A pair of friends loved a vintage mantel they found in a New York thrift store so much they decided to carry it home through the city on public transport.
Maddie Morris and Eve Matheson are more like sisters than best friends, having lived in the same Upper West Side building from birth before moving into the same building in the West Village as adults.
The besties, both 27, were in Chelsea to attend a show when they decided to kill some time waiting for a friend by visiting a thrift store across the street.
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There, Eve came across a stunning vintage mantel, which she and Maddie debated whether it would fit into either of their apartments.
Having not come to a solid conclusion, the friends decided to purchase the hand-carved mantel for $150 and figure out the rest later.
Eve and Maddie then carried the mantel out of the store before trying – and failing – to fit it into a yellow cab.
The duo were then forced to carry the mantel four avenues, three stops on the subway, and up six flights of stairs into Eve’s apartment.
Their friend Lexy was on-hand to help guide – and document – the friends’ navigation of New York.
Since getting the mantel home, Maddie and Eve rearranged Eve’s apartment to fit in the vintage piece.
Maddie joked that rearranging Eve’s apartment was the toughest part – along with her own acceptance that the mantel was more suited to Eve’s apartment than hers.
She added: “Barely anyone on the street or subway batted an eyelash: one of the many reasons to love New York.
“It looks so good in Eve’s living room.
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“She let me style it because I love playing around with interior design – it has so much lived-in, well-loved charm, which matches her style perfectly.
“I had a feeling people would get a kick out of it when I posted it, but I had no idea it would get so big.
“It’s fun to be able to hear people’s own stories of great thrifting finds.
“A lot of people were quoting an episode of Friends in the comments, which neither of us has ever watched.
“People want to know where we found it… I have first dibs on the mantel if Eve ever moves, so no one get any ideas.”
