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Visit to American Pickers

If you are a car guy (or gal) you have likely seen the TV show American Pickers on the History Channel. There are currently two locations; the original in LeClaire Iowa and the newest one in Nashville TN. Since the Nashville store is only a short drive we have visited it several times. The Iowa shop is hundreds of miles further but was on our list of places to visit. Recently we had the opportunity to stop in and see what we could find.

First off, from the TV images and having grown up in Iowa I envisioned the store out on the edge of town and possibly out along some rural highway. On our visit we pulled into a gas station in downtown LeClaire to ask directions. Even with a GPS in rural communities asking directions is often the best solution. As soon as we climbed out of the truck we knew directions were not going to be necessary; there it was directly behind the gas station in downtown!

It was just one more reminder that a camera’s wide angle lens can really changer the perspective of reality. I remember seeing the Beverly Hillbilly’s Beverly Hills mansion in person for the first time. That long curved driveway that looked so impressive was little more than a small looped drive similar to many suburban upscale neighborhoods.  Mike and Frank’s store sits just a few feet off a road (more like an alley) behind the gas station with houses directly behind.

Since we had previously visited the Nashville store we had an idea of what to expect and we were not disappointed. There are all kinds of cool stuff, many of which we have seen purchased on their TV show while the “boys” were out picking around the country. Although Katrina and I never said so to each other, we both were looking for some great find of our own at the store to take home for our own collections. Unfortunately, our experience in Iowa matched that of our visit to the Nashville location. Much of what is on display is not for sale.

Depending on your taste there are some neat items with price tags but the really neat stuff is unmarked and not for sale. What is for sale are lots of T-shirts and other items with the “Antique Archeology” logo on them. It is not unlike visiting some strange antique museum with price tags on some of the displays.

The inventory does change and on different visits to the Nashville store we have seen major inventory and display changes so it stays fresh and is never boring. We will be back in Iowa in a month or so and will visit again if time permits.

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Richard

I grew up and lived in Iowa for a good portion of my life before moving to Southern California. After 20+ years we now live outside Nashville Tennessee. I have been into cars since I was old enough to remember. I don't have a brand loyalty although I do prefer American Muscle especially the 1969/1970 NASCAR Aero Cars. (Check out our other web site at www.TalladegaSpoilerRegistry.com site) As long as it has four wheels and an engine I get excited. Few men are lucky enough to be able to share their passion for cars with the woman they love. Fortunately, my wife, Katriana, is also a gear head and many of our activities revolve around the cars. We have a small collection that includes at least one car from each of the Big Three. It includes a Best of Show winner, a survivor, a driver with lots of patina and several others. Katrina prefers all original cars while I like to modify them so we have a few of each. When we aren't playing with cars we are out working with or showing our miniature donkeys. You can see more about that part of our lives at http://www.LegendaryFarms.com.

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2 Comments

  1. Hi Mike this is Russ
    I inherited a Suzuki motorcycle Re5. I believe to be a 750cc water buffalo 1975ish model I really would like to depart with it just like to know if you are interested in it.
    I live in Northeast Ohio Canton area
    But please reach out if you get this message I’m at 330-704-8402 my name is Russ

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