Felt like I was on American Pickers today

"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
03/14/2014 at 21:59 • Filed to: None

So, as you might have seen, I picked up the front nose parts I won on eBay, and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! today on my birthday. I took the day off work too. Anywho, the guy had on the auction that I could pick the items up in a small town an hour north of me, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! BUT, when I called to get the address, he says they're at his "shop" in Potter, WI. A few minutes south of where I thought they'd be.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Cool, I thought. Closer. Then he says "It's got a sign out front that says Potter's Meat Market, and there's a bunch of old cars out front." So I'm thinking it's a small general store type deal, maybe it had gas pumps once, but hey, there'll be some 60's or 70's cars to look at. And some meat.

My, was I wrong. I pulled up to this small building, and on the side are half a dozen 40's and 50's cars and trucks in various states of disrepair. I park and walk up to the front door, and inside I see.... not a lot. It's dark. But I can make out the mounds of bric a brack, and small light bulb burning overhead. I try the door, it is locked. Knowing what time I was going to arrive, I figure maybe he's in one of the buildings out back, and start to walk towards the row of cars, readying my phone to take a sweet pic and hear "Hi there!" from behind me. He was inside all along. His name is Jonny. He has that look of a guy that could talk your ear off about the things he's seen and done. Very smart, very quick.

He leads me inside the Meat Market, and my eyes cannot focus on any one thing There is SO MUCH STUFF. Like, as I mentioned, I was in an episode of American Pickers. I see a patina's old bike off to the side that remnds me of Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Just, rusty. There's more bikes. Piles of metal. Car parts. Old headlights. More metal. We walk into the next room. There's my bumper. An old computer on an eBay page. More metal. Car parts. Bike parts. Motorcycle parts. Gold. And its everywhere.

We talk a while, and by now I've forgotten to ask if I can take pics of anything (like the cars outside) and realize I HAVE TO GO. School is out at 2:45, and I cannot pick up the kids with the bumper and all its parts in my backseat and trunk. So I leave. But I wanna go back. Just looking on Google Maps I see that I missed the fact that there's an old Dodge dealer right next door, with a clapped out Monoco in the weeds. I mean, its probably not there anymore, as all the cars next to the Meat Market have changed, but its places like this that excite the blood, and make me want to spend a warm spring day exploring and learning about.

I bet Jonny could teach me.

DISCUSSION (3)

desertdog5051 > Takuro Spirit
03/14/2014 at 22:08

SCORE!! Happy birthday, Takuro.

JR1 > Takuro Spirit
03/14/2014 at 22:19

Love old stuff like this. Big part of our history. Glad people collect it all so one day someone like you or me can buy it.

Takuro Spirit > desertdog5051
03/15/2014 at 13:34

Thanks!