This vintage radio repair shop sure has had a lot of major media attention over the years, I'm surprised it never flown into my radar before..
https://retroradiofarm.com/pages/our-story
"Retro Radio Farm is way behind its time! Instead of sleek, cutting edge stereo equipment, we prefer the unique look of vintage radios. Rather than seeking out the artificially generated digital sound that is so popular today, we dig the warm, analog sound of yesteryear and the comforting, nostalgic tones of good old-fashioned radio waves transmitting voices and music through vacuum tubes.
If you are a lover of vintage radios, Retro Radio Farm is the place for you to buy, sell, or get a vintage radio fixed or upgraded. ... ... ... Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or get a unit refurbished, Retro Radio Farm is the place to come for excellent vintage radio selection and customer care. Yeeeee-Haw!"
Their main page features numerous links of where they've been featured like CNN, the Discovery Channel, Country Living, and others, but they were all video presentations and I didn't feel like watching them, so looked around for some articles to read about them. In this one they interview the founder/owner of Retro Radio Farm. It's a good read, here's some highlights:
Oh my, the colorful, gorgeous world of vintage radios! But I have questions! Why were radios so beautiful back in the day? ... .. Today, my interview with Allen Chiang, owner of Retro Radio Farm, which is well known as a key place for you to buy, sell, or get a vintage radio fixed or upgraded. Allen’s knowledge of vintage radios is vast, and he graciously took the time to answer my weedly questions. ...
My name is Allen Chiang, and I started Retro Radio Farm out of my love of repairing and restoring vintage radios. It is my mission to raise the appreciation for these vintage radios. Many people already realize the iconic status of mid-century cars, art, and furniture, but vintage radios have yet to be discovered as valuable collectibles. .. ...Dark wooden cathedral and tombstone radios from the 30s and 40s became associated with another time.
By the 50s, pinks, turquoises, seafoam greens with angular shapes, futuristic themes, became the new and rebellious norm...
However by the 60’s, radios and consumer electronics became almost exclusively foreign. With outsourcing, unfortunately, it seemed radio designs became a little more sanitized and conservative.. ...
Crosley, Stewart Warner, Stromberg-Carlson stand out with superior design and quality of materials and manufacture. ... Some may consider RCA, Westinghouse, Zenith, and Motorola a notch above. .. .. Crosley is the only manufacturer on this list that is still in business today. .. ..
These radios sold for approximately $40 when they were new, or about $400 in today’s dollars according to the U.S. Inflation Calculator. A restored working vintage radio today costs about $200, which is about half of what these radios cost brand new. Not even keeping pace with inflation. ..
Another interesting look by Messyness Chick:
https://www.messynessychic.com/2014/12/30/the-retro-radio-farm /
I‘ve had my eye out for the perfect vintage radio for a while, scouring Paris flea markets and antique shops, but never finding a real beauty that actually makes decent sound and certainly nothing that can connect to an iPod. But today, ... I stumbled upon Retro Radio Farm, a music box wizard of sorts, specialising in bringing some of the most beautiful vintage radios back to life and better yet, into the 21st century.
Aficionado of art deco, mid-century, Jetsons style and Atomic Age radios, based out of Portland, Oregon, Retro Radio Farms takes old radios that are broken or in bad shape and makes them work again– adding MP3 capability to boot. ... .. Find your dream radio and bring her home to meet your iPod.
Anyway, they've got some really unique and gorgeous radios for sale. Way beyond my price point but the pictures of their radios are way cool to look at.
