A Chair's Tale

I couldn't say goodbye to this fixture in the shop without a post.  For those of you who have visited the shop, you might have heard the story behind my desk chair; a chair which has served me well for almost the whole time Michael Thomas has been in business.  Before the chair came into my possession, it was owned most recently, and in the office of, Conrad Black.  For those Canadians reading this post, you know the story there.  Prior to Conrad, it was owned, and in the office of his father George Montegu Black Jr.  One of the best parts of this "job" is researching the history of pieces and pondering the lives they have lived.  I know while this chair was in the shop it lived an interesting life and met some fascinating people.  It heard lots of intriguing stories from clients and friends, heard lots of laughs and a bit of gossip, and even got featured in an article that was done on the shop in 2009.  It wasn't the first time.  It had already been published in "The Canadian Establishment" by Peter C. Newman twenty-five years earlier.  Last week a gentleman came into the shop and fell in love with it in its current Miss Havisham state and had to have it.  For some time, my back had been telling me it was time for something a little more ergonomically correct, so I decided to say goodbye.  Saying goodbye to so many of the great pieces that pass through Michael Thomas is bittersweet as it will be with this tattered chair with a history.  However, as I have said many times, it is a real pleasure to be a caretaker for a while and then send these pieces off to make new history.