'American Pickers' duo pick their way through Brady 'museum' - Brady, TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member WalksfarTX
N 31° 08.085 W 099° 20.392
14R E 467600 N 3444584
When Ken Young bought the former Buick dealership here 35 years ago, he used it to store his treasure trove of collectibles.
Waymark Code: WMY44H
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 1

Abilen Reporter News

Among his antique vehicles is a 1913 Overland car. There are also old fire trucks, including a chain-driven model from 1917 with a right-hand drive.

There are vintage toy work trucks made of wood and metal, old spark plugs, motor meters and many other items he amassed over the decades.

He named the building Ken's Toys and never meant for it to be a museum. But if visitors passing through Brady ever stop and express an interest, he'll invite them inside and give them a tour of his collection.

On nice summer days, it's a hangout for Young and his buddies, who sit and talk and watch the world go by through the huge front windows that look out on Brady's main street.

It's small-town life at its best. Nice and quiet — that is, until Monday.

That's when the cast and crew of the History channel's popular television show "American Pickers" walked through Young's front door.

"We had a three-week lead before they came on Monday," Young said. "I'm not sure how they found out about us. They have what you call a 'snoop.' They get somebody to go into a site and look around. The man who came in that day, he gave me his card (with the show's affiliation). Then I got a phone call and they said when they would be coming."

"American Pickers" hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz travel the country looking for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages, barns and the countryside. They don't visit antique shops or retail stores, so Young's collection fit the bill for the show.

"They were super nice," Young said. "They came through the door and I felt like I knew them. I've never seen them in person, but they grinned and laughed and we had the best time."

"They were very knowledgeable, " said Young's son Rod, who was with his father , along with his mother Claudette and other family members. "You could tell they have a real passion for this and I was very impressed."

The crew was at Ken's Toys from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and they even had their own food truck for lunch.

"They asked me about my collection," Young said. "Now, I collect an item but I have the story to go with it, that's the other part. They wanted the story as much as the item.

For example, the 1937 tricycle on display. Behind it is a picture of Young on an exact match when he was a child. Or his high school motorcycle, which he traded in and lost track of. Then when he bought the dealership, he saw it sitting there.

The show's hosts also liked that Young was born and raised in Brady. He was in the ready-mix concrete business for 53 years and a member of the fire department for 15 years.

Wolfe and Fritz took 20 of Young's items, but he's not allowed to say what those are. The episode is expected to run in three to four months, he said.

Young's building became a popular place once word got out in Brady that "American Pickers" was in town.

"From about 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. there was a steady stream of people driving by," he said with a laugh. "They were all lined up and people were taking photos. I tell you, I never expected this to ever happen to me."

Joe and DeeAnn Evridge weren't expecting to get a visit from the show. Their store, D and J's Good Ole Days, on the town square across from the courthouse, is retail. But they called the show anyway and told them to stop by and see what they have.

Joe and DeeAnn were sitting at their store counter eating lunch Monday when a man walked in. DeeAnn went to greet him and realized it was Wolfe.

"We were blown away," Joe said.

"He told us this was one of the coolest shops he'd ever seen," DeeAnn said.

Wolfe shopped for almost an hour and bought vintage cowboy clothes for his young daughter. The Evridges opened their store in 2013, and it's one of five they own in the square. It is filled to the brim with eclectic, unusual items.

There's a 1920s autopsy table, used dentures, a huge cat that once hung in Macy's department store, a World War I pigeon carrier, a 1910 Coney Island carousel piece, an airplane wing and more.

Brady City Councilman James Griffin was thrilled when he heard "American Pickers" would be in Brady.

"Once this show airs, we should get a good bump (of visitors) for the summer," he said.

Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 01/25/2018

Publication: Abilene Report News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: regional

News Category: Entertainment

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