Home - Mid-Century Style Magazine

From Flame to Flicker: Inside a Working Neon Shop

You walk into a neon shop expecting nostalgia. You leave thinking about chemistry, electricity, municipal zoning codes, and 1940s craftsmanship. That’s what happened when I toured Morry’s Neon, a family business opened in 1985 by Morry and his son Glen, a business built on a neon legacy that began in 1946 when Morry first started bending glass. Established the same year America decided diners, drive-ins, and optimism were perfectly reasonable things to mass-produce, Morry’s has

Route 66 at 100: Why the Centennial Is Igniting a New Era of Retro Road Trips

As the Route 66 Centennial approaches, something interesting is happening. This isn’t just an anniversary tour or a nostalgia lap. It’s a full-scale reawakening of interest in the American road trip—one rooted in history, preservation, and the lived experience of the road itself. The centennial is acting like a spotlight, illuminating not just the highway, but the stories, architecture, roadside culture, and communities that grew up along it. And people are paying attention. Travelers want

Los Angeles Potteries: A Whimsical Walk Through Mid-Century Ceramic Dreams

From our retro coffee table to yours comes a great book – an awesome gift or something to pour over in our own home! Suppose you’ve ever spotted a cookie jar shaped like a hamburger or a canister set with tropical fruit motifs and thought, “I remember that design!” or “I have to have that design!”. In that case, you’ll want to get your hands on Los Angeles Potteries: A Collector’s Journey through Artistry, Craft,

El Cortez Hotel: Where Vintage Vegas Still Lives

Opened in 1941, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino is one of Las Vegas’s oldest operating casinos — and one of its most authentic. In a city obsessed with reinvention, the El Cortez is a rare survivor, maintaining its vintage spirit while still feeling alive and relevant. Preservation That Matters In 2013, the El Cortez earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s easy to see why. The building’s Spanish Colonial

Mid-Century Photo Friday: Flashback Kitchen

As always with Mid-Century Photo Friday, please join me in posting a picture – leave a comment, OR I’m trying out the “Mister Linky” below – just click the link and it will take you to another screen to provide your link! I’d love to have a lot of weekly submissions, so please pass along!

New Mid-Century Categories on Collectors Weekly

Have you found Collectors Weekly? CollectorsWeekly.com is a resource for people who love vintage and antiques. They provide an awesome place to explore, learn, and experience the passion and knowledge of collectors everywhere. What’s here: In-depth information (including top eBay auctions) on more than 1,300 vintage and antiques categories. Original features and interviews Show & Tell, where you can share your favorite vintage and antique finds. Anyway, what’s really cool is they have a love

The influence of the Atom Bomb on 1950’s America

In surfing around the web, we find some folks who have done a fantastic job of capturing important parts of Mid-Century life. One of our favorites is Uncle Jack’s veryvintagevegas.com and in surfing his site we came across this fantastic online master’s thesis from Monique Gaudin on the topic of the Atomic bomb’s influence on pop culture – both then and now. Besides being packed with fabulous links about atomic culture, the page also has

Modern Moore House in Palos Verdes Estates demolished

The Lloyd Wright-designed Moore House in Palos Verdes Estates, a well known example of modern architecture, has been demolished. The gorgeous house (pictured here – and you can take a tour of it here, was built in 1959. The current owner bought it in 2004 and says he never even knew who Wright was – he’s the son of Frank Lloyd Wright and an accomplished modern architect. According to the Los Angeles Conservancy, the house