Obsolete

Entering this small, museum-like design store that specializes in one-of-a kind art, furniture and decorative objects is like walking into Miss Havisham's attic and finding a surfeit of treasures and carnivalesque collectibles that surely have fascinating back stories. The surprise gems here and on Obsolete's online store run the gamut: primitive cheese-making bowls, a 250-lb WWII parachute crash-test dummy; 18th-century French painter's easels; an oak refectory convent table from England, circa 1930. Proprietor Ray Azoulay’s eye is so good that at one point, Restoration Hardware began buying pieces from him to replicate and mass produce at a way cheaper price. As you might imagine, this did not go over well with Azoulay, who sued the much larger company, calling their actions unethical. We may not agree with what Restoration Hardware did, but we can certainly understand how perusing Obsolete’s on-point collection could create a desire to own each and every piece so strong you’d do anything to make it happen. You may not have known you wanted a post-mortem table from the 1920s, for example, until you saw it on the Obsolete sales floor. The same goes for a life-sized mannequin from 1900. Each item is unique, striking and elegant. Look for items that are mainly American or European in descent and run the gamut from Victorian garden lanterns and last-century telescopes to armchairs from 1890s England.