October 2015 Customer Creations Gallery Jacksonville, FL

Ciao, bella! The easy breezy Italian architectural style looks great all over the world! Tuscan landscapes, Sicilian sunsets, Roman holidays, and Florentine extravagance echo in the architectural design elements that define the Italian aesthetic. Incorporating a few of these elements into an indoor or outdoor space can generate a sunny southern European feel in any location. Picking a theme is…

What is the difference between an artist and a craftsperson? That is the question I contemplated when I started thinking about the Fabrications Crew here at the Eco Relics architectural salvage warehouse. As it turns out, most of our fabricators would probably consider themselves both artists and craftspeople. Outside of work they paint, draw, and sculpt. They bring that creativity…

More than fifteen years ago, Robert and Mary purchased an old lamp base in a Williamsburg, Virginia antique store. To the untrained eye it might have looked like a candidate for the trash can. The electric components were shot, the shade was missing, and the metal base was tarnished and corroding. But Robert and Mary recognized something in lamp base’s…

DIY is for everyone! It’s a common feature of our American heritage across all cultural distinctions. DIY is a bonding experience for young and old, an opportunity to share skills across generations. It instills the confidence that only comes from a sense of self-reliance and knowledge of past accomplishments. Independence is a function of doing it yourself. Debbie’s DIY Kitchen…

In 532 CE, chariot racing supporters in Constantinople led a riot that burned half the city to the ground, including the Hagia Sophia’s second basilica, the first having been destroyed by rioting in 404 CE. Identified by their colors, chariot racing supporters in Constantinople were part street gang, part political party, and their riots often incorporated political demands. Emperor Justinian survived this…

How deep are the roots of the ubiquitous Christmas album? Well, that depends on how deep you want to dig. Carols written in the vernacular date back to the 13th century in England but singing them was banned by an Act of Parliament in 1647. The act was rescinded by the royal restoration of the Stuarts in 1660, when King…

On March 6th, Eco Relics hosted  a fundraising event to benefit Waste Not Want Not and their mission to fight hunger and poverty by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste. We raised enough money to collect and distribute over 9,000 lbs. of food! The nonprofit Berry Good Farms food truck was also in the house. Here’s a song from their set:…

Big Red, Eco Relics’ 1937 Ford diesel truck, doesn’t make work runs anymore. These days the old girl is content promenading around the yard, accepting compliments from admirers. The Eco Relics box trucks do Big Red’s work now, and boy do they work hard. The Deconstruction Crew, led by the father and son team of Francis and Jon, stuff those…

by Eddy Cotton “heirloom noun /ˈeər·lum/ a valuable object that has been given by an older member of a family to a younger member of the same family, esp. one given several times in this way.” The holidays have come and gone, the new year is off and running. Let me tell you about a project I completed (with help…

Creating an appealing look for an interior space can be a more challenging task that you might expect. Most people feel they have a good sense of taste, but interior design is governed by artistic principles that go beyond simply deciding what one might think looks good and what doesn’t. Interior design is grounded in concepts that have stood the test of time,…

Food with Purpose For brevity’s sake, many people refer to Southern Roots Filling Station as a coffee shop. While the description is not inaccurate, Southern Roots proprietors Mariah and JP are selling more than just delicious coffee, food, and bulk. They are also selling a healthy and down-to-earth way of life. Healthy food has an expensive and snobby reputation, Mariah explains,…

Music fans rejoice! Did you know that there are vinyl records in the Eco Relics architectural salvage warehouse? Even if you don’t have a record player (for shame!), there are plenty of things you can do with our records. If it is unlikely that your old Johnny Mathis platter will ever spin again, consider repurposing it. A little heat will soften up…

The Bostwick building, at the corner of Ocean and Bay, is one of downtown Jacksonville, Florida’s most visible historic buildings. It was constructed in 1902, one of the first permitted structures built after the Great Fire. Sporting typical “big bank” architecture, it hosted a succession of failed banks through the boom and bust cycles of the early 20th century. A…

Thanks to our custom wood shop, Eco Relics gets to work with some of Jacksonville’s greatest small businesses. The folks at Grassroots Natural Market recently contracted Eco Relics master fabricator Kris to construct a display shelf for their store. A Grassroots customer himself (sandwiches, smoothies, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic soap, an Eco relics favorite), Kris had a good idea what…

At long last, the Eco Relics shop is operational! Doug “the Termite” has moved in and is now constructing custom builds on-site rather than at his home shop. The sawdust is flying, but many details are still sorting themselves out. The Termite says, “It’s not down to a science yet.” The final layout of tools and work stations will be…