A Credenza Love Story

Several months ago while looking at furniture on Thrive, I learned what a credenza was and it was love at first sight. I began looking at them on Etsy, scouring craigslist and trying to hunt them down at antique stores. Of course I didn't want just any old credenza; my dream credenza needed to be real wood and of the mid-century variety, have enough storage for both movies and records, and brass legs were a huge bonus. Oh, and it needed to be cheap. Like, under $300 cheap.

One day, I was walking around a local antique store and this little beauty of a credenza caught my eye. You know when you're shopping and up ahead you see something amazing? It's almost exactly what you have been looking for, but instead of heading straight for it, you slowly meander, looking at other items on the way in order to subdue your excitement? Anybody? Okay, well that happened with me and this credenza. It was really exciting, and kind of magical.

The magic quickly ended when I turned over the price tag. I just couldn't justify the price, so I walked away (que Charlie Brown music) and continued on with my day. But I couldn't stop thinking about it! I mentioned it on this post, talked about it with Tommy and even coworkers. Whenever I visited the antique store I had to make sure it was still there. Once I even turned to Instagram to express my longing for this dang piece of furniture. "If only the number on the other side of that tag wasn't an issue," read my Instagram caption. Oh jeeze, the drama. Haha. 

So a couple months went by and I kinda forgot about the credenza. I still searched for them on Craigslist with the hope I would score one for cheap but had no luck. So when my birthday rolled around, I decided to walk around a few antique stores downtown and enjoy the sun. I walked by the credenza and noticed a guy moving a bunch of stuff around the space. I knew it had to be the seller, so I played it cool. Casually I walked over and started to look at the credenza. "I'm looking to get rid of stuff today, so if you're interested in something let me know and I'll make you an offer," he said to me. Jackpot. 

After a few minutes of negotiation, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse of about 70% off! And he delivered it. It was a birthday miracle! Within about 2 hours, my credenza was in my living room filled to the brim with movies and records. It took me about a week to get used to seeing it in my living room, I kinda couldn't believe my good fortune. Atticus approved of it immediately. 

So there it is folks, a little credenza love story. Part of me is tempted to stain it to match a chair in the living room...but would that be a huge mistake? I'm not sure what kind of wood it is, the seller thought maple. Anybody know how to find out what kind of wood a piece of furniture is?