American Pickers

American Pickers Frank Fritz Bobblehead | Shows American Pickers | History

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:42:00 +0000

American Pickers Frank Fritz Bobblehead | Shows American Pickers | History:

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American Pickers looking for Georgia locations!

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Reality shows looking for Georgia locations | Online Athens:

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Bloopers from the UK trailer

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:26:00 +0000

Behind the scenes with American Pickers

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:03:00 +0000

It's an oppressively humid late-May afternoon in downtown Nashville, Tenn. In roughly 48 hours, a History channel production crew will shut down several city blocks to film a lavish new American Pickers promotional spot, and today the commercial's director and choreographer are putting Mike Wolfe and a handful of extras through the paces of a dress rehearsal.

That's right, choreographer. The tongue-in-cheek spot, which cleverly updates Dr Pepper's long-running "I'm a pepper" campaign to "I'm a picker," features Wolfe and co-host Frank Fritz pirouetting their way through the city streets--pied pipers of picking trailed by dozens of dancing acolytes.

Neighborhood merchants and their patrons begin spilling out onto the sidewalk. "I love your show!" squeals one woman. "I just did my first pick--a 1918 Singer sewing machine!" Wolfe gives her a high-five. A dreadlocked skater dude sidles over from his perch outside a tattoo parlor, asking, "Hey, man, can I get a picture with you?" Wolfe obliges before turning back to the production crew.

Wolfe surveys the scene around him, a broad grin on his face. "We've come a long way, huh, dude?" he says, bumping fists with History channel writer/producer Matt Neary, who has worked on American Pickers since its premiere.

The discussion returns to the commercial shoot. Wolfe gets confirmation that the crew has hired the Nashville-area hair and makeup technicians he requested. "I'm a businessman in this community now," he tells them. "It's really important to touch base with the locals."

About 90 minutes in, the rehearsal winds down. Despite the heat, the choreographer's demands and the fan frenzy, Wolfe is unflappable. "Are you having fun?" cracks a crew member.

Wolfe replies, with mock incredulity: "How can you not have fun doing this?

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220181

The Business of History - American Pickers

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Eclectic consumer tastes, innovative interior designers, progressive urban developers and a legion of treasure hunters are fueling new interest in the antiques and artifacts of a bygone America. Shaped by tastemakers across TV and the web, the contemporary collectibles business extends from the dust and rust of the flea market circuit to the rarefied air of the auction house, running the gamut from lowbrow culture to high art. Discover the wheelers and dealers reclaiming the past to forge one of today's most compelling entrepreneurial opportunities.

Americana Idol
Everything old is new again on American Pickers, the TV show that's rejuvenating consumer interest in the antiques and collectibles market. Now creator and star Mike Wolfe is leveraging a multigenerational passion for the past to build the multimedia empire of the future.

Mike Wolfe is in his element. The star and creator of History channel's hit showAmerican Pickers weaves his way through the vintage motorcycles, folk art and random oddities that line the floor of his new storefront in Nashville, Tenn.'s Marathon Village, a sprawling small-business complex that a century earlier housed the short-lived Marathon Motor Works auto factory.

When construction is complete, the 3,000-square-foot site will serve as the Music City outpost of Antique Archaeology, the collectibles retail shop Wolfe founded in LeClaire, Iowa, more than a decade ago. For now, though, it's a work in progress, to put it charitably--with the scorching summer months closing in fast, the space still has no air conditioning (no electricity whatsoever, for that matter), the front window is shattered and the walls are in dire need of a contractor's attention.

Wolfe could not care less. "Look at these beams, man," he raves as he tours the room. "Look at these poles--they're like masts off a ship. Look at the brick. You just can't re-create this kind of space."

Wolfe lives for this stuff. Each week on American Pickers, he and his co-host, childhood pal Frank Fritz, travel the country's highways and byways in dogged pursuit of hidden gems and one-of-a-kind artifacts languishing in small-town attics, basements, barns and junkyards. But the genteel, fragile heirlooms and curios that once dominated the antiques market are not Wolfe's forte. He loves rust, dust, dirt and grime almost as much as the Curtiss V-twin motors, Airstream trailers and circus sideshow banners that lurk underneath.

And he's not alone: Launched in January 2010, American Pickers attracts more than 5.7 million viewers each week, less than 1.5 million off the pace set by sibling series Pawn Stars, History channel's flagship show and basic prime time cable's highest-rated original series.

With the American Pickers cult flourishing, Wolfe's passions are going mainstream. Collectors are clamoring for the Americana curiosities and oddities that make up the bulk of what he and Fritz pick each week, and their mud-caked, sunbaked aesthetic is shaping interior design trends as well.

"I've always bought what I liked, and I've made a living off of my eye and my gut and what I think is cool," Wolfe says. "On Monday nights, I have an hour-long commercial on what I think is hot. Imagine being in business and having that opportunity. Whatever we're finding, people are like, ‘Wow, that's cool. I love it. I want to buy one of those.'"

Wolfe is parlaying that opportunity into an empire, balancing his production responsibilities (every two weeks on the road filming, every other two weeks off) with a host of projects that promise to further cement his stature as the new face of the business of old stuff. Foremost among Wolfe's ambitions: Kid Pickers, a series of educational books on collecting with a corresponding social media website designed to connect children with others who share their interests. There's also an official American Pickers Guide to Picking, scheduled for publication in September, and even Music to Pick By, a CD assembled by Wolfe and legendary Nashville record producer Brian Ahern complete with three new songs composed and recorded by Wolfe and country singer/songwriter Dale Watson.

