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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

El Cortez Hotel: Where Vintage Vegas Still Lives

What an awesome idea!

Isn’t this fantastic! What a wonderful idea! I found this on Manly Vintage and it makes me want to suggest it to anyone with radiators in their home. Run, don’t walk to get one!

Help save a hip Wisconsin Motel

We love preservation efforts here at Mid Century Style Magazine and Motels are our secret passion – ok, maybe not so secret! 🙂 Christi and Mike are trying to save a fabulous atomic Motel in the Bayfield/Ashland area of Wisconsin and if you help them out you can get room credit for a great spot on Lake Superior when the motel opens! Christi is a former restaurant server and currently a vintage reseller in a shop

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