Every House Had One — The Thrift Store Gem You Need To Find For Messy Entryways

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As daily habits change over time, so do the items those habits relied on. Traditional handwritten letters have taken a back seat to text, email, and video calls as society's primary communication methods in recent decades, and objects related to writing and storing letters have started to disappear from many households. However, some of these items can still serve important purposes in modern homes.

Take the simple letter holder. While you may not find yourself writing letters to friends and family members as many people did in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, a letter holder can still be useful for organizing other types of physical mail such as bills, flyers, menus, and postcards. This item can be particularly useful in an entryway, where loose papers and pieces of mail can often end up strewn across a console table, bench, or even the floor. 

So, if you're looking for stylish ways to keep your entryway clean and organized, you might just want to keep an eye out for an antique brass letter holder the next time you visit a thrift store. However, don't just grab the first one you see. Letter holders have been made in a variety of different styles over the years to suit different situations and style preferences. As such, it's worth exploring some of those styles to figure out which kind would be the most practical and visually appealing in your own entryway. 

Antique and vintage letter holders can be found in a variety of different places, from physical locations such as thrift stores and antique shops to online sites that specialize in finding and selling treasures from the past. Looking online is a particularly helpful way to find a letter holder that best suits your entryway's needs because the search function lets you narrow down items based on what you are looking for. 

For example, if you have lots of different types of papers that tend to pile up in your entryway — such as sticky notes, postcards, restaurant menus, or to-do lists — searching for a letter holder with lots of separate slots can help you organize those papers into different groups.

On the other hand, if your entryway is limited on space, you can search specifically for wall-mounted options instead. These let you collect those loose papers that can end up strewn around the place, without the need for a console table that will eat into the floor space of a small entryway. Remember, the structure of the item is typically the most important aspect when looking at secondhand or vintage pieces. If it is the right size and shape, then many other smaller details like color can typically be adjusted with paint or stain to get the piece looking exactly how you want it. On that note, let's explore some ways to style a thrifted or secondhand letter holder so that it looks good while making your entryway more functional.

The first thing you may want to consider when you do bring home your chosen vintage or antique letter holder is what it is made of. Many older antique letter holders and sorters are made of brass. This metal is great for adding some shine and a sense of elegance to your home, but it can sometimes feel a little out of place if it is the only brass piece in the whole space. Try adding a few different brass accents nearby to make it fit in better, such as brass hardware on a side table or a brass-style picture frame on a wall.

Over the decades, vintage brass items can often become dull-looking or dirty, particularly if they have been kept in someone's attic or left to gather dust on a thrift store shelf. But if you find a charming brass letter holder with beautiful details that would look great in your space, don't feel daunted if it is particularly dirty or grimy. 

Old brass can often be relatively straightforward to clean using a few simple household items. If the letter holder isn't tarnished, then it's likely lacquered and will only need a gentle clean with some soap and water to remove the layers of dust and grime. If it is tarnished, then you can cover it with some ketchup, leave it on for about an hour, then wash it off with soap and water. The acid in the ketchup should help to remove the tarnish, making sure your brass letter holder is ready for styling and practical use in your entryway. For more advice on how to improve the first space that people see in your home, check out our tips on how to keep your entryway decluttered.