Introducing: Columbo Clothes and Laughs Blog!

 I have found a new hobby and it is Columbo. 

 

 

 

To support this obsession, I have started a new blog: Columbo Clothes and Laughs. 

 

There we will discuss the vintage fashion and humor of the Columbo television show.

 

 

For episodes where there are more than three excellent outfits, there will be a poll for everyone to pick their favorite. 

 

 

New posts every Wednesday, just as the original episodes aired!

 

 Thank you very much, Lieutenant!

COLUMBO CLOTHES AND LAUGHS BLOG

 

 

 

Chapel Hill Leather Shop - The Only Real Thing Left T-shirt

David Honigmann owned and operated the Chapel Hill Leather Shop from 1964-1984. Located at 133 ½ East Franklin Street, his shop was always packed with customers wanting to buy his custom-made sandals and hand-made leather goods. 

 

 

 

 In the autumn of 1964, David and friend Betty Bishop began exploring Franklin Street for a storefront, so they could open up their own leather goods shop. They found a place upstairs at 133 1/2 East Franklin Street, which rented for only $35 a month, and they named it the Chapel Hill Leather Shop. 

 

 

 

 It was just one, big room, owned by Alexander Julian’s father, Maurice Julian. Word spread of David’s excellent craftsmanship, and the shop became very successful, very quickly. They were so popular, in fact, that advertising was never necessary. They just had a sign out front that read the Chapel Hill Leather Shop with a pair of sandals nailed to it, and another sign outside the entrance to the store, and that was enough to keep them in business. 

 

 

 

 By 1984 the added recession was making it even more difficult to keep the shop going and after twenty years in the leather business, they felt it was time to move on. (Via Chapel Hill Recorder)

Relive the memories from the Only Real Thing Left with this 70s t-shirt - vintage 70s tee CHAPEL HILL leather shop t-shirt Small soft thin burnout

 

Behind the T-shirt: Uncle Sam's Nightclub

 Uncle Sam's was a disco nightclub chain in several US cities from the mid 70s to the late 80s. 

 

There were clubs in Houston, Detroit, Providence, Levittown, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Des Moines, and Syracuse. At least. There were probably more. 

 

Uncle Sam's - "Let's Spend the Night Together"

Shiny Happy Customers Night in Buffalo looks like fun.

Shot of the Minneapolis merch table in 1977. T-shirts cost $3.99!

This 70s Uncle Sam's t-shirt seems to be from 1976. It's in great shape and ready to do the hustle. Check it out at Skippy Haha Vintage Etsy now!

Pawn Stars Vintage T-shirt Episode - Rick Gets Rolled

I watched the Pawn Stars episode this week, Season 18, Episode 9 "Raiders of the Lost Pawn", excited because "vintage t-shirts" were involved. 

A man brings in 2 baseball raglan concert tees - one from 1982 The Who tour and 1981 Rolling Stones tour. 

He said he bought them himself and hung them in his closet for the next 40 years, unworn. This is not the best idea. A better idea is to fold your t-shirts in a closet where the sun don't shine. Hanging t-shirts can stretch out the necklines, and if you use metal hangers (it appears this man thankfully used plastic), rust lines can transfer on the shoulders of the tees.

Chum Lee expressed how cool the tees were but he wasn't an expert so they called one in. 

The expert did not appear to be an expert in my opinion. He didn't even look at the tags! The Rolling Stones dragon graphic has been reproduced thousands of times by places like Forever 21. I appreciate his mentioning "single stitch" on the hems, but you don't know what you have unless you LOOK AT THE TAGS.

The tags were not even mentioned. I take this as vintage t-shirt blasphemy. 

What size are they? If they're Small or Medium, 90% of the population will never fit in them so their value is less than if they're Large or XL. 

The expert called the Rolling Stones tee a "holy grail" and valued it at $500.

I have personally sold several vintage Rolling Stones tour tees, one from 1978 that said "Happy Birthday Mick" and had Peter Tosh on back for $420 in 2005, 

 

and one from the Pontiac Silverdome for $50 (!!!) in 2011. 

