Betsey's Bar, Austin, Texas

via.

Before I even knew what steampunk was, I had fallen in love with the "vibe" at a bar in downtown Austin called Betsey's Bar. A bit old west, a bit circus, a bit Victorian, a bit flea market, with vintage Pac-Man tabletop games thrown in for good measure, it was exactly the vibe I wanted for my bedroom.

At the time (2007), the only picture I could find was this teeny-tiny one of the bar area on CitySearch:

But more recently I ran across some band pictures (the band is Texas Renegade) taken at the bar. They do a much better job showing off the space.



What do you think? I'm not sure I'd call it steampunk, but it's been around for 5+ years, which makes it an early incarnation of the style. The fact that it's lasted that long in Austin also tells me it resonates with a lot of people as a comfortable place to hang out.

Five Leaves

Loved this restaurant design -- It's a place called Five Leaves in Brooklyn, New York.

Pipes as Shelf Supports

I found this great shelf over at Apartment Therapy. The rest of the space is too modern to be steampunk, but I thought the pipes as shelf supports were a clever idea. There's also a modular shelving unit made out of piping and wood shelves.

Announcements, Giveaways, and Finds

Art Donovan is giving away this lovely Astronomer's Lamp. To be eligible to win it, "like" his fan page on Facebook. Drawing is March 19th.

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If you live in or near San Diego, you *must* check out Ingred Chamberlin's "San Diego Scavenger" tumblr blog. It's an awesome riff in Apartment Therapy's Scavenger posts (for their target cities) where she culls the treasures of Craig's List into one compact place for you to discover and shop from. (Will someone do this for Austin? Please?) Ingred and her husband chronicle their steampunk lifestyle, including an extreme renovation project, at Greyshade Estate.

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We've won a Gold Retrevo Award in the category of gadget mods. Cool.

Back Home To The Future Show this weekend

If you are in the Philadelphia area, you should definitely check out ModVic's (remember their home?) "Back Home to the Future" Expo this weekend. Bruce and Melanie will be exhibiting their kitchen (!!!) and there are workshops to attend and exhibitors to shop with.