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Governor's Architectural Antiques

Architectural Salvage, Custom Furniture, and More

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The Origin of the Buzzard

June 21, 2020 By govsarch 2 Comments

Jeff and The Governor's Buzzard

Ever since I was a kid, this is what I heard about my father’s nickname, “The Buzzard.” Growing up in Mechanicsville, VA in the 40’s and 50’s…instead of “Hey buddy,” “Hey man,” or “Hey dude,” people would say, “Hey Buzzard.” Over time that habit went away, replaced with any number of different greetings. Well, it went away for everyone other than our founder, my father, Gary Thomas.

For as long as I can remember, he fondly referred to any male as “Buzzard.” He’d say, “Hey Buzzard,” to just about any male that walked into his office, that he met at the store, or that he passed on the street. It was just his version of hello. Over time, people started calling him “Buzzard,” and that became his nickname for most everyone that knew him well. He often received oddball buzzard related gifts that friends picked up when traveling. You can see several of them on display in the store cabinet by our front door where his portrait hangs today.

After his passing an old friend of my father’s came into the store to share a story with me about him. He asked if I knew how my father got his nickname, “The Buzzard.” I told him the above story. He chuckled and said, that’s good…but that’s not exactly how it happened.

He told me that when he and my father were in the Air National Guard together in the 60’s, my father was a mechanic, which I knew. He said they were training near Savannah and everyone had gone to the beach except my father. He wasn’t interested that day and stayed behind. After a couple of hours he showed up. The guys were horsing around on the beach, drinking beer and blowing off steam. One of the guys was being buried in the sand by his buddies and having a hard time getting out.

My father was a big man, as most know. In his 20’s, he was a beast of a man…big and strong to say the least. He told the group there was no way they could bury him that he couldn’t get himself out of the sand. The man telling me the story said he’d take that bet, and they shook on it. Then he dug a hole straight down so that my father had to stand in the hold. They buried him up to his neck. The whole time Dad was teasing them and bragging about it not working on him.

If you know anything about the beach and wet sand, you know that once buried, it causes a vacuum that you can barely pull a foot out of, much less your whole body. Once buried, he was laughing and still taunting them. Eventually, he realized he couldn’t get out. But, because he had talked so much trash and given the other guys so much grief, they told him, “We should just leave you here for the buzzards to eat.” And they, they say, was how he got that nickname.

I don’t know which is actually true. But, I can totally see the second one happening to my father. He was a brilliant man…a genius, even. But, he was not one to admit defeat or give up on anything.

After his passing, I changed the company name to Governor’s Architectural Antiques, and added “Home of the Buzzard since 1970.” While we’ve changed quite a bit over the last few years, and transitioned from a more traditional antiques business to one focusing on architectural salvage, his legacy lives on.

When you visit, you can now see a larger than life sized buzzard, crafted from pieces and parts of salvage, greeting you as you enter the complex he spent his life building.

Say hello, take a picture, and give it a wink. Now you know the story of “The Buzzard.”

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized Tagged With: Governor's Antiques, History, History of the Buzzard, Home of the Buzzard, The Buzzard

Governor’s at 50!

March 5, 2020 By govsarch Leave a Comment

Salvage Antique Lighting & Repair Shop

Well, we’re FIFTY! And at fifty, who doesn’t need to make some changes?

All of our fine antiques, collectibles, lamps, vintage toys, china, and glassware have left the building, and we are in full reorganizing, reshuffling, and new focus mode. After fifty years, those are some big changes!

With millions (yes, millions) of items, it will take us a minute to get things sorted and settled, but we’re working hard to make it all more shoppable for you. You’ll see more antique advertising, militaria, vintage hardware, reclaimed lumber, chandeliers, doors, windows, wrought iron, trim and woodwork, industrial salvage, and more great handmade, repurposed creations coming from our wood and welding shops.

So come see us. Please pardon the mess, though. We’re getting there, and finding some absolutely fantastic pieces along the way.

Filed Under: Architectural Salvage, Militaria, New items, News, Vintage Advertising, Wrought Iron

What’s Old is New Again

August 16, 2019 By govsarch 2 Comments

If you’ve been to our store, you may or may not know that we’ve been in business since 1970. That’s nearly 47 years, and we’ve grown and changed plenty during that time. You can imagine that a lot gets accumulated in that much time as well, and last week, while tackling a much needed office organization project, we came upon this fantastic article from 1990, in what was then the Richmond News Leader. It highlighted a visit to Governor’s by Whoopi Goldberg, and gave a great little history and “walk through” of our business. 

Twenty six years down the road, it’s really interesting to see how many things have changed, and how many things have stayed the same. While sadly we lost Gary Thomas, “The Governor,” last year, we have experienced some good changes as well. 

We’ve expanded ou architectural salvage business, and we’re working on making the shopping experience (while it will always be a wild, wonderful, treasure hunt) a bit more user friendly. We have a map now, to help you navigate our 7 acres, and we have curated shops online at Etsy and Chairish (click the shop link on our home page to get there).  

