Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Memorial Day Weekend at the Olde Depot Junktion

I spent the Memorial Day weekend in Brainerd, Minnesota set up at the Northern Pacific Shops as part of the Olde Depot Junktion show.  (My space was rented to Hogs and Roses).  The weather was beautiful, which may have adversely impacted sales.  I stayed at my house and made the 90 mile trip each day.

I started early last week filling the trailers and truck with junk for the show.  I filled my open trailer, my enclosed trailer and the trailer that I borrowed from my neighbor.  I made two round trips on Thursday with the open trailers and decided that there was no room for the better stuff in my enclosed trailer.

The truck bed is almost loaded for the first trip north.

 My space was moved this year and was now immediately inside the entrance.

 The Nutting Truck Co. warehouse cart sold on Saturday.  The turtle shells in the buckets did not.

 The 1950's TAXI light is one of my favorite pieces.


 I had the highest space in the place with chairs in the windows.

 The cast iron book press and the cast iron meat grinder are some of my "heavies".

 I especially like the moose antlers above the bar.


 Two jack stand lamps that I put together just before the show.

 The prop on the ladder bridge above the signs was pretty special.

 Another industrial light that I assembled.


 Lions and gears and grills - oh my!




Everything was packed high and tight for the trip home

The show had three times as many dealers this year over last so the competition was stiff.  There are a lot of talented people out there.  And the weather was fabulous.  It was the first summer like weekend of the season.  I am sure that many denizens of the Brainerd area decided to take their first boat outting over going to a show inside in the city.  My sales were good on Saturday but slow on Sunday. Two of the boys that worked for the show stayed to help me load a trailer and one half's worth of stuff unto my trailer, they were greatly appreciated.  I had a good time and I will do the show again next year.

Mr. Flannery

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Victory in Europe

Sixty-nine years ago today the world celebrated the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies at Eisenhower's headquaters in France.

 Paris
 New York
RAF crew with V sign.

Mr. Flannery

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Are 15 Chairs Enough to Start a Sale?

So we went picking in Northern Minnesota yesterday.  It was a tough grind.  We found some stuff but it was a lot of sorting through piles and stacks to find nothing too special.  I was dirty, dusty, bloody and sore by the time we were finished.  We got chairs and truck parts and iron things of unknown origin.  Everything is saleable but nothing was special enough for me to want to keep it for my use.

We arrived at a farm with a dozen old out buildings.  The owner was amenable and told us that just about everything was for sale.  So we started walking his farmsted.

 The buildings were full of stuff.  All the tractor tires that we could ever want.

 There were precarious attics and piles on the piles.

 A row of buildings on the left was mirrored by a row on the right.

 The buildings have been there for a while.

 The junk in the rows had been overgrown by bush and trees.  The steel rims will be sold as fire rings.

 I really liked this green wheel, but detaching it from the defunct equipment was way beyond my capacities.

We were able to load 15 chairs, the hood from an Allis Chalmers tractor and iron bed and other assorted pieces into my truck for the trip home.

I have to unload the truck today.  All the chairs etc will be assembled on the driveway and powerwashed.  They will then be ready for the trip to Brainerd for the Olde Depot Junktion show on Memorial Day weekend.  I will have a bunch of "in the rough" junk to sell.

Mr. Flannery