Aside from the antique collectors, ever wonder why antique stores, second hand stores and other such stores thrive? Why is buying other people’s junk so enticing? People have been drawn to previously owned items for centuries – not just with the boom of “cutting down on waste,” and “going green.” Emotional bonds are the ones that tie. These personal emotional bonds, or another one’s story of their tie to an object, turn otherwise junk into treasures.
It is absolutely true and completely fascinating! We are all subject to it. I am sure we can all find at least a handful of objects in our homes that we hold on to for nothing else but for the sentimental value. I can think of several right now that are absolutely ugly! I hide them in corners and try to convince myself at times that they possess some sort of “unique beauty,” but lets face it. Grandma’s old knickknacks are downright gaudy, and I only hold on to them because they remind me of her or conjure up a specific memory or story.
Rob Walker; author of Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are, and Joshua Glenn; author of Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance, are co-owners of Significant Objects, and use this very phenomenon to turn insignificant, cast-aside knickknacks into highly sought-after prized possessions. How do they do this? They make up the stories behind the object to create the desire.
Rob and Joshua sift through thrift stores and rummage sales, looking specifically for worthless items—which they purchase for pocket change. They then commission someone to write (normally someone of notoriety) a fictional story that features the trinket, or, as they call it, “nothing object.” Once a fictional story is written about the nothing object, it transforms, as if by magic, into a significant object. It is sold on eBay along with a copy of its story. Once sold, the profits go to the author. “So far, Significant Objects is an incredibly fun, if curious, success, and speaks to our wonderfully human propensity to believe in nonsense.”
Some such “significant objects” and their stories are: Fred Flintstone Pez Dispenser by Claire Zulkey, Sanka Ashtray by Luc Sante; Candyland Labyrinth Game by Matthew Battles; Toy Toaster by Jonathan Goldstein; Toy Hot Dog by Jenny Davidson; Chilli Cat Figurine by Lydia Millet; and Pen Stand by Lizzie Skurnick.
I personally enjoyed reading Chilli Cat Figurine, Fred Flinstone Pez Dispenser, and Toy Toaster.
It is so true. There are a few things that I hold on to, that I know need to be retired, just because my grandma gave it me. And I guess the thought of letting it go makes me feel like I am letting her go.
I love going to antique stores and looking at all the funky knick knacks. Just a few weeks ago my mom and I went antique shopping and I bought this gold bracelet that looks like a chain belt.. its pretty retro and totally sweet.
The Sanka Ashtray story is my favorite one so far.
How old does it say I am when I had the Fred Flinstone pez dispenser? It makes me FEEL even older when people say “it’s an antique”.