(serene music)
(birds chirping)
Mike: This is god's country, man.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: One of the most beautiful parts of america.
(phone ringing)
Mike: Dani d, what's up? What do you got, girl? What do you got?
Danielle: Jack. Jack's been buying historic properties
For most of his life.
Mike: I love him already!
Danielle: So this guy lives in saltsburg,
And really his end goal is to revitalize the downtown.
Mike: Very cool. Robbie: That's cool.
Danielle: Along the way... (chuckles)
...He's been buying all of these collections he loves.
Danielle: And he's just been stuffing them into these
Buildings until he can get to them.
Mike: That sounds familiar.
Danielle: Really? (laughs)
Robbie: Yeah.
Danielle: Now he's currently working
On a 100-year-old mill
Called altman's mill.
And you guys are gonna meet him there.
Robbie: Alright. Mike: Hit us with the directions.
Danielle: Sending them your way right now.
(upbeat music)
Mike: God, I like this town already, dude.
Robbie: Man, look at this river.
Mike: I know, it's like river runs through it, man.
Look at that, you can almost see the bottom
Of it right there, look, you can see the bottom!
You can stand there now.
Robbie: You can probably stand there and see the fish in there.
Mike: All of these small towns feel so familiar
Because we've been there so many times in our mind.
We've romanticized about main street,
Small business, the shopkeepers,
The architecture.
I mean, take this town, for example.
It's calming, and it's just sweet.
Robbie: Look at the size of this building here.
Mike: That's where we're going. Robbie: Right here?
Mike: That's what the gps says. Yeah we're going right there. That's it.
Robbie: Holy toledo. Wow!
Mike: Dang! Grab a flyer.
Robbie: Look at that.
Mike: Hey-hey, you jack?
Jack: Hey. Yes, what's up, guys?
Mike: This is my brother, robbie, I'm mike.
Jack: My name is jack maguire.
I'm from saltsburg, pennsylvania.
Mike: This is awesome. What year was it built?
Jack: 1912.
Jack: I've lived in saltsburg all my life.
I was actually born in the town of saltsburg.
Mike: How're you doing, buddy? Good to see ya.
Jack: I just have passion for preservation
Of old historic buildings.
Mike: How long have you been doing this property?
Jack: Well, about 10 years. There's a group of us.
Mike: Okay.
Jack: And we've adopted this building,
Along with the one next door.
Mike: Oh, very cool. Oh, you're doing that one too.
Jack: Yes. Mike: Oh my god.
Jack: Come on in and... Look around.
Mike: Go ahead, robbie. Jack: Altman's mill
Was a vital part of the downtown commerce for many years.
Mike: Wow... Robbie: Wow!
Mike: Oh my gosh! There's all the line shafts.
Mike: You walk in,
The wood floors, the wood walls, the line shafts.
I can see why they want to preserve it.
Mike: So what is this, when they're talking about this,
Do you know, it says, "low grade, wheat,
3rd break, first break."
And when they're saying first break,
Are they talking about like when they're first grinding it?
Jack: Exactly. Each of those shafts
Has a belt in it with little paddles
That would elevate the grain to whatever floor...
Mike: Okay, to raise the product.
Jack: ...To wherever it had to be processed next.
Robbie: Whichever floor it needed to be on.
Jack: Right. Mike: This is pretty elaborate.
Robbie: The mill... It's all intact,
Like they closed the door in 1910 and left it.
Jack: This is just the first floor of a four-floor process.
Mike: Yeah. Jack: It's a huge operation.
And so, wanting to sell a few things
In order to move forward to our next project.
Mike: Oh that why you maybe want to sell a few things?
Just to put the money into this. Jack: Right.
Jack: My objective in selling some items
Is to finish the mill.
All of this outside siding, which is cedar,
It needs to be replaced.
It'll help preserve the building also.
Robbie: Dani said you had a few buildings in town?
Jack: Yes I have the tavern building,
Which is just up the street. I'd like to show it to you.
Mike: Yeah. Jack: I collect old buildings,
Because I value the quality of construction,
The craftsmanship, and also the history.
All the generations that enjoyed that building in the past.
Mike: There's so many small towns out there that have great bones.
But they need the great people behind the scenes.
Jack: This building was built in 1913 as a restaurant.
Mike: Oh wow. Jack: It's called martin's restaurant.
Jack: The first building that I purchased was martin's restaurant,
Downtown saltsburg. It's a beautiful structure.
It had been vacant for 10 years.
Mike: Oh man... Jack!
Robbie: Wow!
Jack: Yeah, this is all original.
Robbie: Look at the beadboard in here.
Jack: I would go to that building
When I was in junior and senior high school.
And really enjoyed the atmosphere
And the food that was served there.
Mike: So what was in here, all these years
That they never would have touched the interior?
Jack: The previous owner was very particular not to have anything destroyed or hurt...
Mike: Yeah, I mean, there's not even any holes in the beadboard or anything.
Jack: I promised her when I bought it, I would preserve the building.
Mike: Yeah. Jack: To her standard.
Mike: To be able to walk into one of your old haunts from junior high
And it hadn't changed at all, imagine how rooted that would feel.
Jack: My wife's here somewhere. Mike: Is she?
Jack: Yeah. Linda!
Linda: Yes.
Jack: Come on out here. Mike: Hey.
Linda: Hi. Mike: We're getting the tour.
Jack: Well, I'm truly blessed.
Linda and I have been married for 52 years.
When we were dating, it'd be a Saturday night,
And I'd call her on the phone and say,
"we're going to be shingling for another hour."
That happened a lot, so I knew she had
The temperament and patience
And loved me enough to put up with it.
Mike: Is this this place?
Jack: Yes. Linda: Yes.
Jack: That's the charlie martin, the previous owner.
Mike: Wow. Jack: And that was 1919.
Robbie: It hasn't changed... Any.
Mike: Yeah. Robbie: I mean, look at that.
Mike: Yeah, look at the counter. Jack: Yeah.
Robbie: Well anything, I mean, even--
There's your door right here. Mike: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Robbie: The wood.
Mike: Oh my gosh. That's so cool.
Mike: Places like this didn't happen by accident.
They didn't happen overnight.
It took like-minded people
That cared about the history of the property.
Mike: I've got like four old buildings I'm restoring right now.
Jack: We have a... Half a dozen.
(laughing) linda: Yeah. About half a dozen.
Mike: In this town? Jack: Yes.
Mike: Jack and I are cut from the same cloth.
Alright, well show us the way. Where do you want to look?
Mike: This building reminds me of a property that I restored
In le claire, iowa, like 20 years ago.
Mike: This reminds me of the green tree when I bought it, man.
Robbie: I remember.
Mike: There was just so much history in this building
That I wanted to preserve, it's...
Something that I'm really proud of.
And once you do something like this,
You want that feeling over and over again.
Mike: Alright, oh wow, that's cool. You got a separate entrance
On the exterior of the building.
Jack: Yeah. Robbie: It's easy to walk
Through downtown and have him tell me
That he owned this building and doing this over here on this building.
But it took him a lifetime of passion
To get all this done. And that's the guy
That you want in your community.
Robbie: Look at this.
Mike: Look at that. Oh that-- what is that, that stove?
Robbie: Right here. Mike: Oh yeah, I saw that.
Robbie: Jack, was this the name of the restaurant that was upstairs?
Jack: No, that's a brand name for candies.
But it was here. Robbie: Originally.
Jack: I would guess, it had to be the 1930s.
Robbie: Yeah. Well, even earlier than that.
Jack: Could be. Robbie: Yeah. Would have hung,
You know, basically up top like that.
Robbie: You know, one light bulb back in there.
Jack: Right.
Robbie: This piece hung off a light fixture.
Probably over the candy area.
You can tell that this place not only sold candy,
It sold ice cream, it sold soda.
Robbie: I've never heard of that brand.
This isn't etched in here, it's actually just painted on there.
Most of these in the early days were etched into the milk glass.
I want to say it's probably from the '20s.
Single-sided, which is kind of unusual.
Mike: It's really cool. Robbie: Yeah. 275.
Jack: Would you go 300?
Robbie: I'll do it, jack. Jack: Okay.
Mike: Alright, jack. I saw this poking out of the top of this box.
This is like a slag glass. Jack: Yeah.
Mike: Here's what I love too, that chain is so cool.
I mean, even the detail of the chain was so important to them.
Jack: The workmanship. Yes.
Mike: They reproduce a lot of stuff like this,
But it's the detail, it's the authenticity, you know?
Robbie: Are there panels in there, mike?
Mike: Yeah, there's part of one. There's one here.
Mike: You could nail a room,
Right colors, right furniture,
Right flooring.
But if you don't nail the lighting, where are you at?
Mike: So you've got some broken glass on this side.
Robbie: That's the only... Right here.
Mike: There's another one here. Robbie: That's just one piece.
Jack: That's right. Mike: Yeah.
Mike: Light, light sets the mood.
It sets the tone.
Mike: Uh...
Mike: Someone that's really into preservation,
They're not looking for a light at a big-box store.
Mike: 250.
Jack: How about 300?
Mike: Okay.
Mike: They're looking for a light
In a basement of a soda fountain.
Robbie: Look at this stuff.
Mike: What you got? You got 'em?
Robbie: I don't know if I can get them out of there... Ugh.
Mike: Got it. Okay. Robbie: Here.
Mike: One of them or two of them?
Robbie: There's two of them here.
Robbie: 45 cents grilled ham. This one's cracked.
Mike: There.
Mike: Look at that. The back of this, whoa...
Robbie: Whoa. Slides out. Yeah.
Mike: The whole thing's sliding. The back of the frame is metal.
The frame is metal, you know. Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: It's very heavy. Built to last.
Robbie: These two coca-cola menus, they're glass,
But you could pull the back of them and run any advertisement you wanted.
Whether it'd been a grilled cheese sandwich
To a hot dog to a root beer float.
Robbie: Early coke advertising,
Pretty much the daily special every day.
Robbie: Everybody wants to relive those times,
That they had the soda fountain, or they were at the soda fountain.
Robbie: I think...
3-and-a-quarter for the pair.
Robbie: It's a great decorator piece,
It can be used in an existing soda fountain
That's still going active today.
Jack: I think that's fair.
Robbie: That fair? Alright. Appreciate it. Thanks, jack.
Mike: Alright. So, we're in coca-cola land over here.
Robbie: I know. Mike: This one is really cool.
Jack: Yeah, yes. Mike: This is all stenciled
And wood, you know, it's very deco.
1930s, looks like.
Robbie: It's got a marking on it. K displays out of...
New york.
Mike: So something like this,
I think the retail on this is close to $800.
Jack: Would you do 500?
Mike: I would. Jack: Okay.
(laughing)
Mike: I would, my friend. Thank you.
(upbeat music)
Mike: Look at these, all these are still here.
Robbie: This place must've been just like
Pure coca-cola. Everywhere.
Jack: Seemed to be a lot of coca-cola.
Robbie: Early soda fountain type?
Jack: This building, which is built in 1913,
Has had a soda fountain ever since the beginning.
Robbie: Since the beginning, since 1913.
Jack: It was tradition at the time.
Mike: That's why there's so much of this down here.
Jack: That's right.
Jack: They served a lot of coke, so they have a lot of
Trade items that were probably given to them by coca-cola at the time.
Robbie: So, this piece here,
The frame is actually earlier than the advertising that's in it.
The frame is probably from the '30s.
The advertising that's in it is probably '60s.
There's another piece that's on the back.
Robbie: Coca-cola was notorious for advertising.
They produced millions of pieces.
Robbie: You could flip that piece out, you know, flip it around.
Robbie: These gold frames, the advertising slid inside that.
They would send a new advertising card out to you
On a monthly or six-month basis.
Robbie: What do you think, jack?
Jack: 450.
Robbie: There's three other pieces that are back here.
There's a coca-cola plastic, which... Unbelievable, it's not broken.
So that's another advertising board.
This is from the '60s.
You got a... Coca-cola light.
That's late '50s, early '60s.
Robbie: This light piece, it hung over your booth
To give you light on your table.
Robbie: And then you have an early coca-cola
"pay when served"
Which is missing the coca-cola bottle
That was in the middle of that.
Robbie: You got to remember, these guys started in the 1800s.
And they still are producing advertising.
Robbie: 750 for all of it.
Jack: I think that's fair. Robbie: Alright. Thank you.
Mike: Alright. I'll shake his hand.
Jack: Okay. Mike: Thanks, man.
Mike: It is an honor to dig through a property
With this much history.
This place has been here for so long,
That it has its own archive down in the basement.
Mike: You got one can over here that's interesting,
Just because it's got like,
It's got tom sawyer on it, or huck finn.
Mike: You can see the evolution of the business through this advertising.
Mike: Reading, pa.
Mike: There are so many people that collect apothecary,
General store, soda fountain,
Because there are so many different subject matters
Under each one of those categories.
Mike: Look at that kid.
Mike: Like this large tin
With the huck finn character on the front of it.
Mike: 100 bucks.
Jack: I'll take that. Mike: Okay.
Mike: This is a perfect example of just one product
That would have been sold upstairs in this building.
Robbie: Tiger chocolate drop.
Makers of zigzag and quality candy.
So some type of candy was shipped in this.
Jack: That's right.
Jack: I assume that the restaurant bought
A whole container full,
And kept the container and now it's an antique.
Robbie: $30. Jack: How about 50?
Robbie: People are always looking for advertising pieces
To decorate their kitchens,
To decorate their family rooms.
Robbie: Thanks, buddy. Jack: Okay.
Robbie: What are you finding back there, mike?
Mike: Look at this. Oh yeah...
Robbie: Huh. That's killer. Mike: The top's on it.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: Really cool.
And then there's this porcelain sign. Ugh...
Jack: There were a number of things that mike and rob
Pulled out that I hadn't seen for a few years.
Robbie: Can you get to it? Mike: Mm-hmm.
Jack: They have a good eye for those items.
Mike: Okay. Robbie: There.
Mike: Woo! So this ice cream clock,
This one right here, the last one I handed down.
This is called a pam clock.
And this one's actually in pretty good shape.
What happens usually is, somebody puts a really bright bulb in there,
And then it burns this advertising off, you know, over the years.
So nobody has done that, which is amazing!
Mike: It was an event to walk into a place like this,
You know, to go somewhere, get ice cream, sit down,
Get a sandwich. It was a big deal.
You were bombarded with all these different types of advertisement.
From a light, to a syrup dispenser,
To a candy sign. You know, it was everywhere.
Everything was designed to visually stimulate you,
And it was all done through art.
Mike: Cool subject matter. I'd do 200.
Jack: 225? Mike: I'm going to do that.
I'm going to do that.
Mike: Like this hires piece, you know.
There's a marquee on the front and the back,
It says "hires." it's chrome.
Mike: This obviously would have clamped on
That countertop back then.
This is porcelain.
Mike: The base of it is very deco.
It's a very small piece,
But it's something that grabbed your eye,
You know, it's really interesting.
Mike: It's amazing, it's got the top.
Jack: 300.
Mike: 275. Jack: Okay.
Mike: That's what's great about advertising.
Advertising is art with a mission.
Robbie: So you got this whitman's--
Mike: Why don't you buy the two together?
Robbie: Right, that's what I was gonna say.
Porcelain sign,
With the whitman's chocolate dispenser, basically.
And it just heated up the fudge.
So it would be really cool to keep these two pieces together.
Mike: They both add to each other. Robbie: Right.
Robbie: Whitman's chocolate is one of those companies
That has been around forever.
And we're not talking about just the turn-of-the-century.
We're talking about before the civil war.
Robbie: The sign itself is actually
In pretty damn good shape.
I mean, it'll clean up.
Look at the color come back on that thing.
All the grommets are intact here, all these...
These are actually brass grommets,
They're all there. It doesn't even look like the sign ever got hung up.
I mean, I'd call it a 9 condition.
900 for the pair.
Jack: I think it's fair. Robbie: Appreciate it.
Robbie: Green and white porcelain, it's dead mint.
And that's when you want to buy.
Jack: I have another property I'd love to show you.
I got more stuff for you to see.
Robbie: More than here? Jack: More than here.
(upbeat music)
Jack: This is the saltsburg academy.
Robbie: Academy.
Jack: Yeah, built in 1851.
This is before you had high school.
The privileged can send their kids to this school
For 10th through 12th grade.
Mike: Okay. Jack: I have to confess,
My first impulse in buying the building was mainly to save it.
It was being threatened to be torn down.
Mike: Oh wow...
So was this furniture in here or do you collect furniture?
Jack: No, this was... It was in my family.
Jack: Once I owned it, I ended up starting to put all my acquisitions...
(laughs) ...In the building to the point
Where there were many items that I had collected.
Robbie: So this is one of your 40-year-old catch-alls.
Jack: Yes it is.
Mike: Wow, you got a car in here!
Jack: Yeah. Mike: What the heck!
Jack: What do you think of that? Robbie: It's a freakin' car...
Right in the middle of the room! I mean, come on!
Mike: How long has this car been sitting in here?
Jack: 1971.
Jack: The 1957 chevy bel air 2-door hard-top
Was a vehicle I bought in 1967,
So it was 10 years old when I bought it,
Drove it to work until 1971.
At that point, we didn't really need the '57 chevy,
But I wasn't ready to part with it,
So I put it in mothballs and it was in mothballs
From 1971... Till today.
Robbie: This is a '57 no-post. Jack: Right.
Robbie: There's no window post in there.
You roll the windows down, it's wide open in there.
Everybody's looking for these.
Mike: There you go.
You spent some time wrenching on this, jack?
Jack: A little bit of time. Pretty simple motor.
Robbie: Oh yeah, simplest motor ever made by chevy, 350.
Mike: So this is original paint? Jack: That's right.
Mike: Wow... It looks like somebody did some bodywork
On this corner here. Did you do that?
Jack: Yeah, I did all the bodywork necessary
When I was 10 years old.
Mike: I love the fact that jack only painted
Little parts of the car that he worked on.
Mike: So you just got black paint wherever you...
Jack: Right. Mike: You did bodywork on it.
Mike: Everybody wants a survivor,
And that comes in a lot of different forms.
You know, for example, this one.
You know, it's got the black spots on the fender
With the red paint. So that's very cool, you know.
Mike: Definitely the original interior. God...
This thing's cool, jack. Jack: Yeah.
Mike: This is awesome, man. Let me see the floor on it.
(grunts)
Yeah, it's pretty rough.
Robbie: Yeah, right here, mike.
Mike: Look at that. There's a hole in the frame.
Robbie: Yep.
Robbie: It's got some rust issues,
And yeah it's going to take some doing
To get this thing back up on the road.
But usually they're rusted to hell,
And somebody has actually over-sprayed or painted them.
Robbie: Here, roll that down.
Mike: Let me get in here. Oh yeah!
You got the key on the seat.
Woo! So it's got 99,959 miles.
Jack: Worth less if it was over 100,000.
Robbie: Oh, if it would've rolled over.
That's it right there.
Mike: It's cool, man. Robbie: Yeah.
Putting on jack's sweater.
Mike: I'm getting the feel of it.
Mike: I look in the back seat...
It's like a sweater from high school or something.
Robbie: He's actually starting to look like you.
Mike: Alright.
Mike: Put it on and get out,
You know. I thought that'd shock him a little bit,
But he was just like... Jack: Ah, that's a cool sweater.
You got good taste.
Mike: Look at that!
Mike: It fits perfectly.
Jack: I'd throw this in with the car.
Mike: You're for sure selling the car?
Jack: Yeah.
Mike: And the car feels good, the car looks good.
Mike: Have you thought about what you want for it?
Jack: I mean, I have to think about it. I'm not sure.
Robbie: Alright. Mike: Let me look around a little bit.
Jack: Okay. Mike: Think about it, though.
Jack: Okay, I will. Mike: Alright.
Mike: Jack has used this building as a catch-all,
And the guy is a preservationist.
So that's why there's so many doors and windows and lights.
You know, when you find something that's really cool,
You find a really cool door, a screen door, or a sconce,
Or a chandelier, something.
You know, you hold on to it
Until you discover the right project for it.
Mike: What are you thinking on all three pieces?
Jack: $50. Mike: Okay.
Mike: You know, that is true passion.
Mike: Jack, what are these corbels off of?
Jack: Off the railroad station, downtown saltsburg.
That's how I got these was when the building was torn down,
These were salvaged.
Jack: I had tried to buy it from the railroad,
They wouldn't talk to me or anyone else about saving it.
But those two heavy supports,
I felt that we should save those from the wrecking ball.
Mike: So you saved them.
God, that's awesome, man. I love that. They're heavy too.
Mike: There was no way that I would attempt to move these on my own.
You know, so I kind of forgot about them. And I walked on.
Robbie: What about just opening that door down there, mike?
And pulling that stuff out that way?
Mike: What? Pulling all of this stuff out?
Oh my god, I don't know, bro. Robbie: You don't think we could?
Dude, we could do it.
Mike: Okay. I'm picking with sergeant rock-head,
We can do this!
Mike: Okay... (grunts)
Robbie: Got to take that beam out of there.
Mike: I think we're gonna try to get those corbels out.
Robbie: They're coming out, I got it to move.
Mike: Dang... Those are huge!
Robbie: Can you move that end this way?
Mike: Ugh... No, it ain't moving!
Robbie: Oh there we go, right there!
So jack, these were put back in here when you were a young man, huh?
Jack: Put those in there myself.
Mike: Alright, you put these in here by yourself.
Jack: That's right. (laughing)
Mike: We had to climb over...
Robbie: Hold on... (grunting)
Mike: ...Quite a bit of stuff to get those out of there,
You know, and they are not light.
Robbie: So hold on... Mike: Dang...
Don't hurt yourself, jack! (grunting)
Robbie: Hold on, I gotta get out.
Mike: Alright, here's one. Robbie: Here it comes.
Mike: Look out, you're getting around.
Mike: I'm surprised jack's still walking upright.
Robbie: Set her on down. Mike: Okay.
(grunting)
Mike: Damn, bro! Robbie: I told you, dude!
I told you we'd get them out of there.
Jack: I... I give them a lot of credit.
They had the gumption to say, we can do it,
And they did it. It wasn't easy,
It was very heavy, but they just... Persevered.
Mike: How much do you want for these things?
Jack: I was going to kid you to say, you know, I don't even know...
Robbie: I don't even know if I want to sell them.
(laughing) you got 'em out for me now!
Jack: Thanks.
(panting)
Well now, you see what they're like and...
You make me an offer. Mike: Yeah, they're cool, man.
500 bucks.
Jack: That's each?
(chuckles) mike: No.
Jack: Just kidding.
Mike: I mean, it's going to take a unique individual
To want to buy them.
Jack: I'll accept the offer.
Mike: Okay.
Mike: So, we're seriously interested in the car.
Jack: You make me an offer.
Mike: Well, let's look at it again.
Robbie: Are you seriously interested in selling it? Jack: I am.
Jack: I had to give a little thought to it.
I took a little recess. But... When it came right down to it,
Here's two guys are really ambitious and have the skills
To take that old chevy and bring it back to life.
