The transformation! One of our original Dealers from the Lexington Looseleaf Tobacco Warehouse Show days are Bill and Brenda Roush, Cat’s Meow Antiques. Bill is an expert woodworker and cabinetmaker, and an exacting craftsman.
These photos show the progression of his restoration of an antique Lily’s Sewing Thread Company store display cabinet. Bill has an eye for spotting unique and unusual pieces, and restoring them into unique one of a kind pieces. This cabinet is perfect as a smaller end table, chairside lamp table or night stand. As a countertop piece, its excellent for sorting and displaying small items like beads, or any number of other purposes including for a Lily Mills or General Mercantile collector.
Lily’s Sewing Thread Company opened their factory in 1903 in Shelby, North Carolina by John Schenck. Originally known as the Lily Mill and Power Company, the company grew to over 40 mills prospering as mercerized thread evolved as a high quality thread.*
Store displays of all types were multipurpose and used to store, organize stock, and retail display of product. Often colorful, with graphics, elaborate paint detail and woodwork, display cabinets are attractive in their own right. Other cabinets were also used to ship inventory and then double as display units.
Bill and Brenda Roush’ story began as newlyweds when they started attending auctions hunting for bargains to furnish their home. Over the years their search for quality pieces with good “bones” has evolved into a thriving antiques and restoration business. As many antiques and vintage furniture dealers, the focus is on quality, solid wood furniture that has an interesting back story, and the quality to live on in a new chapter and purpose for generations to come. Artful resourcing and repurpose offers clever additions to home or office.
Bill and Brenda have a fine selection of antique and old vintage pieces that are carefully gone over and in some cases fully restored. They’re very knowledgeable and a pleasure to shop with at Athens Schoolhouse Antiques Show in Lexington, KY.
