Antiques – Page 2 – Valerie's Voice

A Change Along Scenic Drive

On our way to the north shore we always take the scenic drive instead of the expressway from Duluth to Two Harbors. It may be a slower route, but it is, as the name describes, a scenic route along Lake Superior. About half way between the two towns is a non-descript building that looks more like a house than a store. It was called Practicals, Collectibles & Antiques.

We’ve been stopping at this unique store for years. We enjoyed browsing around and visiting with the owner who was always there. He was friendly and welcoming and recognized us. We knew he was a retired military guy who wintered in Texas but would spend his summers in his shop right across the road from beautiful Lake Superior.

The interior of the store was lined from floor to ceiling with thousands of used books and old vinyl record albums. Shelves outlined the perimeter of the store, which displayed antique dishes, collectibles and “practicals”. We always looked forward to stopping at this quaint shop. We would usually buy a couple of books at about $1-2 a piece.

One year we apologized for only spending $2 but he graciously said…the north shore gets a million visitors a year…if each one spends a $1 that works for me…however, I run this store because it’s fun…not for the money.

The For Sale sign for Practicals, Collectables, & Antiques.

This year at the turnoff we noticed the large hand-written “For Sale” sign in the yard. The building was locked and empty, and we were a bit sad. I guess we knew it was coming sooner or later but it was too soon for us.

While at the cabin we searched for additional information about the store. We found a local TV news program had interviewed the owner in Spring 2018. We learned the owner’s name is Ed Johnson and that he was loved by many (we were not surprised). We learned he ran this store for 26 years and at the time of the interview he was 76 years old.

If you look closely, you can see an outhouse in the back. There was no running water in this building. The public restroom was an outhouse.

One other fond memory I have of “Mr. Ed” is from years ago, before we got to know him a bit. My mom and I would occasionally take weekend trips together and I remember bringing her to his shop once. She was using a walker at that time and she required some extra care. He always welcomed people into his store. This time, when my mom and I left the store, he came to the door to say good- bye, and then he said to me, “thanks for taking such good care of your mom.” I don’t think any other person in the world ever told me that and it really meant a lot to me and brings tears to my eyes this day. A simple act of kindness.

“Cheers to Ed!” We trust he and his wife are enjoying their retirement.

Back to the 50’s

I’ve had a few flashbacks recently, that took me back to the 50’s and 60’s.

First I was in an antique store in northern Minnesota and immediately inside the door was a furniture set like my aunt had in her basement when I was a little girl.

And it’s still in the family, in my aunt’s house. It is a Naugahyde three piece set…a sofa that folded out into a bed, a rocking chair and a stationary chair with a coffee table and two end tables. It has a western theme with a saddle embroidered on the sofa and horse heads on the chairs. The end tables have wagon wheels for the legs. It’s unique, and I’ve never seen it any other place other than my aunt’s basement where we had wonderful family gatherings over the years. My aunt’s set is in pristine condition and it seemed the set in the furniture store was also. Seeing the furniture brought me back to the 50’s.

McKinley Street: our mail dropped into the front closet, my room was the one between the front door and garage door, you can’t see the brick chimney on the left side of the house.

Next, as we were biking around the city lakes in Minneapolis with our son, daughter-in-love, and granddaughter, we rode through neighborhoods with interesting and unique homes. We passed by one house and the facade was like that of the house my dad built in 1953, the house I grew up in. It had a tuck under garage, the front door leading into the living room with a big picture window, and a brick chimney on the side for the “real” fireplace. The house, like the furniture set, was also a unique design that I haven’t seen often. It was fun to notice it. That glimpse brought me back to my happy, childhood days.

Also on that same ride I noticed a city bus that was flashing the street names for its route. Silver Lake and Johnson Street caught my attention and then I noticed the bus number 4B. I remember waiting for the 4B many, many times. The bus traveled on Johnson Street and Silver Lake Road to service northeast Minneapolis where I grew up. It was interesting that I noticed the bus and how it brought back good memories.

I recently attended a session on prompting memories so I wonder if I’m more in tune to noticing things from days gone by?

The Jetsons and Starman

Sometimes when I’m caught in heavy traffic I have thought about the Jetsons. The Jetsons was a cartoon show on television in the 1960’s and I used to watch it as a little girl: George the father, Jane the mother, Judy the daughter, Elroy the son, and Astro their dog. It made an impression on me.

The cover of 1963 The Jetsons comic book.

The Jetsons had the coolest vehicles called spacemobiles…and they traveled fast through the interplanetary expressway. In rush hour traffic I have envisioned being in spacemobile rising above the traffic and zooming home, leaving the mess behind!

The other day I was looking through a box of books and found an old comic book: The Jetsons, Volume 1, January 1963, published quarterly, “Now only 12 cents!” What fun!

Also, the other day a friend, not knowing about this comic book I just uncovered, suggested I look online at pictures of “Starman”, the name of the mannequin dressed in a spacesuit orbiting the universe in a bright red, Tesla Roadster. The photos are interesting, intriguing, and a bit eerie. Click here to see photo. The roadster might even crash into earth some time in the next million years, click here for article and photo with short video of traveling by Earth.

So to see these amazing images from outer space and then look at an antique comic book from 1963 depicting the same theme felt like an intergalactic experience!

Stopping by for a picnic on a “planetoid”.

Back to the comic book: the Jetsons take nutrition pills as their dinner; George, the father, says in a huff “keep your synthetic shirts on”; they take their dog Astro for a “float” instead of a walk; and when they have to use an airplane to fly to Hawaii because their spacemobile breaks down (darn – I guess there will never be a vehicle that doesn’t break down) the kids think the airplane is an antique. Although not featured in this particular comic book, I do believe the Jetsons had picture phones…like Skype or FaceTime!

Here are a few photos of pages from the comic book.

The first page of the comic book…notice year on time box in upper left corner: 2062 A.D.

Afternoon float and inter-canine intercoms…o my.

I’m still wondering if someday we couldn’t find away to rise above all the traffic and use space as our freeway. Hmm, just think…no snow removal… construction zones… no traffic jams…