Robbie: It's time for it to leave the cocoon.
Jack: It's time to find a new life for it.
Robbie: Um...
You know, I've done a million of these projects.
Mike: I wouldn't say you've done a million of them.
Robbie: I've done a lot. I can tell you, I've done a lot of these projects.
Whether you start with the engine, you go to the trannie,
You do the gas tank, the brakes, the tires,
Every single thing on it. I'm gonna put my best foot forward.
6,500.
'cause I'm thinking to myself, between 5 and 6,500
Just in trying to get the thing back up, mechanic-wise.
And that's us doing the work ourselves.
So you know, by the time we get it home,
There's 1,000 in there, that's 7.
You know, we're going to be closer to, you know like,
14-15,000 in it.
Jack: I listened closely to their logic
Of what work was going to be required
To bring it back to life.
Jack: I get your points, and... They're all valid.
Jack: I could see their reasoning, and I agreed with it.
Jack: If you guys would come up to 7,000...
I'll sell it to you.
Mike: It's a huge deal for him to get to the point
Where he wants to sell the car.
But he wants to contribute in a big way
To the mill that he's working on.
You know, so he's kind of trading one passion for another.
Robbie: We're going to do it.
Jack: Okay. Robbie: Alright.
Mike: Thank you, buddy. I appreciate it.
Jack: Glad it got a new home and...
Mike: I appreciate you trusting us with it, man,
Because I know you've had it for a long time.
Robbie: You're the one that made it survive.
Jack: That's a good feeling.
Robbie: Jack, I don't think we put a dent in...
(laughing) mike: A little bit.
Robbie: Yeah, a little bit, not too much.
Mike: With everything that's happened in the world
Over the last couple of years,
People are starting to simplify.
And they're starting to prioritize things differently.
And they're looking to small towns to live.
Robbie: Grab that, throw her in there.
Mike: There's a stronger sense of community,
And real estate is more affordable.
Mike: There you go. Thanks, buddy.
Jack: You're welcome. Mike: But it's not just about that,
It's also about the value and the quality of life.
Mike: Alright, we got it.
Mike: Guys like jack figured that out a long time ago.
Mike: Good luck with all your projects.
Jack: Well, thank you.
Mike: Jack is a perfect example
Of how one man's voice
And one man's work can inspire a whole community.
Mike: Appreciate you, buddy.
Jack: Both mike and rob have got the same philosophy
I have on preservation.
So I was so pleased to meet them.
Robbie: Thank you! Mike: Ar-ooh!
(honks horn)
Jack: I want to try to preserve the buildings
For other generations to enjoy
What I've enjoyed here for the last 80 years.
Robbie: Today, mike and I are heading to elmer's pedal car
And toy museum on the banks of the mississippi.
Mike: Look at this, this is it. Fountain city right here, baby.
A lot of memories up here, man.
Robbie: Yeah.
Robbie: Mike and I have visited there
So many times.
Mike: My blood is frozen. Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Right now it is...
Robbie: 28 degrees.
Mike: Right now it's 28 degrees out.
Welcome to springtime in... In wisconsin.
(laughing) robbie: In wisconsin.
Mike: My brother and I have been self-employed
For over 30 years.
But we are not self-made men.
Mike: I want to drive by the monarch, man.
How many times did you have lunch with elmer at the monarch?
Robbie: Well, it was his favorite place to eat.
Mike: Our mom, school teachers, coaches,
Guys like elmer, helped us along the way.
Robbie: I remember meeting elmer at... Iola.
Robbie: Iola was one of the biggest swap meets in the country.
Robbie: You know, him and bernadette would be sitting there.
He had eight or nine booths set up.
Everybody's gathering around his space, I was like,
Who's everybody talking to? And they're like,
That's elmer duellman. He was like the king.
Mike: He was always so gracious to everybody too.
Robbie: Oh yeah. Mike: When I met elmer,
I was in my early 20s,
And just trying to figure out how to make a living in this business.
Mike: Remember the golden frog down here?
Robbie: Oh yeah. Mike: How many nights
Did you ever spend at the golden frog?
Robbie: Oh, with elmer? (laughing)
Robbie: If we were picking in wisconsin or minnesota,
Mike and I would go out of our way to see elmer.
Robbie: Gives you the goose bumps right there.
Mike: It does, man, it really does.
Robbie: After a long life well-lived,
Elmer passed earlier this year.
(sighs) so today, we're back in fountain city
To visit his kids and his collection.
(grunts)
Robbie: Take off the glasses...
Mike: Alright, woo...
Hey-hey! Melissa: Hey-hey, mike!
Mike: It's freezing. Robbie: How're you doing?
Melissa: Hey les, robbie and mike are here.
Mike: Melissa... It's freezing out, man.
Melissa: It's freezing out here. Robbie, how are you?
Robbie: Good to see you again, les, how're you doing?
Melissa: Mike, why didn't you bring some warm weather with you?
Mike: I know, can you believe this, dude?
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: It's crazy.
Mike: When we started coming up here,
We were trying to think about it on the way up here,
I think it was like 1989,
Somewhere around there. So like, 33 years ago.
Melissa: Wow. Mike: So this was the only place
That you could come, to see things like this.
Robbie: I don't care how many times you come here, you can't take it all in.
Les: Well, when you got stuff stacked 6, 7 deep, you know,
You're looking in the back, look in the middle,
There's always something new to see.
The museum collection kind of came together
Over a long period of time.
Dad started collecting some of the cars in the late '60s.
Then pedal cars and toys.
Mike: Oh my god, I never seen that.
That's what I'm talking about, every time I can't believe it.
That's like a spaceship that's a volkswagen.
Les: And in the early '90s,
He decided that, you know, maybe we should start opening
This up a couple of weekends a summer
And sharing it with the public.
Mike: See, how many times have I been here,
I'm now still seeing stuff I've never seen.
Robbie: This thing is... That's nuts.
