I had wanted to unfreeze it all anyway and shine it up. Fastforward, the freezer unfroze and I found an old metal ice cube maker with a handle to pop out the cubes. Pretty cool!
I shined it up and the signage and details sihmmered! My husband still refused to plug it in. He kept saying it was a fire hazard. I couldn’t understand how it had been running beautifully for so many years, all frozen up, and now all of a sudden it was risky.
When an electrician came to install some lights in the garage he said he wouldn’t work with it, but he could take it off our hands. I wasn’t giving it away! Another electrician friend advised the back be vaccumed of dust. My husband did that. The custodian at work, a former electrician, gave some kind of tubing to replace the old tubing with. My husband tinkered with it, but honestly did not know what to do. Now when he tried to plug it in he claimed he was shocked. Ugh. We argued a lot over the frige. I eventually listed it on a tag sale sight where it still sits. Finally, about a year later, we came up with a win win. A “vintage style” light green fridge on Wayfair. (Pictured below.) I’m hoping someone will come along and recognize the power, and style, and timelessness this fridge evokes. Until then, our drinks and popsicles will sit frosted in our new fridge.
Karas Cottage Thoughts 
You’ve nearly personified the fridge! I felt sorry for it by the end of this piece. Awww. Poor fridge. I enjoyed the way the narrative unfolded and found myself hopeful; you’ve shared your disappointment with good humor here. Glad you found something that works for everyone. Good luck on the sale of the original find!
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I love all things vintage so I would have been right there with you. Hoping that you get rid of the old one soon so you have more room for other fun objects!
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You should just keep it and use it as a pantry! Don’t even plug it in (it is probably a power hog anyway), just store kitchen stuff in it. We have an old ice box (the kind before there was power!) in our kitchen that I use like that. It’s funky and fun. I like the old girl, and I like how you saved her!
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Love this! I love that you repurposed yours. If I can do it in time to come, I’ll send a picture. Thank you for the inspiration!
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This is such a fun post! We did a lot of flea market finding when we were younger (read before kids). And, my husband now does estate sales – mainly for tools. We definitely disagree on what items should be “saved” and which have some value or no value at all! It’s all in the eye of the beholder! You’ll find someone but even if you don’t you have a nice place outdoors for your drinks!
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