 

 

 

 I think both of these are cooler and more rare and more valuable than the generic 1981 tour tee that doesn't even have the co-bill on back, it's a list of 20 tour stops.

There were thousands of these tees made for every stop of the tour. They're not a dime a dozen, but they're not a holy grail either, especially since big box retailers are reproducing the graphic. Rick pays $300 for this, he could have bought one, even cooler, for $125 any day of the week. 

 

 

Rick ends up paying $100 for the Who tee. Rick got a decent deal on this - I would ask $200 for that tee. 

I see on their website they're now selling the Rolling Stones tee for $525 UPDATE they jacked the price to $550 yesterday and there are no pics of the tag. Silly. 

All in all, I'm disappointed there was no focus whatsoever on the TAGS of these t-shirts - that is the only way to gauge their authenticity. Very cool t-shirts, in mint condition which certainly adds value - Rick got a bad deal on one, and a good deal on the other. I give the episode B-.

Rick, if you need a t-shirt expert like Rare Books Rebecca, call me!

Behind the T-shirt - Cap's Place

Here's a 70's t-shirt from Cap's Place Island Restaurant and Bar - Lighthouse Point, Florida

The back says it's been there for 100 years so I did some digging. 

Their website claims they're Broward County's oldest restaurant - "with roots as a 1920's casino and rum-running speakeasy, it sits on an island off Lighthouse Point and can only be reached by Cap's motor launch.

 

Back in the 20's in No-Man's Land Florida, Cap Knight, Lola Knight and Al Hasis brought together a group of wooden shacks attached to an old barge which was floated up the present day intracoastal waterway from Miami to its location on Cap's Island near the fabled Hillsboro lighthouse north of Fort Lauderdale.  This was a rum-running restaurant and gambling casino, nestled on an island in the coastal marsh."

 

 Look familiar? 

"Among some of the notables who have enjoyed Cap’s creative cuisine are Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, Casey Stengel, George Harrison, Errol Flynn, the Temptations, Susan Hayward, Gloria Swanson, Mariah Carey, "Norm" from TV's Cheers and Joe Namath. Cap's has hosted the famous and infamous for decades."

 

NORM!  

For this incredibly soft and thin authentic wearable piece of Florida's rum-running and gambling history, please visit -

vintage 70s t-shirt CAP'S PLACE bar florida soft thin burnout tee Medium Small

NEW VIDEO! Skippy HaHa (Promo Jam by Guadalajara Joe!)

It's here! The Skippy Haha Jam video! 

Thank you to Brandi Mappycamper, Jess Messin' Jess Pfohl, Greta, Clark, Kevin, Sugarhoney, and Iceman for dancing and baton twirling! I love you all!

And a giant thank you to Guadalajara Joe for creating this timeless heirloom, it's beyond my wildest dreams. 

Skippy Haha. Skippy Haha ha.

 

 

Skippy HaHa Jam by Guadalajara Joe!

 Our friend Guadalajara Joe is out with a bangin' new album today - Allergic 2 Society

If that wasn't exciting enough - Track #2 is Skippy HaHa Jam! 

 

Check it out! The whole album is thought-provoking and funkalicious!

 

this track is about my friend Heather's awesome online vintage clothing and accessories store!
Simply visit skippyhaha.com !!!!

lyrics

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
It’s an online store
vintage clothes galore!
Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
It is the best
Rated Highest

There are rad hats
That’s wear its at
Plenty of pants
So you can dance
And rad t-shirts
From wild concerts
As well as skirts
This truth don’t hurt

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
A vintage online store
Created by Heather

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
It is the best
Rated the Highest

No need to buy a vowel
There’s old school towels
Historic hockey pucks
So you won’t get stuck
Without a sweater
When in cold weather
Or perhaps a jacket
So you can make some racket

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
It’s an online store
With vintage clothes galore!

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
It is the best
Rated the Highest

There’s really cool shorts
There are all sorts
And plenty of polos
So you won’t go solo
And accessories
To make memories
So Let’s go bananas
There’s even bandanas!

