Notes From The City: An Abundant Life

Just about a year ago I walked into Modern Retro Finds for the first time. I had moved into a new apartment at the end of February after a very difficult many years in the apartment I had lived in before. I had moved into that old apartment sight unseen - I had been looking for a place and couldn't find one in Manhattan, and though from the first view I didn't ever feel at home, I was thankful to have a roof over my head that I could afford. But there were problems from the beginning with major leaks and things breaking that were never fixed, and for a few years I had neighbors upstairs who partied non-stop until all hours of the morning. I learned how to pray in a new way there - to call on God's promises that His people will live in quiet resting places and peaceful dwelling places and to pray for people I didn't want to pray for. Things quieted down for a while and I did finally have a measure of peace, but the space itself I was growing out of, and as a Pastor friend said in a sermon at the time, it was time to come out of the ark.

When I moved into my new apartment, I had gone through a time of clearing out old things - furniture, clothing, knick-knacks and bric-a-brac that didn't serve me any more and in some cases never did, but my new apartment was much larger than the old and I didn't know what I would fill it with or how. I have always had to live my life on a budget, and even necessities like food have to be well thought out purchases. My new larger apartment had space and beauty all by itself, but there were things I wanted that would make it a home that I didn't know how I could afford. But then a few weeks after I moved in, a very generous and dear friend, Eugene Gallegos, called me up one day and said that he had some furniture that he wanted to give to me if I was interested. He said that I could come over and look at it and then decide, but he is a designer, artist and photographer whose taste I know is only the best, and whatever it was I knew it would be spectacular. When I saw what he was giving me, I really couldn't believe it - I felt like Cinderella setting up her new palace. As all designers and collectors know, right now mid century anything is the hottest thing going, but I didn't know that at all. All I knew is that the pieces he was giving me were stunning, and they had been hand refinished and reupholstered by someone who I love which made them all the more special. He had them delivered, another astonishing blessing, and when I started to research them I started to learn about Midcentury and Hollywood Regency and all of the other terms I'm now becoming familiar with.

About a week after the pieces were delivered, I was on my way home one day and I saw a new sign on the sidewalk in Hoboken that pointed the way to 91 Park Avenue and Modern Retro Finds. When I walked into the store, it was like walking into Wonderland, and there was the most lovely and charming person who greeted me there. Rolando Iglesias is magical, with an eye that finds the most amazing and beautiful pieces wherever he goes. He is passionate about art and design, and travels all over to meet with people from every walk of life, and he is such a special person that he makes friends everywhere. The first day I met him he generously spent time with me to talk about the history of the pieces in his store, and when I told him about my friend and the wonderful gifts that had just been given to me, Rolando gave me information about those as well. Over time we realized that some of the pieces may actually have come from Rolando, as he had been in the business for many years before opening his store in Hoboken. It's not surprising because Eugene Gallegos has the best eye for art and design and so does Rolando, and they're both such wonderful people it makes sense that their taste and sensibilities would have met.

Mid Century Pieces From Eugene Gallegos Interior Design And Photography

Meet Again With The Amazing Eye Of Rolando Iglesias of Modern Retro Finds
Modern Retro Finds

91 Park Avenue

Hoboken, NJ
(201) 459-0333

www.modernretrofinds.com

A Very Special Anniversary

Last week Rolando treated me to a dinner at Teak On The Hudson - I had been wanting to treat him because of all of the beautiful pieces he has provided and delivered to my home over this past year, making it possible and affordable for me to have such abundance and luxury that I could never have dreamed of, but true to form when the bill came and I tried to pay it, Rolando wouldn't allow me to, saying that I had blessed him over this past year of our friendship. The dinner was divine as was the company, and I'd add photos of the food here also, but I was too busy eating and enjoying myself, so I decided to wait for another day to go back and take pictures. I had been wanting to try the food at Teak since I had sampled their amazing sushi when they had been doing a promotion a few summers ago - I had written about it then as an unexpected blessing in my blog post Sushi Happy Hour on August 3, 2013, but because of my budget I eat out rarely, and I hadn't gone there yet. They have such a beautiful space, with amazing service, great prices and great specials which make it an affordable luxury, and now that I've been there, I know I'll be craving the divine tastes again and again.

Teak On The Hudson

16 Hudson Place

Hoboken, NJ
(201) 653-6888

www.teakonthehudson.com