I've never even seen that. Les: That's a super rare piece.
That's actually from argentina.
Robbie: All the great stuff in the museum
Is going to be auctioned.
Robbie: That freakin' motorcycle toy right here.
Never seen that before.
Robbie: But elmer's collection was deep.
Les: You guys ready to go out to the barn?
I think brad's out there, he's probably freezing his butt off...
Mike: Oh, he's out there? Melissa: I'm not gonna go out with you guys.
Melissa: It's too cold out there.
Robbie: There is no doubt in my mind
That his scratch-and-dent rooms are out of this world.
Mike: God, I haven't seen brad in years.
Robbie: When I first met elmer and bernadette,
Les was actually running the junkyard,
And brad was still at college.
Robbie: Brad, how're you doing? Good to see you.
Brad: Good, nice to see ya. Mike: What's going on, buddy?
How are ya? Brad: Good.
Robbie: But elmer and bernadette talked about
Their kids constantly.
I felt like I knew them, like I grew up with them.
Mike: Brad, man. Robbie: Hub-mobile.
Mike: Oh my gosh, look at this.
This didn't happen overnight, did it?
Mike: You know, elmer always had a smile,
He was always in a great mood,
And he never got so big in his mind with money
And all those kind of things that usually control people later on.
Mike: That's an incredible piece.
Robbie: Is that a turner?
Mike: Pressed steel, that big, that early.
Mike: He always remained in his small house,
Next to his museum, surrounded by his family,
Surrounded by every single thing that he ever loved.
Mike: Oh man... What a life, what a life, man.
Mike: So when we walk in here, seeing his family...
Um... Wow, you know?
I mean, I think about like, what charlie's going to be like as she gets older
With my collection, you know?
And it's a celebratory moment,
We're celebrating his life.
Mike: This was always one of my favorite pedal cars of his, man.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: The patina, the color.
I always joked with your pops
About trying to buy this car when I was in here.
Les: You weren't gonna buy that kind of stuff from dad.
Robbie: No. Mike: No I mean...
Les: Everything that's in the collection, he wasn't going to sell.
Mike: Your dad wouldn't even have sold me that license plate.
(laughing) robbie: No. He wouldn't have.
Brad: But we do have some stuff downstairs.
Les: There's some cool stuff, that's what we got ahold of you for.
Mike: If your dad had a private stash,
It's probably way better than anything
That we probably own now.
(laughing) robbie: Yeah.
Robbie: Never even been invited in this area.
Robbie: All the years that I went up to that property,
I don't think I was ever in the catch-all room.
Brad: Hang a right. Robbie: Hang a right.
Mike: Hang a right. (laughing)
Mike: Everybody has been in the top of the barn.
That's where so many things are on display,
That's part of the museum tour.
But we're walking in the back door of the bottom of the barn.
Mike: So this was, this was kind of his pedal car hardware store?
Brad: Yeah. Mike: Parts and pieces
To repair his pedal cars, huh?
Brad: Yep. Les: And other things he just
Didn't want to put in the museum or didn't have room for.
Les: You know, it was just about upgrading his collection
Because he had space limitations.
Brad: The stuff that dad never showed,
Never displayed to the public.
Les: Just the hidden secret stuff.
Brad: Hidden, secret stuff, yeah, the gems.
Mike: What about the carnival ride here?
Would you guys consider selling this?
Les: It's pretty realistic, when you look at it, you know,
As far as a carnival ride having like a clutch handle and brake handle.
Mike: Yeah. Les: It almost looks like a real bike,
Not just a carnival ride. Mike: It's got a speedo on it too.
Les: Yeah. Mike: I mean, the retail on this thing's probably...
800 to 1,000.
I'd do...
Oh look at that, that's cool.
I can't believe that's not broken off.
I'd do like 6 on it?
Les: I think that's fair. Brad: We can go 600.
Mike: Alright, shake his hand, robbie.
Robbie: Alright. Thanks, brad.
Mike: This is all part of the evolution
Of elmer becoming the rock star collector that he was.
Think about it, aerosmith didn't start out
Playing madison square garden,
They started at the vfw.
You know, it's the same thing.
Mike: So this is another carnival piece, right here.
Brad: Correct. I believe so.
Mike: This is really super heavy.
This whole body is cast aluminum,
And you can see the tag on the right-hand side,
W.F. Mangels, coney island, new york.
Not that this was necessarily used in coney island,
But it was manufactured in coney island.
Mike: There's a couple pieces down here that I'm really
Surprised that elmer didn't have on display,
Like these carnival items, you know, like the motorcycle and the fire truck.
But he was a pedal car guy,
He was into details and he was into rare.
Mike: Look it, it's got one of the original ladders on it.
Brad: Ladders, yep. Mike: So this looks like
The paint would clean up pretty decently.
This is what they call park paint,
Where they would have painted it in the park.
That back wheel is missing,
And somebody made it out of wood. Um...
You know, I'd be interested in it for like 5-and-a-half.
Brad: 5-and-a-half, we'd do that.
You're going to have fun getting it out, though.
Mike: You're gonna have to help me get it out of here, man.
(grunting)
(bell ringing)
Mike: Alright, look at this.
Look at this. Look at that.
Robbie: It's freakin' huge!
Mike: Just a really large pressed steel riding toy.
Robbie: Toy. Crane. Mike: That's a crane.
Les: Excavator, yeah...
Robbie: That thing's cool. Look at how big that thing is.
Les: Oh... Geez. Robbie: For a kid's toy.
Honestly, looking at it,
It's probably from the '30s or '40s.
It stood the test of time.
Robbie: Needs a little work. It's still cool.
Les: It's all there, it looks like.
Robbie: The thing still has original paint on it.
It doesn't look like it got used too much.
Brad: No. Robbie: 75 bucks.
Brad: No it's big... 100-and-a-quarter on it.
Les: It's a cool piece, so I mean, it...
