Why Collect Vacuums?

[nycwriter]

I have to tell you, I'm very glad I stumbled upon this board. I really had no idea there were so many vacuum collectors out there!

I've always loved vacuums myself, but never had the time or space to really cultivate a collection. I do, however, have a small collection (WORKING collection, that is) of vintage TELEPHONES. But that's another discussion.

My question here is -- what drives you guys to collect vacuums? Is it a "guy" fascination for shiny electrical devices with motors and lights? Is it a yearning for a bygone era? For gay men in particular, is it a subconscious affinity for appliances we associate with our mothers?

Also, what is your ultimate "end game" in cultivating your collections? Is the action of acquisition feeding a subconscious need? Do any of you have dreams of resurrecting, say, the Hoover company to its former glory, building top-quality appliances and employing legions of Americans once again?

I'm just curious about what drives all of you.

Love you guys!

 

[guardsman69]

I HAVE BEEN A ONE MAN MISSION TO RESTORE THE HOOVER COMPANY TO IT FORMER GLORY...BEING THEIR FIRST AND ONLY RECOGNIZED HOOVER SERVICE PRODIGY AT 6 YEARS OLD AND SALES DEALER AT NINE ....MY HOOVER CAREER BEGAN WITH THE HOOVER FAMILY THEMSELVES AND HAS SPANNED FIVE OWNERS IN 38 YEARS ..I HAVE WORKED ALL ITS INCARNATIONS AND HAVE CONTRIBUTED AND INSPIRED MANY MODELS AND DESIGNS TO THEIR LINE UPS...AS FOR THE TTI SIX YEAR SPAN I HOST THEIR PRESIDENTS AND VICE PRESIDENTS AND DIVISION HEADS ON A REGULAR BASIS .....I BUILD PROTOTYPES OF UNITS OF THE PAST TO INSPIRE FUTURE PRODUCT LINES....THE HOOVER ANNIVERSARY EDITION LINE WAS BORN IN MY 218 EAST DRINKER STREET SHOWROOM IN MAY 2007 AND STILL IS A NUMBER ONE SELLING FLOORCARE LINE AFTER SIX YEARS....I ALSO FOUGHT AND WON TO SAVE THE CONVERTIBLE LINE AND CREATED AND INSPIRED THE HOOVER PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION....I RECENTLY HOSTED OUR NEW AND AMAZING PRESIDENT DAN GREGORY AND OUR OWN JOHN LONG GOT TO MEET AND VISIT WITH HIM ....WHICH JOHN TRULY ENJOYED AND EVEN IS GETTING ANY HOOVER OF HIS CHOICE FROM THE UPCOMING NEW UPRIGHT COLLECTION WHEN AVAILABLE

 

[bagintheback]

This question has come up many times before, however you have brought up some new ideas.

Why do I collect vacuums? I've been interested in appliances since I was an infant. The vacuum cleaner and the lawn mower were my favorites. I love vacuums themselves, but I also find watching the process of carpet cleaning enjoyable. You get to see those wonderful carpet lines being created, which I think is the best part. Seeing a vacuum bag inflated is has always been relaxing to me, thus my username. So collecting is part of a continuation of infant-hood fascination.

"Is it a yearning for a bygone era?" For me that is a complete yes. This decade is not for me. Owning vintage vacuum cleaners is like holding a piece of the past. I like to think of the history that came with the machine. For example, I've owned a few Kirbys over the years. Each and every one of those machines were part of an in home-demo. Why did that person buy the Kirby? What type of emotions surrounded the purchase? Was it a present for the homemaker?

"Is the action of acquisition feeding a subconscious need?" Possibly. I have always had a small number of social connections, so I sometimes wonder if collecting fills the void of human connections(outside my family). Maintaining a collection sort of gives a purpose to what I do. If I wasn't here, all my wonderful vintage machines would probably be in a landfill. Not to say collecting is the only reason I live, but it does make me feel good. I can make human connections, but the process takes longer for me compared to most people.

On that same note, I feel like what I've collected(vacuums, records, photography/video production) is what people will remember me by. I do not want to be an average guy. I want to be someone who created something unique that no one else could have done or taken the time to do. That is how I'd like my children to think of me, when such as time comes.

I don't have much of an "end game" in mind other than I would love a full blown display room. Genuine Hoover advertisements along with all my favorite 1970s-1990s machines. I am completely falling in love with my Electrolux Silverado, and would love to own a complete Lux lineup; Model 30 onwards. All this would be put in one room, displayed as if it was vacuum shop from the past.

I'm excited to read the responses to come on this thread!

-Nathaniel

 

[caligula]

Hi NYCWriter.

I can't speak for the others in the club, but for me, it's all three. I must admit, my gay lifestyle is the least of them, that centers around my love of Broadway musicals!

For me, the connection is family and friends. My favorite vacuum cleaner is the Electrolux LX. See my posts in the thread, Lux XXX(30) tools for the full story.

However, collecting is only part of the interest. The main interest is history. Who invented what, and why? It's a lot more complicated but the reason John Lucia and I formed the club, was that we wanted to save fellow collectors from having to dig for information, as we'd had to do. Both of us had a wealth of info and felt the need to share it.

Alex Taber.

 

[caligula]

To see my collection go to the thread,

'seeking information on a vintage Kirby.' As I've posted several pictures of what was once the club museum.

Alex Taber

 

[eurekaprince]

Interesting question, Matt....

Though I have never had the space to collect lots of vacuum cleaners, I have been fascinated by them ever since I overcame my fear of them as a toddler. My psychological analysis of why I have this love of vacuums is based on an understanding of my growing up in a psychologically chaotic family. I now understand that I seem to be a member of a portion of the population which are HSP's - Highly Sensitive Persons. It is a recently discovered psychological phenomenon that presents itself in many ways, but it basically means we have brains that "take in" a lot more data and signals from our local environment than 80% of the population. It does not mean that we are "smarter" - it actually means that our brains get overloaded and overwhelmed more than others. Because of that, we crave order and cleanliness and hate chaos and messes. Many of us are notorious "filers" at our jobs!

The arrival of computers has helped HSP's a lot - we can do a lot more organizing with them. But the internet is a bit of a problem: it can really be overwhelming trying to keep up with emails and dealing with "too much information" that becomes overwhelming.

Sooooooo

I now understand that vacuums represent devices that calm me down because they clean away the "chaos" in a home! And especially since I grew up in a family characterized by anxiety and chaotic relationships, the vacuum seemed to help counter the psychological mess I was born into.

That is my analysis of why I personally became fascinated by these magical cleaners of life!

 

[powermate1970]

deja vu

Funny.....Alex and I were just talking about this very thing this afternoon on the phone. I don't think being "gay" has a role in this strange, interesting fascination we all share here. At least for me it isn't, as I'm not gay, but it has everything to do with an emotional "bond" you had with somebody early in your childhood development. After my conversation with Alex, I'm more convinced of this now than I ever had been before today. I don't have a "favorite" brand per say, but I have a favorite in the early 70's, avacado green, sears best kenmore canister. Why, you say. I was pretty much "raised" by my grandmother, who, in a sense, was my surrogate mother.(my mom and I really didn't get along while I was growing up) Grandma had a neighbor, who's name was Nellie. She became my "second" grandmother. What vac did Nellie have?? An avacado green sears best kenmore powermate. I always had the fascination for vacuums, but it wasn't the powermate that gave me the favorite. It was the fact that it was Nellie's powermate. So for me, it was a fascination for the vacuum and a love and respect for the person that really started it for me.

 

[nycwriter]

Powermate1970 ...

... love your picture!

LOVE LOVE LOVE that avocado color! My Aunt Vee had that "blue" model -- in the avocado color!

 

[guido]

Why collect VACUUM CLEANERS ? 10 good reasons !

1 - collecting butterflies or post-stamps must be so boring........
2 - collecting vacuum cleaners means being able to see a "soul" in an ordinary object ( like a vacuum cleaner ) that ordinary people usually are unable to see.
3 - searching for certain old machines is a real treasure-hunt and finding a missing rare-to-find model has no price...
4 - vintage vacuum cleaners - like other everyday objects - are a reflection of gone-by times, design and tecnique. We are proud to preserve a memory of it...even if it is from an unusual point of view. When you see them "inside" - how they were built - you get so much EMOTION for the good quality of the materials, the intelligence and care of a then-modern, new, brilliant idea which came to life and was often hand-made or hand-assembled by persons ( not machines ) around Europe or USA ( China was still far to come ).
5 - restoration on older models takes time, experience much information and care and can be very relaxing
6 - Vacuum cleaners are probably the most interesting electrical device, in a normal ( vintage ) household : they move, light up, transform into something else and ...vroooooom !
7 - you should see the face of your guests when you show them your vacuum cleaner collection !
8 - the more time passes and the more difficult it is to find some older models and their ORIGINAL spare parts : it really is a great challenge !
9 - Vacuum cleaners or floor polishers were not created for display or collecting reasons ( like a beautiful vase, a picture or a chandelier ). Their destiny is usually service and they were often discarded when not working properly anymore or replaced with smaller or lighter models. We love to give them a new life and oportunity !
10 - I don't know if there is subconscious affinity for appliances we associate with our mothers ( could be ) but for sure there is a sort of " imprinting " from the early years : we all remember the "first" vacuum cleaners of our life...the "guilty" ones ... when it all began !
( italian friend and massive-Vorwerk-collector TOMMY-MILAN visited me in december and brought me the best christmas present EVER !!!!! : the italian LESA 1957 floor-polisher model "LESALU/1" that i had been searching for at least 6 years ! So, after collecting EVERY old advertising about this machine for years, I finally got one. It's the blue on in the middle. I also spent a wonderful sunday with Tommy - a very kind and funny person - in a giant flea-market and enjoyed a great Chinese meal ! What more could you want?
I take the occasion to share this rare and beautiful machine with all of you ! )

