Most people will dot their road trip map with a list of sightseeing attractions and historical landmarks. For Michael DeJong and Richard Haymes, making the drive from New York to relocate to their new home in Palm Springs it was all about scoping out vintage pieces to start collecting mid century finds while traversing the cross-country highways.
“We made the most of it by making it into an antique adventure,” Michael, an artist, author and photo stylist, says of the 10-day trip. Michael set out in his more than 20-year-old truck with partner Richard, a retired art gallery curator and former executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project. They did not rush the coast-to-coast trip.
The Agenda: Collecting Mid Century
The road trip’s daily itinerary followed this usual regimen: drive for three to four hours a day, then thrift for that same amount of time hoping to ward off the aches and keep the mental acuity sharp by hunting for gems and scanning dusty countryside thrifts for Mid Century Modern styles and shapes. Michael and Richard did not just hit thrift stores along the way. They responded to Craigslist posts, checked out yard sales and perused through thrift malls. A truck brimming with vintage goods emerged from the road trip.
“[It was] sort of a Beverly hillbilly scenario,” Michael said, referencing the famous opening for “The Beverly Hillbillies” that featured a family riding into California on a truck loaded with all their life belongings. Thanks to a lack of midcentury interest in particular states along the way, the couple’s bounty was big.
Don’t Look in the Usual Places
“Try to buy things in places where there’s not such a huge midcentury community,” Richard said.
Richard said he and Michael stopped in dozens of states, from Pennsylvania to Texas to Nevada. They picked up many pieces along the way which are now displayed in their Palm Springs home. The couple also said buying all of one’s midcentury pieces in a town like Palm Springs, which is midcentury headquarters, comes with a premium price. Richard recalled a lamp he found for about $20 back east—he ran into the same lamp his first week living in Palm Springs, but with a price tag of $1,800. If hitting the highway is impossible, then go online. “EBay is a really great way to find really extraordinary items,” Michael said.
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