Good evening vacuum collectors, vacuum enthusiasts, and those who simply like to keep a clean house! 

I've been going to the Flea-Market weekly now, one week i scored, the other week i went into heart-ache and also semi-scored!

Let's start with last week......

IT WAS A DAY LIKE ANY-OTHER DAY,

There I was, A citizen, a vacuum enthusiast, and a preserver of technology long-forgotten. A citizen on his way to the Flea-Market, the site of many of his greatest finds. only this Flea-Market had been bare for many a month. Plasti-Vacs and miscellaneous goods filled the long-standing (Except one of the rows that burned down a year or two ago and had to be rebuilt!) Flea-Market. I made my way into the Flea-Market, taking caution to observe the dumpster in case of vintage goodies that weren't even fit to be sold at the Flea-Market. finding nothing of interest, i made my way toward the inviting opening. I stop to by an ice-cream (Florida heat, isn't it great?), $1 later it was in my hand. I walk away from the service window.....and freeze. I stood in shock, utter shock, the kind that makes you stop and check if you're really seeing what you think you see. sure enough, my vision was as clear as Crystal Pepsi (But not the unbelievably expired kind, or especially the regurgitated kind). Standing before me was an antique, a relic, a first, and a infamous icon. Standing before me was a carpet-sweeper, made of wood and metal, in vintage brown, and perfect-ish paint. Standing before me, Was a Bissell's Grand-Rapids Sweeper. I said to myself, "Wooooooooooooooah, that wasn't expected"....

I walk over to it, and examine it. beautiful shape for being over 110 years old or so. I ask the cologne salesman, "Is this with your booth?".

Wrong guy!

The guy selling the sweeper was young, he must have bought it somewhere, but not for much. Maybe he buys storage-units, like on T.V? anyhow, i waited for him to finish with a customer. while i waited i keep looking over the sweeper with a watchful eye.....it will be mine! muhahahahaha!  

Finally, the man finishes. 

Our conversation went something like this:

"Is this with your booth?"

"Yes."

"How much are you looking to get for this sweeper?"

"$15."

"hmmm, could you do $8?"

"I don't know, that's kinda low (Something like that)."

"(Before he says a price) O.K, $8.75."

I walked off with a 110+ year-old sweeper for $8.75! he softly laughed at the price and agreed. I carried it with me throughout the Flea-Market, stopping once to show it to a friend who sales there, stopping another time to buy a refreshing (And not 21-years-old) Coke, then stopping once more to browse the 45s section of the Record Shop. On my way out, i gave a Dyson DC24 (Whatever that short thingy is) a dirty look.....Didn't see a price and didn't want to drag it home (Or roll it home....or off a cliff ...only kidding! VacuumLand would go into War-World MMCMVIV§◘•◘○○VI if i did that!).

So without further adieu (I think i used that right, Never learned French), here it is!

P.S-For them city-folk reading this, that background be what we southerners call a LAKE. I don't be done did sure if you got 'em up there, with your connn-creete and sky-scrrappers...lol I'm not that southern! )

For best results, View Full-Sized. Ask your Apple or Windows support if your computer can handle the vintage-ness and Floridian-ness of this picture.

Oh, and stick around for the part about the Heart-Ache, that's next! 

This view is closer. you can tell. The second photo is of the underside, wish I knew what that sticker once said! 

Oh, and don't forget the ROPE bumper, and you think it's bad when a Convertible's bumper doesn't wrap-around the base....I'm sure they're more available than this one! no damage in it's 110 year-life so far! 

