Sad Day

wow! I was in that store on a recent trip (I say recent, more like a year or so?) through Pennsy antiquing with my wife! I saw the 1919 and was blown away at the quality! super neat piece! great antique store, and great friendly folks!...we bought some stuff from them...depression glass (my wife collects) …..wish them best of their retirement!...…………...Pat

My wife graduated from Geneva college and I've been in that store when we visited the town.  Beaver falls is a very nostalgic place for my wife...and it reminded me a lot of some of the similar small blue collar industrial mill towns I knew of in southern New England where I grew up.  I hope they have a great retirement.

A bitter sweet post Jim.  Did they attempt to sell the business? Not necessarily the name.. I could easily see holding that back for a family business. 

(I still haven't pulled that tender off my rails or touched the petina other than oil on bare metal   Maybe next year I'll rest it )

(maybe )

Adriatic posted:

A bitter sweet post Jim....

I agree. It's too bad for you (and others) to be losing a good source of stuff, but at least it's due to retirement, and not something serious or unexpected, like illness or fire...

Mark in Oregon

Jim,

Take solace in all the years you enjoyed the place, and be happy for the owners!

Simon

This whole thing is bittersweet, I knew it would end some day, just thankful it was retirement and, since I don't live in western Pa. now, I couldn't be there.  I only knew Jim, maybe 10 years. WE got to be friends when I took an old apt. gas stove to his place to see if he wanted it. I had bought it for $100 several year before. I knew he wanted it bad and he offered me $150. I told him "No" I only wanted $100 for it. We repeated the conversation because he thought he didn't hear right. Then he told me that he never had that happen before. He sold the stove in about a week. He loved to trade and I had a lot of stuff to trade-for trains if he had them. I could get some trains cheap because they wouldn't run so I taught his brother how to do lubes & cleaning so they would run better.  The place was almost like family but he was no push over. If I wanted a loco or train he would put it back for me and I could give him payments or wait for the $$. Plus I would do things for him especially take pictures for him and share things. All gone-I moved, he has retired, but times I will never forget.  Does Amazon and De Bay give you that ??

Those American Pickers will be heading over there soon I bet. 

man I hate to hear that. My wife and I have spent many hours there. Mom and Dad grew up in Beaver Falls. I didn't know the store was closing. I bought my first Lionel steamer, my 675 from there. Jim is very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to. I especially liked going there around Christmas. HAte to see the store close, but I hope he enjoys his retirement. 

Ha! I "almost" met the pickers. I did, but it was before the show and wasn't under the best circumstances. It lasted under a minute I'd guess....

   I was helping a guy fix a riding mower, because the day before, someone stole his vintage articulated Simplicity mini tractor mower from behind the deeply set house (50yrds back at least) 

  All of a sudden we hear "Hello! Anyone here?".  We went to the (now locked) gate and they introduced themselves. They asked about "old stuff", handed us flyers, etc.. just like you see on tv.. Gary lets loose a slurry of professional profanity followed by "off my property dont come back" and headed for the dog and shotgun.

   My calmer nature prevailed and I committed name, phone number, address, plate number etc. to memory (Im VERY good at it) as they pulled out hastely and walked calmly towards the kitchen chalkboard, sidestepping for him and Vegas the scary but freindly as a puppy pitbull (gun likely not loaded..all for effect I'd bet)  About a year later the first show aired and we both got a big laugh as I pointed to the board...or at least I did. He still thinks they took it.  It WAS a bit odd.

  I think a producer lives in the area here. I've meet Anthony Bordane(rip), Orange County Chopper family, and Vin from Cash Cab to name a few, and all a year to two years before the shows aired. I've met a lot of celeb.s in connection with my old valet service, but it strikes me odd I met these folks, in this area, before their fame.  Vin actually randomly asked my opinion on the show idea. I said it sounded great for NY or Chi town, but Detroit isn't a cab town, it wouldnt fly if done here. I thought it was his idea or something. Now I think he signed the contract that night. It didn't all click together till I saw that show. Also explains not all, but a lot of the other celebs actually.

