So here's what I've been busy with this week.

[vintagehoover]

It's nice to have some exciting news to post about in the vintage forum after so long; I've spent so long in the modern forum, I feel like I should reintroduce myself:

'Hi, I'm Jack, and I don't JUST collect Dysons...'

This is my latest 'labour of love' - a 2 month exhibition of some of the highlights of my Hoover collection at The Lightbox, a new museum and gallery in town. The cleaner display has been open to the public since yesterday, and it'll be up until January 31st. It's actually been in planning since August 2008 - I had my first meeting with the Exhibition Manager just after I got back from North Canton. We waited until the 2009 Christmas holiday period to ensure maxium exposure.

Anyway, for the benefit of the Hoover-fans outside the UK, here are a few photos. It actually looks better at night, because when it's dark, you don't get the visual distraction of the main road outside! I'm going to go back tomorrow night to get some better pics.

Hope y'all like them

http://www.vintagehoover.com/

 

[vintagehoover]

Model 541 - Britain's second-ever Hoover, after the 1919 Model 105...

 

[vintagehoover]

...

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi

Hi Very nice Jack U must be very proud.
I've been asked b4 about putting my kirby's on disply. Does the museum insure them 4 U why there there? Do the public get to touch them etc?

Hope you are well.

James)

 

[sireluxomatic]

Congratulations, Jack...what a great display. The third picture is particularly nice.

 

[vintagehoover]

...

 

[vintagehoover]

...

 

[vintagehoover]

...

 

[vintagehoover]

These tags took FOREVER to do, and I still have a few more to complete...

 

[joe22]

very, very nice. well done jack.

 

[aeoliandave]

Magnificent, Jack!

Dave

 

[luxg]

Totally awesome Jack!! You should be very proud of what you have created there. I know that there are going to be many many people there that will enjoy seeing your collection!!
Terry

 

[normvac]

Congratulations Jack!

Absolutely Awesome display of Hoover history and evolvment.
It is a great story and gives any of we serious collectors
the hope of displaying our story of vacuum cleaner history.
I too wonder, is the display of modern industrail nature???
Norm

 

[crevicetool]

Hello Jack.

Very nice to meet you! Always just a beautiful presentation. I think I like your old machines better than museum's new building! I'm really proud of you Jack. Your dedication to your craft is inspiring.

Rick

 

[dial-a-nap]

Welcome, Jack, please pull up a chair and share with us...oh wait, different group!

Very nice display - the information hang-tags are excellent!

 

[vintagehoover]

From today's Woking News & Mail, our local paper - I was pleased, they gave the article quite a lot of space! The info and quotes came from the Lightbox press release, which we drafted waaaaay back last year sometime!

 

[turbopowerpaul]

Jack.....

Your exhibition looks absolutely fantasic.

Mike mentioned to me that you were having a bit of an event shortly - will have to try and get down there to see it.

Your set up, multipled times over, is what I dream about. Combined with all UK collectors washers, dryers, dishwashers, cookers, vacs and all the small appliances! My god - what a museum that would be.

I bet you are on tenter hooks with them looking like they are a bit out to play with! is there some kind of control on who touches them?

Wont go any further with that line of enquiry - the words 'nervous' and 'wreck' come to mind.

I hope that it is a great success and congratulations on arranging it. It looks great.

Highest regards to you.
Paul

 

[arh1953]

Such a lovely setting

for your more than impressive collection. Great article too!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Lightbox Hoover Exhibition...!!!

Congratulations Jack, looks fab and worth all the hard work, those little old ladies will be queuing up to join your tour and then hopefully pull out the old relic vacs to give to you!!!

Those tags really add detail and are easy on the eye, well done, looking forward to seeing it myself week after next!!!

Cheers, Mike

 

[swingette]

Wow. Very impressive.

 

[hygiene903]

What A Beautiful Display, Jack!

You did an excellent job! And the hang tags are well done and so informative. The newspaper article is well done, too. We're all proud of you!
Jeff

 

[a007kirbyman]

Jack, exhibit & article...

Cheers,

It is very evident you take pride in what you do & strive for accuracy as well. (I so agree on accuracy of info.)

The exhibit is one to be proud of. The article was a nice touch as well & it was done tastefully by the paper.