Today I went to the Flea-Market. My vacuum-sense started tingling, "Alex, why not go left this time instead of forward?". Nah, Silly vacuum-sense! I went forward. after walking one row, i moved onto the other. i got half-way down when i froze. i froze in terror. i froze in delight. There was a 1970s EUREKA upright, perfect paint and bag, teardrop, 2-setting height adjuster. it had that wonderful EUREKA lens. It was groovy burnt-orange and white. What could possibly turn this to heartache? The vacuum was being throw around, by a toddler. I froze and watched in agony, only stepping closer, with my hand on my hip, 007 style, only with less stealth, once they were moving. the kid was throwing the vacuum by the handle to the point it was doing doughnuts on those flawless wheels. they skipped over to the 1st row of the Flea-Market....The kid was DRAGGING the perfect vacuum on the LOWEST SETTING POSSIBLE...on CONCRETE! I could hear it scream, "Get this kid away from me, Take me home, Alex!!!!!". I ran over to the start of the row, and waited.....then came the suspects. 

"Hey, is this your vacuum?"

"Yes."

"Would you be willing to sell it?"

"We just bought it."

"O.K, sure you wouldn't sell it?"

"We just bought it."

so then went the Eureka, screaming in agony as it's flawless bottom-plate became one with the floor. I wish I would've thought to bend-down and adjust the thing to SHAG, and save the Eureka some pain. If i caught the guy off-guard, I might have even tried to slip it an Aspirin. poor thing, The last I saw of it, it was being pulled backwards by the toddler, How could they think that grinding sound from the vacuum and the concrete be normal? I wish I would've ran into them again, Maybe then they'd realize i was some crazy teenager who desperately wanted their vacuum to live a happier life, with plenty of other vacuums to keep it company. Maybe if i had gone left, there would have time to save it. But maybe it wasn't meant to be, maybe it wasn't Eureka-Sense, but rather HOOVER-Sense, for directly left from where the tingle started, on the other side of the Flea-Market, stood a lonely Hoover Elite 400 behind a Bissell PowerForce Bagless. i approached with my Coke in hand, and began conversing. the bag-tension spring has either broken or come loose, because the plastic strap had PLENTY of slack in it. Perhaps it was the giant bulge in the bag, but was I really about to feel-down a vacuum-bag in front of a saleslady? 

"What happened to the bag?"

"It's supposed to be that way."

It is? I guess all my Elites are broken she was a nice lady, but still didn't know HOOVER like I do! 

We started chatting about it. it ran smoothly and quiet, a plus. missing the height knob as usual.

"Out of curiosity, how much is the Hoover selling for?"

"$25."

"I wouldn't be interested at that price, but thank you!"

"Well what do you think is a good price?"

(She stopped me as i was turning to leave)

"In the shape it's in, that bad-spot on the cord, missing knob, broken spring, I'd say $10-$15. Is it loud when running?"

Surely wasn't, it was the most quiet Elite I've ever seen. 

"Runs smooth, It must have a 12-Blade fan. Will you be here next week?"

"Yes, I will."

"Well, I'll stop by next week then!"

"It'll likely still be here, we've been slow with the heat lately."

"O.K, Thank you!"

So next week I might have something to do a rebuild thread on! We'll have to wait and see! 

This is the best match i could find of the Eureka, only the base and headlamp were burnt orange, and the headlamp has no lens in it, only slots. the hood and bag was white, with the bag having the classic Eureka-Willams tags, especially the "Use only Genuine EUREKA F&G bags!" sticker! It's the same bag as in the picture! any ideas for a model number, any pictures? 

The headlight was also different.

could you got it any cheaper? Alex, that was one sweet deal! I like the ice cream thing you brought up...which reminds me of some of my misadventures I've enjoyed at the local FleeeeaMarket. The one we have here in Mobile looks like some sort of scene from the Dawn of The Dead, with the food court all a bustle with staggering zombies all licking their vanilla ice-creams, slowly turning them into a sickly brown nicotine swirls, all snarling with their receding, bleeding, red gums...Ahhh, the cherished memories, it's almost like I'm there again...I can still small the sweet smell of backup sewage and watching the wee ones playing their water sports! Thank you Alex, the repressed memories are all fresh again and my pain is revisited!    

lol Calem, Maybe I should save that Aspirin for you! 

Make it a whole bottle, Alex,  I'll just crush them up and snort'em...I need'em! 

Just don't use the Handi-Butler while, um, 'experiencing' your entire bottle of Aspirin, I'm not even sure I should leave you in the same room as a Kirby! 

