This is a love story where the main character is the proverbial “man vs. himself.”
That “man” is me.
The love story is mine.
Almost thirty years ago my beloved and slightly eccentric Aunt Peggy from New Jersey died, leaving behind a household full of trinkets from travels around the world, photographs of generations of the Cole family {my maiden name}, and beautiful furniture pieces that her father, my grandpa whom I never knew, either crafted himself or had a prominent spot in his own home. I inherited much of Aunt Peggy’s goodies at a young age, perhaps too young. You see, I didn’t fully appreciate what I had been gifted, although my late-teen self would have vehemently denied it.
In my twenties and early thirties I gave much of her stuff away to either family members or to random garage sale visitors. One of give-away regrets was a charming bar cart that my grandfather modified and customized to nest his vast collections of glassware. I’m assuming this is why he modified it. Perhaps it was modified for Aunt Peggy, who never married yet loved to entertain. Somewhere along the way I set that bar cart out at a garage sale where my mother-in-law saw the charm in it and asked for it. Always happy to share family treasures within my family, I was thrilled she loved it and gladly gave it to her.
As the years wandered by and I {somewhat} matured, I struggled at times with my internal self. You see, as I grew up from using plastic drinking cups and buying cheap furniture made in China, I remembered that I used tohave items of quality that I often tossed aside. Now, don’t get me wrong, half of my house is decorated from Aunt Peggy’s treasures as well as a mountain in storage in the basement. Some things definitely needed to go. While others… I missed them.
One of them came back to me.
My mother and father-in-law moved out to Centerton from Bella Vista almost two years ago. As she was packing and purging, she innocently asked us, “would you like that bar cart back?”
Would I?
Absolutely and positively yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes!
Do you have your own vintage bar cart story?
Every time I wander down a flea market or browse online and come across a bar cart, I wonder about its past. By definition bar cart are tied to good times, right? Surely each vintage cart has many grand tales to tell from the past and in its future.
People are figuring out that bar carts are becoming the “it” furniture piece to own. Did you know that? If you want help in locating one that speaks to you, I recently discovered a uniquely curated online marketplace for vintage and used furniture called chairish.com. It has a plethora of vintage bar carts, bar items and tabletopcollections. It is actually fun to browse their collections and play the “do I want this one or this one?” game.
Once you acquire your own bar cart, you are going to have to get that baby stocked and ready to share. Here is my list of bar cart essentials. What are yours?
1.
Make sure you have a conversation-worthy cart.
Yes, you can put together cardboard boxes and cover it with a tablecloth, but why would you want to? Get something you are proud of and can pass along the generations.
2.
Stock with the wine and spirits basics.
I like to stock a cabernet sauvignon for the red wine offering and a muscato for the white wine. If a guest likes a softer wine, you can always add a splash of sprite or lemon-lime and create a wine cooler. Add whiskey and a clear distilled spirit, such as gin or vodka. I like to keep beer in the wine fridge, so the bar cart can stage what is available. In this case I picked Heineken, Blue Moon, and Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout (a personal favorite).
3.
Add an assortment of glassware.
Half the fun of serving drinks is the conversation that surrounds it. While I inherited tons of glassware from my Aunt Peggy, there are definitely plenty of classics to stock up on from stores like Williams-Sonoma and antique malls. I suggest wine classes, double old-fashions, and a quirky glass or two.
4.
Accessories make the outfit, or in this case, the cart.
Out comes the corkscrew and bottle opener in plain view so guests can help themselves as needed. I like to add trays to catch the drips and bottle caps. Vintage stir-sticks and whimsical straws add interest to your cart as well as function. Think through what can make your cart a full service by adding ice buckets to keep the white wine chilled, a shaker for the bold in the group, tonic water and lemon-lime for those who want to stick to classics. The goal is have your bar cart ready to go for when you are busy elsewhere with your guests.
