Welcome to another Before and After Friday.  Isn't it

fascinating to see the rewards of others' hard work?

We're going to hop up to Lewiston, Maine, to visit the

Brettuns Village Trunk Shop and view - what else?!

Restored Trunks!

One reason that there aren't many antique and vintage trunks

available is that most were used until they literally fell apart.

Before                                                           After

Brettuns Village

In the hands of a professional restorer trunks

that seem beyond hope can often be saved.

From this . . . . . . 

to this . . . . . . . 

Amazing!

This antique Duluth Cabin Trunk certainly

showed its history of travels:

Just look at it now:

So handsome!

This pre-Civil War trunk was lined with newspaper from 1868: 

It's hard to believe that the wood

was so well preserved:

A very rare angle-top or hip trunk made by M.M. Secors:

We're privileged to see a horse hide covered trunk, with the

original brass tacks, that was made in Boston in 1803: 

What a beautiful restoration:

Referred to as Monitor Trunks, most were

covered in tin or other lightweight metal:

Sadly, the metal couldn't be salvaged

but the wood was still in tact:

The wonderful craftsmen at the Brettuns Village Trunk Shop do their best

to preserve as much of the original trunk as possible, especially the hardware.

And the shop has an array of trunks for sale:

Click here to sign up for the Trunk Nut newsletter or visit

their site for how-to instructions on restoring your own trunk. 

I hope you enjoyed today's quick trip to Maine and the Brettun Village Trunk Shop.  The next time you run across an old trunk don't discount it just because of the condition.  It might just be an heirloom waiting to be restored.