Brad: It was in the bottom of the barn, nobody's even gonna to see it.
Les: Right. I mean, that was part of it, is that...
You know, these were pieces that nobody has seen,
And we haven't hardly been in the bottom of the barn,
You know, over the last few years.
Robbie: 100 bucks.
Brad: 100-and-a-quarter.
Robbie: Brad's stuck. He's liking this thing.
Les: I think brad likes this one.
Mike: It's hard to negotiate with the sons of a guy
That I learned to negotiate from.
Those guys learned from the best, just like we did.
Robbie: 100-and-a-quarter, I'll do it.
Brad: Sounds good.
Les: Brad, do you think the crane went too cheap?
Brad: I think he got a good deal.
Mike: Robbie, grab this. Robbie: What do you got?
Mike: A zephyr wagon. Robbie: Oh yeah. That's cool.
Mike: Yeah. Robbie: Yeah, this is not the...
Les: Oh watch it... Robbie: Here we go.
Les: You're gonna kill yourself. Robbie: Yeah, look at that.
Lincoln-zephyr. You know, they...
The airflow, art deco.
Les: There you go, yeah, art deco airflow style, yeah.
Brad: Oh yeah. Mike: Everything and anything
Was airflow, whether it was a toaster,
Or an airplane, or a train, or a motorcycle, or a car.
Everything was airflow.
We all...
As collectors, romanticize about that time.
Brad: So this is like the '30s?
Robbie: Yeah, around the 1930s.
It's got a great look to it, I think.
Robbie: This zephyr wagon still has the zephyr on the side of it.
The fenders are humped, it's got headlights coming out.
Robbie: The tongue's still on these,
They always got beat up and broken off.
Robbie: 150.
Brad: What do you think of that one?
Robbie: Back in the day, this same zephyr wagon,
I would bring this to elmer,
And he'd give me $800 for it.
You didn't see hundreds of these pieces.
Les: Yeah, probably, yeah.
Robbie: When the internet came out, all that stuff dropped.
Brad: Let's do it. Les: Yeah.
Robbie: Alright. Les: Here you go.
Robbie: Alright. Awesome, man.
Les: That's a nice piece. The art deco styling,
And the airflow style.
Brad: Yeah, a lucky kid to get that when it was new.
Mike: There's just... A little bit of everything.
Some pedal car parts...
Mike: They're hood ornaments for pedal cars.
Some are reproduction, some aren't.
Mike: ...And there's reproduction pedal car parts
That he probably cast so he could have pieces for his cars, you know.
It's like, I'm just seeing a side of him
That I never saw before, which is really cool.
Mike: I want to see this thing.
Hey, pull on that bike right there.
(grunting)
Mike: Popping a wheelie.
Check out the twin cylinder.
Woo! This is like a harley servi-car.
Mike: This is a pressed steel riding toy
That was modeled after the harley servi-car.
It's got the b-twin engine in it, you know,
The servi-car box on the back of it.
Super cool.
Mike: What's cool about this is, you know,
What was happening in that time period with cars,
Motorcycles, boats.
They were taking into the children's toys, you know?
Mike: Like say you had a harley servi-car.
And little bobby wanted a harley servi-car.
You could go to the store and buy one for him.
That was a big deal. That was a huge connection.
Mike: 200 bucks.
Brad: I was thinking like 4.
Mike: I think that's what I can get, yeah.
How much you want me to come up?
Brad: Split the difference?
Mike: At what, 3? Brad: 3?
Mike: Toys were built to last.
I mean, this can be anywhere from the '40s or the '50s.
But you know, it's solid, man.
Built to last here in this country.
Mike: How about... 250?
Brad: We'll do it. Les: Yeah, he's gotta make some money too.
Mike: I appreciate you. Les: That's a pretty cool piece.
Les: That's right up your alley with the twin.
Mike: Actually, this is starting to look familiar,
I might have sold this to your dad.
Les: Oh no, really? Mike: I don't know,
I think I've seen it before, man.
Mike: I knew there was gonna be stuff that we had sold elmer.
And now walking through it with his sons,
I mean, we're walking down memory lane.
Mike: I'll tell you a story about your dad.
I used to run a bicycle shop,
And I was selling your dad antique bicycles at that time.
And I had made the transition from getting a paycheque
To working as a sales rep.
And I wasn't making hardly any money,
And it took forever to get your cheque, you know.
Les: Oh. Mike: You know, so anyway,
So I found these two glass reversed-painted signs
In the basement of an old building here in wisconsin somewhere.
And I called your dad, it was really late, he's like,
"come on, I'll look at them, come on."
And he gave me $800 cash for those two signs.
Mike: The $800 that he gave me back then...
I mean, I lived off of for a few months.
Mike: And that was money that like, I needed so bad.
Les: Yeah. Mike: You know, I never forgot that.
Mike: My father left us when I was two.
My mom was actually pregnant with robbie when he left.
Never gave my mom a dime, you know,
And we never really had a role model other than a coach.
Les: I think you were his friend right away,
As soon as you showed some interest in this stuff.
Mike: Oh, absolutely. Les: Yeah.
Mike: When elmer came along in our lives
At such a young age,
He taught us a lot of things,
Beyond antiquing.
You know, beyond collecting.
(horn blaring)
Mike: You know, he was kind of
A father figure to us in a lot of ways.
Robbie: Wow. That's early.
Mike: Let's flip it over this way.
Robbie: Super... Tool-die... And machine work.
Mike: Machine work. That's a cool sign.
And if you look at the font on this,
With the, you know, detail here...
How bad's the other side?
Let's see it.
Let's see it in the sun.
Oh yeah... Robbie: The rust is on it.
Mike: You're right. Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: The subject matter's interesting.
And it's an early sign. Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Look at this, man. That's probably a .38.
Les: Bigger than a .22, that's for sure.
Mike: Would you sell this?
Brad: It was a neat piece. Les: It was a cool piece.
Brad: Hand-painted. Les: Hand-painted.
