As a youngster, Tim spent a great deal of time with his grandfather, an inventor who held patents to the original Halsey Taylor drinking fountains. From him, Tim learned to appreciate the quality of design and function and gained a tremendous appreciation for items that held their value long after they were made such as: Russel Wright for Bauer Pottery and Klise Oceana, the Voightlander Bessa II camera, the first transistor radio by Regency, model TR-1, the Herman-Miller George Nelson Spike wall clock, and many more. His grandfather’s eye for wonderful items was where form and function collide. Tim respected the value as more than just a productive piece of equipment, but that it could also offer a pleasing design.
Tim’s best friend, spouse, and partner for over 45 years, Jamie, was born to older parents who dubbed Jamie a "do-it-yourself grandchild," she grew up amid their resourceful, creative prowess. Her mother, an artistic craftsperson, decorated their home with color and style. Her mom ran a successful in-home business creating and sewing handmade Christmas tree ornaments that sold all over the country including to large department stores such as Marshall-Fields and Frederick & Nelson, as well as small ma-pa shops across the country. Jamie's father loved music and built his own Heathkit stereo equipment sharing with his daughter the quality of stereo sound. She still prizes her Panasonic ball radio he gave her as a gift shortly before his passing.
When this pair came together, they had already acquired their eclectic, bohemian styles. Even before they married, Tim, with artistic talents of his own—drawing, painting, and photography—had begun acquiring art. Then, in the late 1980s, after visiting the home of Jamie's cousins, Kim and Chuck Zuccarini, they were exposed to an amass of colors and styles from the Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern items and other 20th Century design eras. They were hooked.
Along the way, Tim discovered a beautiful angular pottery lamp base but couldn't find any information about it. Since this was pre-Internet days, he set out to research it by visiting multiple libraries and eventually discovered a collection housed at the Rocky River Library, just west of Cleveland, Ohio. This led the pair to write their book The Collector's Encyclopedia of Cowan Pottery, which was released in 1993.
Over a period of forty-four years, Tim researched and curated a diverse collection of over 3500 items ranging from the early Arts & Crafts, 1900-1920s period through to modern age 1960-70s pieces. This collection includes an extensive array of radios created by both Machine-Age and Industrial designers from 1930-40s, Frankart and Nuart of the 1920-30s, modern Mid-Century Modern lighting, art pottery, and much, much more.
As Tim retires from a long career and they begin to release some of these items for others to enjoy, they invite you to ride with them on their journey to the deaccession of their beloved items.