 

[powermate1970]

NYC writer

Thank-you! I do have the "blue" one in avacado green, complete with the green wands!!! I will have to dig it out and get you a picture.

 

[nycwriter]

eurekaprince ...

... very interesting points indeed.

I think I might also be a touch HSP -- I seem to remember much, much more about my childhood than my siblings ever do. Four decades later it still replays itself in vivid Technicolor detail as if it just happened yesterday!

You touched on another interesting point that resonated with me: the craving of order. I think we all have so much stress in our lives -- and our complex world only seems to get increasingly so -- which only intensifies the desire to retreat into our own little cocoons, with those things that give us comfort, where we can truly control our own environment.

The *comfort* issue is another main point with me. When my mother first had me, my grandma (mother of ELEVEN kids!) gave her some valuable advice: "Don't make the house too quiet or too dark for their naptimes and bedtimes, otherwise the least little noise or crack of light will wake them up." Brilliant advice, really. She would put us up for our naps, put a stack of albums on the turntable, crank up the music, and do her housework (including, of course, running the sweeper). And she never closed the blinds or the curtains -- we slept in the sunlight. As a result, Mom and Dad were able to have quite a few cocktail parties downstairs at night while we (mostly) slept through it all (I, of course, always snuck down to the landing in my jammies so I could get a peek at all the grown-ups through the railing!). Little did my mother realize, also, that she was conditioning me to be able to successfully work crazy hours in broadcasting in New York City decades later.

But there was something oddly comforting about hearing that Hoover motor, quietly muffled by the white shag rug downstairs in the living room and dining room (it was 1971, after all); all children have an innate fear of abandonment, and it can be a little bit scary being upstairs in your room, away from Mom ... but hearing the muffled roar of the sweeper downstairs meant that Mom was, in fact, down there.

The roar of the motor -- the shine of the headlight -- the inflation of the bag (and there was something special about a newly-loaded fresh bag -- it seemed to inflate even more than usual, giving the motor more of a throaty sound as well) -- it all meant the natural order of the household was carrying on, and all was right with the world (at least OUR little world).

Just as was hearing the whine of the electric mixer in the kitchen nearly every day in early December, nearly drowning out the sounds of Johnny Mathis and the New Christy Minstrels, as Mom did her Christmas baking.

 

[aeoliandave]

My brother and sister are much like yours in their disregard for the past and even my Mom performed a purge of 3/4 of the old photographs of our family stretching back to immigrant great grandparents from Scotland and Germany as they forged a new life in Canada. At the age of 13 I was devastated tho I couldn't put it into words but simply sobbed in my grandmother's lap upon the discovery a few weeks later. I loved leafing through those albums on a cold winter's Saturday afternoon...
My sister now has custody of what remains but a few years back I managed to extract a few for my own files.

Matt, you write with such clarity, crystal clear remembrance and insight. It is a pleasure to have you among the other nostalgic deep thinkers here.

A wise 87 year old man I bought my pipe organ beginnings from buttonholed me at one point and gave me sage advice I'll never forget...

"Dave, never let your childhood go and try very hard not to let yourself get old in your soul as your life unfolds."

He passed in his sleep of natural causes at the age of 90 entirely satisfied with his time on earth.
My wish for all is that we all achieve the same.

Dave[this post was last edited: 1/21/2013-21:33]

 

[eurekaprince]

NYCWriter - as Bob Hope once sang "thanks for the memories"....what you describe is deeply familiar to me...though my HSPness (oops, that did not come out very nice...) prevented me from ever getting a good night's sleep!

There are theories about how the increasing prevalence of depression is due to the increasing instability of modern life, and if we only focused a little bit more on creating cozy homes and warm families (of friends as well as relatives), there might be less depression in society. We need clean and ordered and safe homes to return to after weathering the crazy world out there...

...and when I was a little boy coming home from an overwhelming day at school, what was the first thing that greeted me when Mom hung up my ski jacket (Montreal)? It was my pale blue Eureka upright with all his little attachments sitting predictably in their tool carrier....*sigh*.....

 

[nycwriter]

Thank you, Dave and eurekaprince ...

... it's nice to be appreciated.