Say what! not in the same room with a Kirby. That's like saying never breath again. That's cold, that's cold man. You got ice water in your veins.

Calem, I'm surprised I still have veins at this point. Don't worry, I'm doing this for the good of the Kirby! It can come visit my Kirbys while that Aspirin gets out of your system. The last thing we want is all that Aspirin making you think that Kirby next to you.....is a DYSON! 

Calem, I'm surprised I still have veins at this point. Don't worry, I'm doing this for the good of the Kirby! It can come visit my Kirbys while that Aspirin gets out of your system. The last thing we want is all that Aspirin making you think that Kirby next to you.....is a DYSON! 

Calem, I'm surprised I still have veins at this point. Don't worry, I'm doing this for the good of the Kirby! It can come visit my Kirbys while that Aspirin gets out of your system. The last thing we want is all that Aspirin making you think that Kirby next to you.....is a DYSON! 

Calem, I'm surprised I still have veins at this point. Don't worry, I'm doing this for the good of the Kirby! It can come visit my Kirbys while that Aspirin gets out of your system. The last thing we want is all that Aspirin making you think that Kirby next to you.....is a DYSON! 

Calem, I'm surprised I still have veins at this point. Don't worry, I'm doing this for the good of the Kirby! It can come visit my Kirbys while that Aspirin gets out of your system. The last thing we want is all that Aspirin making you think that Kirby next to you.....is a DYSON! 

Calem, I'm surprised I still have veins at this point. Don't worry, I'm doing this for the good of the Kirby! It can come visit my Kirbys while that Aspirin gets out of your system. The last thing we want is all that Aspirin making you think that Kirby next to you.....is a DYSON! 

John, sure you can call me Alex! I am a hoot in English class, the students (and the teacher!) FLIPPED when I brought in homework, fresh from my Smith-Corona Electra 110 typewriter! 

Charles,I never saw your post! That's similar to the one I saw. The Eureka-that-could've-been had a teardrop-shaped, 2-Setting height adjuster, Low and Shag. It was a burnt Orange on base and headlight trim. The headlight had no lens in it, rather a vertical plastic grill every inch or so, it was COOL! I'm pretty sure the hood was a brighter shade of white. I don't believe the handle had a grip on it. Thanks, Charles!

Well Alex, if you have to play babysitter to them, you must remember to give each one a glass of Ovaltine and read them a bedtime story...Nothing scary, and please, leave a night light on for them and keep the door cracked and make no loud sounds and check underneath their beds before you leave the room. This is just the short list, I'll be sending you the full five hundred page list soon...I believe it's time to Hot Seat your printer!

Alex, if you take care of The Kirby's...They will take care of you..."Oh, what a wonderful world!"   

P.S. Don't ever use Kirby and...That...That DY...DY...DYSOOOOON!!!! EVER AGAIN!!!!! or I'll DIE...DIE...DIESOOOOON right on this very spot! 

I'll be sure to take good care of them! Each one will see a trip around the house, under the beds, and above the floors! There's Ovaltine in the fridge, the night-light is on, and I have the model C's manual to read to them tonight. They'll want to stay the whole week! 

Why Alex, the model C manual is their most favorite, favorite night-night story of all time. They just love hearing their grandfather's adventures...slaying the Evil Dyson Crimson Dragon. Freeing the Kirby realm of its vile scourge. It was a Golden Age when truth, justice and quality reigned supreme!   It is an adventure which continues to this very day, until the last Dyson abomination is slain. Pray that this good day comes swiftly as upon the wings of a mighty eagle, and carries its crushed, soulless, plastic shell to the trash-heap of its utter despair...where its unholy name becomes a forever byword!

Oh, the world of peace, justice, and TAIL-FINS! 

I think, maybe,  just one of the many, many reasons why people are so infatuated with The Kirby is because it reminds them of the nostalgic chrome of the 50's....of an earlier perfection which has not been rivaled since. How can you match the matchless...can it be done...I think not!