partnering color and pattern

BEFORE SUITCASES by leigh macmillen hayes

“Trunks have been around for thousands of years. They’ve been around trees even longer.”

linda edestein and paul pat morse, Antique Trunks: Identification and Price Guide

It’s crazy to realize that the first trunks were hollowed out from trees, but it does make sense when you consider the name. Trunk derives from the Latin word truncus meaning “trunk of a tree, trunk of the body.”

Stripping away the covering and glue, Connie Upson of Connie’s Trunks in Naples, Maine, never knows what she may discover on the outside and inside of an antique trunk. Sometimes it’s the grain of the wood or knots that fascinate her. Other times, there might be a label or some other clue about the manufacturer. Always, there’s the wonder of whom did the trunk originally belong to and what voyages did it take?

For years, Connie had worked as a national sales manager at a footwear company, but before that she refinished oak furniture so when she began restoring trunks as a hobby,

she had an inkling about how to go about it. After taking early retirement, her hobby became a full-time business. “I do restoration,” says Connie as we sit on her deck overlooking the shores of Sebago, “but I also give the trunks a new life. It’s a new identity.”

While it’s easy to want to call all of the antique trunks Connie refurbishes “Steamer Trunks,” many do not actually fit that description. To be stowed under the berth on a steamship, companies imposed a restriction that the trunk be no more than 14” high, but lengths varied. Another fallacy she learned along the way is that many people believe because their great grandparents immigrated from Europe, their trunk must have been manufactured there. The reality is that most trunks were American-made between 1860 and 1920 and then shipped to Europe, only to find their way back when the ancestors crossed the high seas.

At the beginning, the trunks were plain in style and all hardware hand forged. After the Civil War, trunks were manufactured and took on more sophisticated appearanc-

es. Wealthier travelers tended to have dometopped trunks, while others had flat topped. The average size was 32 - 34 inches because people needed to be able to pack their clothing and belongings before traveling via ship, wagon, or train. Today, a dome-topped version typically finds its way to the foot of a bed while the flat-topped trunks become display surfaces for a variety of objects. Due to the helter skelter way any luggage is handled, the trunks Connie acquires have seen a lot of wear and tear and most have collected dust and a musty aroma from their hideaways in attics or basements. The first thing she does when she finds one, is hose

it down with a cleaning agent to get rid of the bugs and dirt. After the trunk has dried, the real work begins.

With a sharp utility knife, she cuts and scrapes away the outer covering. “Every trunk, when I first take the canvas off, it’s like, wow, look at this,” says Connie about her astonishment at what she might find underneath. “You can have two identical trunks sitting side by side, but they differ because of the characteristics of the wood. They’re built by the same company, but when refinished they are different.”

Then there is the glue to wet and scrape off. Sanding follows. The revealed wood,

usually pine with oak slats, is sanded again and again because often there are dings. Sometimes repairs must be made.

If the covering includes a sheet of metal embossed with a design, she removes any dirt, rust, and paint.

Once satisfied with the result, Connie applies a coat of tung oil and stain mixture or polyurethane to achieve a furniture-like finish. The final step is more sanding, waxing and buffing. Any strapping must be cleaned or replaced and she uses a sand sponge and wire-wheel drill attachment to work on the hardware.

Sometimes she needs replacement leather straps or handles, or a certain key to fit the lock. For that she turns to her long-time mentor, Churchill Barton, owner of Brettuns Village in Lewiston. Connie is quick to credit Churchill with encouraging her to create a website and for the past ten years that has been her sales point. That said, she continues to seek guidance from Churchill as needed. “He’s a wealth of knowledge,” says Connie.

The entire process takes at least a week, with some drying time thrown into the mix. To date, Connie has refurbished over 600 trunks, completing about fifty each year.

The repetitive work has taken a toll, but still she does it. “I’m doing something I love,” Connie says. “I never thought I’d be as busy as I am.”

Locating trunks is a creative pursuit that comes easily to Connie and because she’s refurbished so many over the years, she knows what characteristics draw people. She also knows which ones to walk away from, especially if they are in horrible shape or have lost their stability.

And it seems Connie gets as much joy out of pleasing people as she does in completing the work. “Every trunk is my baby,” says Connie. “I take pride in what I do, and I love the end result. I treat each trunk as if it’s going into my home, But, there’s not enough room so I actually only have one that I’ve kept.” Some of her customers have ordered several trunks from her and others have asked her to refurbish those they’ve had in the family for several generations. “I love how people respond. It’s a new treasure, whether it’s new to them or an heirloom they wanted to save.”

Before suitcases . . . there were trunks and as her license plate states, Connie is a trunk nut who has made it her mission to save them for others to enjoy. R FMI: To restore or sell a trunk contact Connie via her website: conniestrunks.com.