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
A vintage online store
Created by Heather

Skippy HaHa
Skippy HaHa
It is the best
Rated Highest

For the best in Vintage clothing
And accessories visit skippyhaha.com

Thank you Guadalajara Joe! 

WTF Wednesday: Do Your Cigarettes Taste Different Lately?

 Long time, no see, Wednesday! Long time, no see, WTF!

It's been a while since I posted here, for a couple reasons - 

          1. My friend Supermama Vintage alerted me to a Facebook group dedicated to thrift store WTFery and I felt the public's need for thrift store WTFery was/is being met by this group - Weird Second Hand Finds that Need to Be Shared

          2. On the advice of my 11 year old whippersnapper intern niece, I started a vintage Instagram and have been posting pretty regularly over there. Skippyhaha Vintage Instagram.
 

Anyway, I'm glad to be back and I found a few WTF things thrifting today: 

You also got bangs!

The spirit of nature...like a beagle

Last but not least, do your cigarettes taste different lately? 

If this wasn't enough WTF for one week, feast your senses on Guadalajara Joe's brand newly released 6 Episode Series - Hayward to the Mutha!

 Tons of old footage and new ideas, fresh dances, and lots of SHV dancewear! You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll crave flan!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.
 
For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week: 

• Vintage 80s Long Island Wrecker Hat
• Vintage 80s My Buddy Sweatshirt 

WTF Wednesday: Brenda's Butts, Single Vest

Hey Wednesday! Hey WTF!

Hey giant seashell tree!

Hey Broncos Mouse!

Hey Cabbage Patch arms!

Hey Brenda's Butts!

Last but not least, hey denim vest for a single person!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions.
 
For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week: 

• Vintage 70s Kanga Rainbow Babydoll T-shirt
• Vintage 80s Sweatsuit Jumpsuit
• Vintage 70s I Love Lawyers T-shirt

WTF Wednesday: Bag of Fun, Dog in Scrunchie

Zdravstvuj, Wednesday! Zdravstvuj, WTF!

This doll is named Snow White. 

In general, cats love dressing up. 

A bag of fun, with a frog!

Hi Dennis Joe! Hi Barney!

Whose face? Jason Lee? Kris Kristofferson? 

Why use a dog collar when you can just put a scrunchie around your greyhound's neck?

Last but not least, Best Dad Ever fake floral arrangement!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions. 

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

• Vintage 70s Breadwinner Milk Glass Mug
• Vintage 90s Beach Cats Heads Tails T-shirt
• Vintage 90s Sarajevo Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt
• Vintage 70s Owl Carpet Wall Hanging
• Vintage 90s I Get Ball You Get Help T-shirt
• Vintage 90s Hershey's Candy Medical Scrubs

WTF Wednesday: Phat Mart, Bizarro E.T.

Hallo Wednesday! Hallo WTF!

Hallo Encyclopedia of Cockatoos!

Hallo sad colorblock clown!

Hallo same clown face in twisted tin solder suit!

This picture is wretched but it says "Honk if You've Been Cheated by Verizon!" on the back; the driver's side had a hand-painted board saying "Chevrolet Does Not Honor its Warranty!"

Hallo baby doll with blue eyeshadow!

 
Hallo entire book about Baking Soda!

Hallo brown-faced cart pulling-lamb!

Hallo lacquered conch shell clock with no hands!

Hallo glitter piggy bank!

Hallo ram in a vase!

Hallo, Phat Mart!

Last but not least, hallo bizarro E.T. with a patch of grass covering his genitals!

As with all wtf wednesdays, there are no answers, only questions leading to more questions. 

For more vintage wtf wonders (for sale), click here: vintage wtf

New WTF this week:

• Vintage 90s First Chiropractic Patient T-shirt
• Vintage 80s Oak Gumball Machine T-shirt
• Vintage 80s Waterski Rabbit Shark Caca Happens T-shirt
• Vintage 80s All Stressed Up No One to Choke T-shirt