Brad: It was something that should've been up
In the museum.
Brad: 750?
Mike: Alright. I'll do it. Les: There you go.
Robbie: Well, there's more in here. Les: Yeah.
Robbie: Elmer was a typical big collector.
When you have space, you're going to fill it.
He was filling vans up, buses up.
Anything he could find to keep it out of the weather.
Mike: Look at this, this is all new-old stock beer trays.
Mike: There were so many different beers
That were brewed in wisconsin.
Robbie: Look at that.
Les: Wow, brand new.
Robbie: Old style. Mike: What year, though?
Les: 1977.
Mike: You got miller, you got lakefront,
You got schlitz, you got old style.
Mike: Ahh...
Mike: In wisconsin, there's like a bar on every corner.
Robbie: I got it. I got the grand-daddy of them all.
Here it is.
(laughing) brad!
Brad: See ya. (laughing)
Robbie: The fact that you got the top.
Brad: Yep. Robbie: You hook that all together,
And you got yourself a nice display piece.
Brad: Beautiful. Robbie: Back in the early days,
Budweiser would build pieces that were always in motion,
You know, and what's the most famous thing for budweiser?
The clydesdale horse.
Robbie: That needs to be cleaned up, there's some moisture
That got inside of it. Brad: Yep.
Robbie: Um... 650.
Robbie: I know it probably doesn't work.
It's probably going to need the gears inside lubed up.
It might need a little bit of electrical.
Brad: I've seen them, they've been going for like,
Yeah... 12 to 15.
8-and-a-half?
Robbie: 750.
Brad: Alright. You got a deal. Robbie: 750.
Alright, thank you.
Mike: 750, holy (bleep)!
(laughing)
Mike: Is there anything in here?
Brad: He always filled everything up.
Mike: Ugh... Robbie: Wow.
Mike: This is a good bike right here.
Robbie: That's a truss frame. Mike: Yeah.
Mike: Truss bridge frame, arch bar,
There are a lot of different terms for this design.
Iver johnson though, is the company that kicked it off
In the early 1900s.
And their patent ran out, I don't know,
10, 14 years later.
And then, it was game on for everybody to have that design.
Straight top tube,
With that arched tube underneath
With the small connection.
Mike: Miami...
Cycle manufacturing.
Middletown, ohio.
Mike: Miami cycle manufacturing in middletown, ohio,
Didn't just make bicycles, they also made
Flying merkel motorcycles.
So there's a direct connection there from the bicycle industry
To the motorcycle industry.
Mike: And then there are what they call tiller bars.
The back wheel's split in half.
Robbie: So is the front. Mike: Both wheels are split in half.
I'd do... Like 600.
Les: I'd be happy to do that.
Mike: If the wheels were solid a lot more,
And there was more paint that was, you know,
More evident on the bike.
Mike: We're basically in the parts room
Catacombs of his bicycle collection.
You know, a lot of the stuff, you can see has never been displayed.
Mike: It's a bike frame.
Mike: The stuff I'm pulling off the walls
Is just dripping in spider webs.
Mike: Whoa!
It's breaking loose!
(grunting)
Mike: The curiosity of like, why they're here.
Mike: We should haul some of this stuff outside.
Mike: I think a lot of it was parts
Or he was going to find a rim
And he was gonna put it on there.
Robbie: A nice saddle. Mike: Yeah, man.
Robbie: It's a great saddle.
Mike: Or he just loved the nickel-plating
And how it was rusting.
Mike: Look at that old nickel-plating coming off,
It's just dropping off.
Mike: Like these motorbike bars, you know, they just come back
Like a shotgun at you, real low.
Mike: These are carlisle white walls.
They're actually made in carlisle, pennsylvania.
See, it's got the lightning with the...
With the indian head on it?
Brad: Oh sure. Les: Look at that.
Mike: I'm just like him, I've got parts and pieces
That I've held onto for years,
Because I'm waiting for the right project for it.
Mike: It says... Superb.
Mike: Like the seat. I've got a bicycle for that seat.
Those handlebars, I've got a bicycle for those handlebars, you know?
Mike: That's the first straight wood rim we've seen.
Les: That's funny. Robbie: I like how big that is.
Mike: Yeah, it's a tall frame. Robbie: It's a tall frame.
Mike: And then look at this wishbone. Look at that wishbone.
Robbie: Look how thick that is. Les: Stiff, yeah.
Mike: 400.
Brad: Is that including that bicycle or it's just the parts?
Mike: No, yeah, that includes this one here too.
Brad: Aw man... (all laughing)
Mike: That includes this one.
Brad: 4-and-a-half. Mike: Alright, 4-and-a-quarter.
Brad: 4-and-a-quarter's a deal. Mike: Alright, cool.
Mike: He kept these bikes for a reason.
Maybe I'm the guy. Maybe he put them in there
For me years ago.
I'm the one that's supposed to finish them.
Mike: This thing's got dirt bike tires on it.
Robbie: And I'm just happy it's got air and rolls.
Les: Dad really respected mike and robbie.
Mike: Whoa! Okay.
(grunting)
Les: They are the only ones that were allowed
To come in and look, and purchase anything.
Robbie: Alright. Mike: You guys wore me out a little bit.
Les: You know, not just long-time business associates,
But friends too.
Mike: Love and respect, my friend.
Les: Yes, sir. Brad: Thank you.
Brad: Today would have not happened with anybody else.
Les: I think dad would be proud.
He's been sitting watching us.
Mike: I know. You know what, every time when I was buying
One of those old rusty bicycles,
He was probably like, "he'll do something with that."
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: Being able to see
A small part of elmer's collection,
That really no one has ever seen before...
Les: See you guys! Brad: Bye, rob! Bye, mike!
Mike: ...Is a huge deal to us.
(honks horn)
Mike: That they thought of robbie and me.
Just because of the connection that we've had
For so many years with their father.
This has been an honor for me.
(soft music)