Eurekaprince, my Mom's Hoover 1060 stood like a sentry when it wasn't being used in our kitchen pantry. It was a BIG pantry -- a room unto itself -- big enough for my mother to have her desk set up under a pass-through window opening into the dining room. The opposite wall had a big window, under which my dad positioned a deacon's bench with storage underneath for our toys. My brother and I used to sit on that bench on frosty mornings, looking out the window at the valley below, sipping our hot chocolate. We always wore our little moccasin slippers, because the linoleum floor was always cold; a checkerboard of alternating mint green and pale yellow squares, complementing the pea soup-green walls with white woodwork and cabinets. The white Frigidaire refrigerator was also back there in the pantry, built into the wall of white cabinets, and standing right next to it, ready to be pressed into service at a moment's notice, was Mom's pale brown Hoover with yellow hood.

 

[xraytech]

Matt,

Such a great question you ask.

My fascination with vacuums like several of my passions stemmed from my childhood.
I recall even as a baby my mother used to set me on the livingroom floor as she would vacuum, and I would always watch most intently as she vacuumed, there must have been something about the look, and sound of her vacuuming as well as the vibrations on the floor from the beater bars.
Also as a small child my maternal grandparents babysat me. Grandpap Diamond and I would spend hours browsing the latest JCPenney and Sears Roebuck catalogs, most of the focus was on the small kitchen appliances and the vacuums. Also a day at Grandma and Grandpap Diamonds house wasn't complete without going upstairs and letting me vacuum her antique gold sculpted carpet with her Hoover Convertible 1020, which was her first brand new vacuum(You may better recall the vacuum as the one Alice used on the Brady Bunch)
I can also vividly remember going with my mother who was about 8 months pregnant in March 1989 to Service Merchandise for my first vacuum shopping experience. It was a bittersweet day, I was excited to get a new vacuum, but disappointed that we got a drab gray Hoover Elite 200 when I was truly wanting the chestnut brown and beige Hoover Concept two. I can still vividly remember that "New Hoover" smell.

Then through childhood I discovered other peoples vacuums, like Nancy across the street had a Convertible 700, and Dorothy next door had a light blue Concept One and a Portapower, most every time she needed to vacuum she would call me over to vacuum and then enjoy a bottle of Faygo red pop. I also remember how much I loved when the door to the broom closet under the choir loft stairs was open at church they had a beige and rust Concept one.


Today as I collect my collection is mainly based on the vacs I loved as a child which are Hoover Convertibles and Concepts, I do have a few Elites only because mother used to have them. I also have this fondness of most everything of the 1950s and early 60s that I feel the need to recreate.
One of if not my most favorite vacuum in my collection is my grandma Diamonds Hoover Convertible 1020, I gave her a new upstairs vac so I could enjoy the one Ive loved since I was a baby. Oddly every time I go to the upstairs of her home I can still picture us up there vacuuming away

 

[nycwriter]

Dave, thank you ...

... for sharing those beautiful photos!

Our moms are definitely not the same generation; my mom was born in 1946! She was a "1970s mom".

 

[aeoliandave]

I was born and raised in this house until about age 10.
We lived on the second floor, my childless aunt & uncle on the spacious attic floor and my Maternal Grandmother ruled the roost benevolently from the ground floor. It was a Depression survival sort of arrangement that evolved into three vast apartments housing her children.
Mom would lug Gramma's Filter Queen up the back servant's stairs when needed and upstairs my aunt had Gramma's older Hoover upright.

Our compact kitchen was where the central leaded glass window is, dining-room to the left in the side tower and I would spend hours lying on its ledge listening to and singing along with the radio...while my brother rotted his brains in the living-room to the right watching the B&W cabinet TV.

My memories of this house and environs are clear as a bell.

Dave
This news clipping dates from about 1965 when the City of London was systematically buying up and sabotaging similar Victorian houses on the block facing the City core's Victoria Park, in preparation for building a hideously windowless concrete new City Hall, Concert Hall and a tall Condominium building on the land...to celebrate and 'edify' Canada's 100th birthday Centennial in 1967.

My Grandmother was livid!
[this post was last edited: 1/21/2013-23:05]

 

[nycwriter]

Dave ...

... what a beautiful house!!!

 

[dysondestijl]

For me it's a childhood thing. I had a dyson dc01 and I just got intrigued one day, I asked how did it work? How did it make the dust disappear off the floor? So, when I was older I researched, came across some interesting looking dysons and I thought they were cool! It wasn't until I was about 10 years of age did I actually start to collect. I went to a garage sale and found some cool vacuums, then found some dysons in the trash, then I finally fulfilled my dream of getting my childhood vacuum- the dyson dc01!
After that i just took in any vacuums that came my way