Perhaps our biggest change is the launch of Governor’s Antiques Originals, our line of one of a kind furniture, crafted with old world techniques, from vintage and reclaimed materials, and offering a true custom touch to your decor. Have a vision all your own? We can help bring that to life as well.  

And if you haven’t been here since Whoopi, we’ve got a lot to show you! Come visit!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Governor's Antiques

How to Choose the Perfect Chandelier

August 16, 2019 By govsarch 1 Comment

Lighting finishes off a design plan like jewelry on a fabulous outfit. But is choosing it all just guessing? You know what you like, but how do you know if it’s going to be the right shape, the right fit, or really polish the look the way you want? There have to be some guidelines, don’t there? 

With thousands (yes, thousands) of fixtures in stock on a given day, we answer lighting questions all the time. If you’re looking for something totally unique, we can help you find that perfect thing, and guide you on choosing something that will accent your decor and space beautifully.  So what should you know before you start shopping?

What type of fixture do you need?

Depending on the room, your design style, and your lighting needs, your options vary. Chandelier, pendant, flush mount, semi flush, or sconces. 

What style fits your space?

We have fixtures in a wide array of styles and eras- primitive/ farmhouse, Victorian, punched tin, cast iron, brass, pewter, dazzling chandeliers, stained glass, nautical, Art Deco, and more. What is your vision? 

How do you know what size to choose? 

Calculating the size of a dining room chandelier- a quick and easy formula.

If you want to make sure your chandelier is scaled properly with your space and your table- use this:

  1. Chandeliers above dining room tables should have a diameter of 1/2 to 2/3 the width of the table.
  2. To size a chandelier as the focal point of any other space, such as foyers, living rooms, etc, measure the length and width of your room then add those figures together. The sum of those two numbers is the approximate recommended diameter of your chandelier in inches.
  3. Assuming you have 8 foot ceilings, the bottom of the fixture should hang between 30″-36″ above the tabletop. But if your ceilings are higher, the suggestion is to add another 3″ above the table for each additional foot of ceiling height. 

Calculating the size of a ceiling mount fixture.

If you want a perfectly sized focal point fixture (not over a table), use this calculation:

To size a ceiling mounted fixture to be the focal point of your space, measure the length and width of your room in feet, then add those figures together. The sum equals the recommended fixture diameter in inches. So, if your room is 10′ x 10′, your ideal ceiling fixture is going to be between 18″-20″ diameter.

When you’re hanging an ambient lighting fixture (chandelier, etc.) in a room, not over a table, the standard hanging height is going to be 7″ from the floor. Obviously this may be a bit of trial and error, based on your height, height of the ceilings, etc.

*Note on chandeliers over a tub: A gorgeous trend over the past few years has been to place a chandelier over the bathtub (especially fantastic over one of our clawfoot tubs!)  Take note when you’re selecting one, however, that code typically requires the entire thing (even prisms/ crystals) to be no lower than 8′ from the highest point of the tub.

Sconces

A good rule of thumb by which to adhere is this- the closer you’ll be to the sconce, the smaller it should be.

Bathroom: Sconces on either side of the bathroom mirror should be smaller- typically 9″ or 10″. In bathrooms, they should be placed 36″- 40″ apart, on the sides of the mirror, approximately 18″ from the center line of the sink. (Make sure you allow 4″ on either side of the mirror for the electrical, and pleasing spacing.) They should be mounted more or less at eye level, usually 65″ from the floor.  If they require shades, the shades should drop slightly below eye level. 

Staircase and Flanking Doors: Measure your ceiling height in inches, and divide by 3/4. Sconces should be placed approximately 3/4 up the wall. (If they are placed on a staircase, be mindful of placement for those descending the stairs, so they’re not looking right at a bulb.) The same rules hold true as for mirrors- space 4″ or so from opening on either side. 

Note: Keep in mind that a fixture with a busy or complicated design will actually appear larger, so if that’s what is catching your eye, you may actually want to scale your maximum width down a bit.

Outdoor Lighting

Lantern Size: If you’re using one lantern, a good guideline is to size it approximately 1/3 the height of the door. If you’re flanking the door with two, the size should be closer to 1/4 the height of the door.  (The same holds true if you’re placing garage door lights. Scale makes all the difference. Don’t undersize! Exterior lights appear about half the size from 50 feet away.)

Lantern Placement: Lanterns should be hung just above eye level, with the bulb center approximately 66″ from the threshold.

For a pendant hanging lantern for an exterior covered area, follow the same guidelines as above- add length and width of area, and convert to inches (5’x5′ stoop= 25″ or so inches in diameter. Sounds large, but outside, it’s always better to go larger. Judgement should be made from the street or walk, as that’s your maximum curb appeal location.) As always, hang approximately 7′ from the floor.

While these aren’t perfect formulas, they’re a great place to start, and will surely save you some trial and error! So get out your tape measure, take a couple notes, and come see us! We’d love to help you create that look you’ll love! 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Check us out on Virginia This Morning!

August 16, 2019 By govsarch Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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