Again, congratulations to you Jack.

hagd

Bill

 

[kenmore81]

Very Nice Jack...

I wish I could get there to see it in person,Such a nice timline display of Hoover history. Congratulations on you project,Im certain it will be a huge success..
Kenny

 

[portable]

Great Job, Jack

And, I can sympathize with your complaint about the time commitment to make the hang tags. I've done that, but certainly not to the extent you have. It looks like lots of work.

Congratulations on a beautiful exhibition. Think of all the younger folks it will inform and enlighten. They may never have SEEN some of these machines EVER!

 

[vintagehoover]

Sorry, everyone, for taking so long to reply; I’ve spent the last few weeks being totally exhibition-focussed, and I needed to ‘switch off and reset’ for a few days! I'm so overwhelmed by all the nice things you’ve said - thank you all, I'm very touched. I only wish more of you were closer, so I could show you round in person!

James and Paul - without going into too much detail, yes, they're insured, but as you can imagine, that doesn't do much to help me sleep at night! I’m just focussing on the benefits of having my stuff on public display: who knows what contacts, opportunities and experiences might result from this? I've been dropping by the museum every couple of days to check on things and to talk to the visitors, and so far, everything's been fine.

Rick - I'm as dedicated as I can be; it seems too great an opportunity to waste with a half-a$$ed effort! I wish I had your patience and attention to detail when it comes to restoration! There's now a DVD of Hoover TV/cinema ads from the 1950s/60s/70s running on a loop on a TV screen, which really adds to the atmosphere - all those catchy vintage ad jingles playing constantly...I predict that by January, staff will be split 50/50: half will HATE Hoover, the other half will have bought news ones!

Greg and Jeff - the tags were a labour of love; in fact, more so than they needed to be, because the museum decided to cut the vacs on display down from the initially-planned 47 to the 25 or so which you see now. So I made over 20 tags MORE than I ended up using. Some I did use had to be redone, since they referred back to cleaners we'd eliminated from the line-up. Sigh.

I put far more info on them than the average viewer would want; I resisted the urge to 'dumb down' for the public. The info's all there if they want to read it. If they don't, they can just look at the date and the picture! Those who do read it will get more out of the experience...

Paul – I know, I’d love that too, an entire museum devoted to all kinds of vintage appliances! I’m sure there’s a business opportunity there, I do hope someday, some of us will be able to make it a reality!

Mike – really looking forward to seeing you; Seamus (SeamusUK) and Matt visited last Saturday and Rob (rob_89) visited on Sunday, so it’s been a great chance to catch up with friends from across the UK!!

John – it’s true what you say about some people never having seen these cleaners before! There’s an interesting contrast; older visitors invariably point out the one they/their mother/their aunt etc. used to have, whereas the younger visitors don’t seem to realise anything at all existed before the year 2000! It’s led to some wonderful conversations, and already, an elderly couple have donated a 1935 ‘Bustler’ stick-vac!

Here's a pic of the gallery in the late afternoon, with the lights on! Makes it look like an electric shrine!

 

[vintagehoover]

As you will probably all know, in the UK, we have a habit of calling all vacuum cleaners 'hoovers' regardless of the actual brand (Hoover actually started this themselves...genius at work!); this has led to several amusing discussions with visitors; the following has been my favourite so far:

Woman: ‘Ooh, look - old hoovers!’ PAUSE ‘Why do they all have ‘hoover’ written on them? You don’t have a toaster with ‘toaster’ written on it!’

Me, incredulous: ‘Hoover is the name of the company that made them!’

Woman: ‘So...there’s actually a ‘Hoover’ company? I just thought that’s what they were called...’

 

[kenmore81]

LOL

‘Ooh, look - old hoovers!’ PAUSE ‘Why do they all have ‘hoover’ written on them? You don’t have a toaster with ‘toaster’ written on it!’

Jack that had to be priceless!!! I about peed laughing.

 

[kenmore81]

P.S. Im so happy for you and im glad it has been a success!!! And don't loose to much sleep, just think when its all done Suckcess at last! Id love to see a copy of your DVD is it for sale???I have paypal ;~) Cheers.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Woman: ‘So...there’s actually a ‘Hoover’ company? I just tho

I hope you slapped her for being so thick!

(What planet are some folk living on?)