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 stately deco lines and rich ornamentation. They resolved to recapture the elegant grandeur hiding beneath the surface.
Timing is an unpredictable art. For the salvager, having the right parts at the right time is not so much a matter of luck as it is a matter of storage. When you find something cool, but it needs a little work, you’ve got to have somewhere to put it until you find the right parts. And so the lamp sat for a decade and a half until Robert and Mary’s friend Stephanie turned them on to Eco Relics, a architectural salvage and antiques company located in Jacksonville’s urban core.
Jacksonville’s Architectural Salvage and Antiques HQ
Eco Relics is the storehouse of cool parts. Its 50,000 sq. ft. warehouse and 1.5 acre yard is stuffed to the gills with pieces of Jacksonville’s architectural heritage. The lighting department is home to a variety of shades, chandeliers, pendants, floor and desk bases, bulbs, and historic fixtures of all kinds. Robert and Mary brought in their base and found the perfect lampshade to match. Then they spent four hours exploring all the other aisles. Now it’s one of their favorite places to shop.
After fitting new electrical parts and applying an aged finish, the lamp is back to its former glory, classing up any desk or table it might sit upon, while its owners enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done. But even if you aren’t a do-it-yourselfer, there are plenty of options for you at Eco Relics. In-house salvage artists can create whatever you can imagine with your own materials or treasures found on the shelf. Or if you just need a little guidance, Eco Relics is staffed by some of the handiest people in Jacksonville with backgrounds in architecture, engineering, wood and metal working, design, mechanics, fabrication, and the building trades. Shine a light on your reclamation project at Eco Relics!
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