This new series, Entrepreneurs After Hours, will highlight the quirky, cool and otherwise off-the-wall hobbies some of your favorite enterprising #StartupCincy leaders enjoy. Think yours qualifies? Let us know.
By day, Jeff Molski works at Proscan Imaging, an outpatient imaging provider.
By night, he runs Mid-Century Modern Rescue, a hobby-turned-side hustle that has Molski saving furniture from the 50's and 60's and giving it new life — all via a refurbishment outfit based in his garage.
He then leverages Facebook and Instagram — mostly Instagram — to sell the pieces he rehabs to buyers across the country.
"I finish items like I'm going to put them in my house," he said. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
This Cincinnati-based business didn't start with a national scope or a host of passionate buyers. It was born more of happenstance than anything, Molski said, describing the day he found an attractive mid-century leather chair at Goodwill.
"I'm trying to save these pieces of furniture from being destroyed or being thrown away."
He'd always been handy, he told me, and had a knack for fixing things up. He also knew that mid-century furniture was having a bit of a moment, as it was sleek and stylish and the new stuff was oftentimes expensive.
But here, in front of him, was a genuine article! It may have been more than 40 years old and the wood might have been "kind of funky and ruined," but Molski saw its potential.
"I find something at a reasonable price, and I sell it for a reasonable price," he added. "Somewhere, someone is going to appreciate it."
The happenstance that got Molski's restoration business started is also a hallmark of his current work and part of what makes it so charming: No one piece is ever the same, and it's rare that he's offering the same thing twice.
"[I find] random pieces that need love, things that might end up in a landfill," Molski said. "I'm trying to save these pieces of furniture from being destroyed or being thrown away."
As a result, Molski discovers furniture everywhere from thrift stores to garage and estate sales. His reputation as a mid-century restorer has grown to the point that individuals reach out to him, asking to take a look at pieces they've inherited or found in their attic.
"I'm never looking for anything," Molski said. Every project sort of finds him. In fact, he describes his work akin to that done on the show "American Pickers," except he feels like a rescuer instead of scourer.
He explained that potential he sees in these pieces is really sort of retroactive: the piece in its best and brightest state, as it was many years ago. While some folks like to repurpose his work — and have — that's not what he aims to do
"If something was built as a dresser, it'll be a dresser," he said.
The work he's done has resonated with people in the Queen City and beyond, especially thanks to Molski's social media presence. On Instagram alone, he has nearly an international base of 1,500 followers, including home improvement guru Bob Villa.
He said he sells about 80 percent of his wares thanks to the platform.
"It's been a vehicle I've found the most beneficial," Molski said. He added that it's a quick way to prove his legitimacy as an entrepreneur through his follower count, as well as an opportunity to highlight a history of quality work in one spot.
Many of those who have purchased from him are repeat customers, and some even ask Molski to notify them if he ever stumbles across a piece of furniture they've been dreaming of.
And it's this human connection that Molski really loves.
"I enjoy people. I enjoy meeting people and finding out what their story is," he said.
The pieces have a tale to tell, too, and along with his restoration work, Molski has taught himself a lot about the furniture and some of its most illustrious designers.
The side-hustle, which initially just fit the bill as a fun, easy hobby to pick up as his three kids started going to college, has grown into a passion that Molski plans to continue to foster.
"It's gotten busier and busier; the end goal? Obviously keep doing it," he said. There's hope for a brick-and-mortar store, with a showroom and a dedicated spot to restore the pieces he finds.
If his current work load is any indication, there'll be need for it. After all, as Molski said, "I serve a niche." And while he said he doesn't have anything against the furnishing giant, he added, "There’s not going to be people 50 years from now rebuilding Ikea furniture."
