A Vintage Store Owner Brings “Every Era All Together” in a Midcentury Long Beach Home
Who doesn’t love a second chance?
Partner Story
House hunting, like vintage shopping, is oftentimes as frustratingly simple as being in the right place at the right time.
For Michelle and Karim Qazi, that meant spotting their Long Beach, California, house online in 2021 on the first day it was listed.
"My heart was beating so fast and I was like, ‘This is it.’ I knew right away," says Michelle.
Their midcentury home was originally built in 1957 by architect William Lockett as his own personal residence: It’s a 2,110-square-foot property that’s open and light-filled, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a pool out back. Karim and Michelle’s 12-year-old son, Hamilton, and 9-year-old son, Davis, also reside in the home alongside their pandemic puppy, Chewy.
The 2,110-square-foot home was originally built in 1957 by William Lockett as his personal residence. Michelle and Karim Qazi bought it in 2021, and also own a Cliff May rancho nearby since 2007 that they are currently renting out.
Photo by Dwell Creative Services
"The whole indoor/outdoor living was something we knew we had to have," says Michelle.
"I definitely love the aesthetic, the fact that it's not cookie-cutter, and that there's character," says Karim. "And would the house look like this without Michelle? Probably not."
"One of my favorite things about the house is when I'm in the kitchen making food, I can see straight out into the pool," says Michelle of the home's open floor plan.
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Michelle has a discriminating eye for second acts: her brick-and-mortar vintage furniture store, 6th and Detroit, caters to the art of the find. She got her start perusing estate sales with her then-infant son, Hamilton, in tow in a Babybjorn. She eventually was collecting so much, "our home was becoming almost hoarder status," she says. "I was like, ‘how about I sell some of this and share the treasures?’"
Michelle started her brand—which is named after the intersection of her first Los Angeles apartment—as an Etsy shop.
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Eventually, she turned her hobby into an Etsy shop in 2015, which gained enough of an enthusiastic following that she turned it into an actual storefront—6th and Detroit—in Long Beach in 2016.
6th and Detroit is located in the East Village Arts District of Long Beach.
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Michelle describes her aesthetic as consistently inconsistent, an "every-era-all-together" vibe.
Her finds are highlighted throughout their Long Beach house, including an oversized brown velvet sofa, a rattan palm tree light (complete with coconuts), and a 1970s graphic dresser.
One of Michelle's favorite finds is a brown velvet sofa that she spotted in a thrift shop's parking lot. (The couch is one big piece. "It's a process moving that thing," says Michelle, "but I adore it.")
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Michelle is a self-taught designer, and started designing other people's homes about a year ago when customers starting asking for tips on vintage pieces. "The process takes longer though because I'm not just doing one big order on a website," says Michelle. "It takes a lot of patience for both parties, but in the end, it's such an amazing turnout."
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"I'm drawn to the curved edges a lot because the home has so many straight lines in the structure of it," says Michelle. "I just wanted to really just soften that up with having curves in the furniture and the decor and the finishes."
Despite Michelle’s love of second acts, some home items aren’t quite built for upcycling: mattresses being one of them.
"Vintage doesn't work so much with a mattress," jokes Karim.
Avocado organic mattresses are handcrafted in California with nontoxic and organic materials. "Especially with kids, you never know what they're allergic to or what might irritate their skin. Having that peace of mind I think is pretty cool," says Karim.
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ShopMichelle found the wicker alligator that now hangs on son Davis's wall at a flea market in Long Beach. "We weren't looking for anything in particular and just walking around. I saw it from afar and I beelined for it," she says. "His name is Joe. Davis named him. It's really cute."
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The couple decided to buy Avocado Green mattresses for their home because they’re handcrafted closeby in California with environmentally conscious and sustainable business practices.
"I love buying vintage because it's one less sofa in the landfill. It's one less chair just being tossed," she says. "I think Avocado ties in with 6th and Detroit brand because I think we both have this mission to do better for Mother Earth and to do what we can."
Learn more at avocadogreenmattress.com.
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