Kaleidoscope Leaving, Modern Line Staying

Seminole Heights' reputation as a good independent business zone may be growing, but the lure of another far more developed one has proven to be too tempting for Karen Brown. 

And so the co-owner of is moving her portion of the business, along with its name, out of the store at 6415 N Florida Ave. and into a new space on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg.

Staying behind in the Florida Avenue storefront is Kaleidoscope co-founder David Call, who will turn the business into A Modern Line, beginning Feb. 1. The changes won't be drastic, said Call. There'll be new signage, and the stock of antique furniture and home decor will shift from the store's current blend of mid-century modern, designer, and contemporary styles to "95 percent mid-century modern," said Call. "It's my favorite thing."

The change will allow Call to stretch out his mid-cent selection, and include examples of sub-genres like Danish modern, atomic age, and the yellow birch Heywood-Wakefield manufactured furniture that Call favors for its "clean, modern lines."

In addition to selling, Call likes to restore furniture. Taking over the entire store will allow him to convert a small section of it into a workshop, which pleases his wife, Sherry King, owner of . "Up 'til now," she said, "(the workshop) has been our garage, our living room."

Call's passion for furniture restoration has given him a back-end perspective. "With the advent of offshoring businesses in the '80s and late '70s," he said, "the quality has just gone to hell in furniture. That's why I never understood why people would go out and buy new furniture, when they can buy a used a piece of furniture that's been renovated and will last 10 times as long.”

As for mid-cent's growing popularity in the vintage industry, Call said, "There's quite a few reasons. The clean lines. The size of the furniture is well-suited to smaller spaces like studio apartments and bungalows. A lot of contemporary furniture is oversized. Also the quality was a lot better then. And people just like the retro look."

The bustling synergy of downtown St. Petersburg, spurred largely by its Grand Central District, is what lured Brown from Seminole Heights. "I think that there's a really good vibe in downtown St. Petersburg. There's a lot going on up and down Central (Avenue). There's a lot of little shops that are conducive to this kind of business."

Brown said she the new Kaleidoscope for the Home will perhaps open in early February. She declined to give the new address until the she can get the store set up. Check her website kaleidoscopeforthehome.com for updates.

Call said amodernline.com should be up in a few weeks. In the meantime, check his A Modern Line blog spot, or call him at 813-416-6835.

Business hours for the current Kaleidoscope are Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment. When A Modern Line opens Feb. 1, hours will be Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment.