I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage

Now that we have a bigger place, Mr. Grumpbump and I have different ideas about how we should furnish the house.  Mr. Grumpbump wants a pool table and I've agreed to it, on the condition it has a table pad to convert it to a dining table (in my defense, he wants to put it in the dining room).  My wish was for a china cabinet.   I inherited a set of wedding china and I have really want to display it appropriately.

In pursuit of our individual goals, Mr. Grumpbump and I have been searching  the for-sale ads on craigslist.  We have a disadvantage because we don't have a truck and most people selling on craigslist don't deliver.  The other consideration for both of us is the cost; we don't really have a ton of extra cash.  

However, I found a little treasure for sale a few days ago and now it sits in my garage!  I paid $60 for it.  It's small (3' wide x 5' tall x 14" deep) but it has grooved shelving for plates.  It has a scroll work on the top (we had to remove it to get it to fit in my car) and the glass in the front door has no cracks or chips. 

My new cabinet!

My measurements were not exact and I was worried that it would not fit in my car.  Because we don't have access to a truck, it was very important that we be able to get this thing home safely.  Lucky for us, my car is awesome and with a bit of maneuvering, this cabinet fit in the back and the hatch actually closed securely.

Without scrollwork at top

The lady selling it called it "vintage", which means that it has cobwebs and the wood is beat up in some places.  There are a few places where the wood has bowed, but I'm counting on my handyman to help me get it in working shape.

I need some advice on what to do about the exterior.  Should I just clean it?  Or should I take a leap and try to stain it?

Storage space

See Mr. Grumpbump's hand in the corner holding the scrollwork?

Delilah rubbed herself all over this thing when we brought it home.  She has to make sure everyone knows that it is in her house and therefore, by manifest destiny, it falls under her domain.  The house I bought it from had a really cute cat, so I'm sure she was also erasing the scent of the other cat.