   If they do head to his place there, and its close to reasonably priced, there may not be a train left in the house   I was shaking my head at the train episode... I wonder if my pal ever saw that one and at least got to feel some kinda karmatic justice? Derserved or not, that kinda violation of homestead sticks around in your head; it's not good for you. It was actually one of the nicest things he owned outside his living room too. First time outside overnight in a decade... I got the other going anyhow, and it had a soft seat ...

" the sweet"   .

  But anyhow, I'd like to see some of the stuff you talk of Jim.. I know you kinda cant or just hate to, just sayin' it always seems so interesting.

Neat store! I graduated from Geneva College. Antique Emporium was in business in Beaver Falls for 35 years, but I don't remember seeing it. Then I did the math. Has it really been 41 years since I graduated?  Oops!

Here are some nice pictures inside the store.  Looks like a great place full of memories, Jim.

Bob

It would almost take a book to tell about all the strange things he would get to sell and some I would buy.  The best deals were if he just got something in the store, especially if they weren't sure what it was or worth. He had an FM Lionel Trainmaster priced very cheap, like new, but it was too big for my layout so I let it go. Not everything sold right away. My big G gauge collection, good LGB track & locos sat in the window for quite awhile. He loved decorating the windows-at Halloween he dig out his skeletons and seat them at a table with a deck of cards and one holding the "Dead man's Hand". Jim was a long time member of the SCA, Society of Creative Anachroisms" and had a big collection of medevil armor which was displayed in the "lounge", a corner where ther was always hot coffee and usually donuts in the morning. Also for later in the day a bottle or two of wine was out. At times he drove me nuts - I trade him good original WW II German uniforms and gear and he sold it away cheap to dealers who haunted the place. After he closed the store he talked about selling it on line auction-style-NOT fleabay. He told me he decided selling as much as he could at 50% off would eliminate him shipping stuff  and inventory plus give his customers a break.  Hope gets a newer truck-his old Ford was on its last legs. He got clipped several times by people selling him stolen items but he learned and if he didn't know you he would demand  I D but that wasn't fool proof. Why watch "Pickers" when I could stand there and watch all this going on.

RRDOC   thanks for the photos, I have a few. I had some of Jim's one million $$ calling cards but lost and gave them away.  I would sit in Jim's rocker and kid him about "feeling the power"  Jim was in to auto racing oo. He would go to Sebring in Florida for the races. We shared an interest in Beaver Co's history and the old towns. I was Mr. Choo choo and I called him Mr. Chips because if  you had glass or ceramic things they were always chipped. he had a table in a nook behind his chair that I called his "receiving dept" because that is where he looked at items to buy. I learned to go there first plus the counter for brand new  gems  that just came in. Another bonus for me was the NS main line went past a few blocks above the store and the CSX main was below so I got a lot of rail fanning in too.

Neat place.

Is that Beaver Falls at the top?

What a beautiful city.

It sure used to be. I remember going up to visit my Grandparents, when the mills were still alive, 7th Ave was full of stores. Grandma would give me a dollar, I'd walk to Hoffman's Rexall to get The Sunday Pittsburgh Press, then over to Islay's for a cone, and have change left over. They really used to decorate the city up for Christmas.

Don't be sad!  Arguably the most famous antique from Beaver Falls is still around.  

What, me worry?

my late Aunt Nancy dated him in high school

Joe Namath !!  Forgot about him. 

I am sure Beaver Falls PA is a great place......But I can only think about a resident from here who scammed me out of $900 in July. His name is Michael Frederick and he was advertising his pre-war Lionel trains on Craigslist. He was very knowledgeable and very good at ripping people off. I live in Arizona and contacted the Beaver Falls police and they told me he has done this to a lot of model railroad hobbyist. The police pretty much laughed and have done nothing as far as I know to stop this creep. I just thought I would let people know since Beaver Falls PA came up.