Building the in-home bar of your dreams at the Vintage Collective
By Ellen Griley

PHOTO by ROHSEILA ROBLES

The other day, as I was crossing the street in front of my apartment, a stranger who happened to be walking to her car at the same time looked over, smiled and said, “Hello. How are you today?” The question threw me off, so much so that she might as well have been speaking another language. “Fine, and you?” I finally replied, although it felt terribly awkward. Who does that anymore? I thought. Who talks to strangers? Evidently, this gal.

If it were, oh, let’s say 30 years ago, I probably would’ve continued talking to her. Maybe we’d realize we lived in the same building, even. And then, perhaps, I’d invite her over for cocktails. Instead, I got in my car and drove off, feeling shaken, and yet pretty great, too—seriously, in that cheesy, pay-it-forward sort of way. As I sped away, a long-forgotten sound entered my mind: Clink-clink!

No, it wasn’t the sound from Law and Order. And it wasn’t the sound of two glasses meeting during a toast—that’s clinkety-clink. It was the distinct sound that can only be achieved by dropping ice into a glass with a pair of those little claw tongs. It was the sound of cocktail hour.

And it got me thinking, not just about booze, but about bars, and not the public kind, but the living room kind, and not of the binge-drinking frat bro variety, but something more classic. Refined. An in-home bar. Yes, of course! If the world had more in-home bars, people might host more cocktail parties. Neighbors would become more neighborly, good friends even friendlier, the health care crisis would be solved and our boys overseas would come back home!

Maybe not all of that, but still: Life probably would be a lot better with a bar in your house. With this in mind, I set out to the Vintage Collective, where I often go to salivate over furniture I cannot yet afford—or even if I could, fit in my apartment. Immediately, I snatched up a vintage ice bucket (essential) for $25 featuring various illustrated down-and-out characters begging for—or begging off—more booze. The best one? On the inside of the lid, a large, sad man, clearly a few sheets in, asking if there was any soup in the house.

That was my only purchase, but it’s just the beginning of what the Vintage Collective has to offer for the home bar of your dreams. The place could outfit you with everything from cocktail shakers to cocktail dresses, even the bar—like the sturdy black and white Asian-inspired bar I saw ($595, matching stools included; or a bamboo bar for $775). For a table, try the five foot long slat table for $195. Or invest in bar ware: a nine piece set of aluminum glasses with a giant shaker runs $150, and a set of eight glasses (each with a different animal on the side, from a doe to a cheetah to an elephant) will set you back $95.

On the walls, go with a framed print of one of Long Beach’s most iconic apartment buildings, the 505 on Broadway and Linden ($110) or a kitschy, large horizontal painting of a patio with a fountain—it even lights up. If that doesn’t suit you, there’s a vintage sign that reads, “And to all a good night.” There are also ashtrays aplenty (a funky eight-seater for $20, or a more simple black teardrop one for $28) or, if your house is non-smoking, look for any one of the coffee table books sporting large titles: Eames, Wright, Mondrian.

Lighting? The Vintage Collective has you covered there, too, with an array of large lamps around the store, plus a few smaller ones like the set of two islander folks (painted in greens and yellows) I spied for $295. Tunes? In the back, there are very affordable records and refurbished stereos, speakers, and headphones from RetroStereo.net.

If you have the means, I suggest getting started on your in-home bar today—not tomorrow. Don’t put this off. Chances are there’s a world of new friends on your doorstep, waiting to be invited over. Clink-clink!

VINTAGE COLLECTIVE 2122 E FOURTH ST | LONG BEACH 90814 | 562.433.8699 | THEVINTAGECOLLECTIVE.COM