There is no doubt that in a former life, Marty McGee was George Jetson (in a cartoon alternative universe that is). The guy lives and breathes anything that has to do with modernism, the space age, and planetary retro. Not only does he sell and collect mind-boggling items from the sci-fi realm, and the Atomic Age, he is also considered a mastermind aficionado of the era – he even published a book on the subject matter.
As if Marty’s zealousness for futurism wasn’t enough, he has now been recognized for his space age flair in Atomic Ranch magazine, which is available in print, and online.
“Summer 2021 issue of Atomic Ranch magazine (issue #70) devotes four pages to my office. The space is perched above and overlooking the warehouse part of our store, Funky Town Vintage in Buffalo, NY. This is the second story this publication has done on me and the topic in the past six months. Space Age design is finally beginning to receive the respect and attention it deserves!” – Martin McGee
As far as I know, Buffalo has never been featured in Atomic Ranch until Marty’s coverage… twice! That just goes to show how impressive the guy is when it comes to his knowledge of space age design, not to mention the vastness of his own personal collections. And to top it off, he was one of the instigators behind Nikola Tesla Park and the Tesla Coil Monument (the original scientific futurist).
Aptly, I consider McGee Buffalo’s very own Rocketman, which is even more apropos if you take into consideration that WNY is where the original “rocket belt” was invented by Bell Aerosystems. Come to think of it, a rocket belt would be a fine addition to Marty’s collection – if anyone could track one down, it would be this guy.
Summer 2021 issue of Atomic Ranch
Lead image by Peter Heuer