"I'm a businessman, so I'm gonna make hay while the sun's shining," Wolfe says. "I've been self-employed for 23 years. That's an accomplishment in itself. You gotta be out there hustling. If you're not, you're not gonna make it."

Labors of Love
American Pickers, Pawn Stars and the myriad copycats spawned in their wake--American Restoration, Storage Wars and Auction Hunters among them--have made unlikely celebrities out of the small-business owners who make their living buying and selling the collectibles at the center of each series, blurring the line between PBS's venerable Antiques Roadshow (the granddaddy of the genre) and more blue-collar, mainstream TV fare. But what sets American Pickers apart is that it focuses less on the monetary value of the items Wolfe and Fritz uncover and more on the larger-than-life collectors they meet in a day's work.

"The people we pick are the real stars of the show," Wolfe says. "Audiences remember [fan-favorite collectors] Hobo Jack and the Mole Man. They remember the people, not what I bought from them. Frank and I are just telling their stories. It's a business, yes, but it's always been an honor that people open their homes and their hearts to us."

Community Effort
Although American Pickers ranks among the most popular and talked-about shows on TV, Wolfe understands the viewing public is notoriously fickle. "Everything has an expiration date," he says. "I'm a realist. Do I think I'm Pickin' Jesus? No. That's ridiculous."

So Wolfe is busy building the foundation of his post-American Pickers life and career, looking to his own past to set the future in motion. His Kid Pickers social networking platform (which, unlike the History channel-owned American Pickers brand, is Wolfe's and Wolfe's alone) is designed to offer today's children something the young Wolfe himself craved but never had: a means to connect with other kids who share a passion for picking and collecting. Children, it turns out, make up a sizable chunk of the American Pickersaudience.

"We have so many people who tell us that our show is the only one they watch as a family, and that's such an honor," Wolfe says. "Sometimes kids come in to Antique Archaeology and bring their collections with them. Their parents can't believe how much they know about this stuff. Every kid is born a picker, and we're gonna teach them how to pick and what to pick. Kid Pickers is going to be my legacy."

In the meantime, Wolfe still has a business to run. Expanding Antique Archaeology to Nashville further strengthens his ties to the local design and decorator community, which constitutes a vital component of his client base.

"They rely on guys like me to find these amazing statement pieces," he says. "I'm not the guy who can finish a room, but I'm into space and color, and when I look at something, I can see past it not having an antiquity value."

Setting up shop in Nashville also brings Wolfe into close contact with the city's vibrant creative culture. Already, he has commissioned Hatch Show Print (a letterpress print shop first opened in 1879) to produce a limited-edition poster commemorating Antique Archaeology's opening.

Wolfe is giving back to Nashville as well. With the city putting the finishing touches on an $8.7 million effort to restore the historic Franklin Theatre, a 74-year-old cinema house that reopened in June, Wolfe stepped in to complete work on its green room, unearthing vintage 1940s fixtures that evoke the building's glory days.

The Franklin faced imminent demolition before local residents mounted a grass-roots campaign to bring it back to life. Now it lives on, allowing elder Nashvillians to relive their memories of the venue--and giving future generations the opportunity to create memories of their own. Maintaining the ties that bind yesterday, today and tomorrow is what drives Wolfe above all else.

"My job is putting things in their rightful place. If I don't buy something, it's going to rot, so I have to rescue it," he says. "One time I sold a green, wooden toolbox to a woman. She told me, ‘When I was a little girl, I used to go out to my grandfather's shed. I would stand on a green toolbox just like this one, climb up on his workbench and spend hours with him.' For me, those kinds of emotional connections are what this is all about."

Pickers film segments in South Dakota

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:23:00 +0000

Some of South Dakota’s finest hidden gems are set to be unveiled on a popular antiquing show.
The television show “American Pickers” recently filmed at the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo and the nearby 1880s Town.

A crew of 12 from the television show, which airs Monday nights on the History Channel, spent 12 hours picking and filming in Murdo on Aug. 11.

“It was quite exhausting,” said Dave Geisler, owner of the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo. “But it was a really good experience. They were very professional — it was a lot of fun.”

“American Pickers” features Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and Danielle Colby Cushman, three self-described “pickers” who are on a mission to recycle America. They dig through piles of what many people consider junk, looking for forgotten treasures to restore.

Fritz was not at the filming in Murdo; he was headed to Sturgis for the annual bike rally. Fritz did make a stop in Mitchell earlier that week, though, to pick up some parts for his bike at Sabers Specialties.
Geisler said that Colby Cushman took on the role of Fritz, while she and Wolfe picked their way through the 42 buildings at the Auto Show.

And they found a variety of treasures.

Some of the items purchased by the crew were a small race car, ladies jewelry, a Mickey Mouse mannequin and old toys.

Geisler had been in contact with producers from the show for several years. He knew they would make a stop in Murdo, he just didn’t know when.

The show sent scouts to look around Murdo, and, Geisler said, “they said this is definitely someplace we’ll want to look.”

When the crew of 12 did show up for filming, Geisler said they acted like they had just discovered the museum.

Typically, the pickers film on homeowners’ land, digging through basements, barns and junk yards. So stopping at the antique museum in Murdo was a different scene for the crew, Geisler said.

“We do probably have the largest private collection in America,” he added.

The Pioneer Auto Show opened in 1954 by A.J. Geisler, David’s father

The facility began specializing in antique and vintage cars, but has grown to include a large variety of antiques from old music boxes, bicycles, toys and jewelry.

In the end, it’s a picker’s dream.
The American Pickers stop for filming will be a big boost to the Pioneer Auto Show, as well as the rest of Murdo, Geisler said.

“It will be a wonderful thing for Murdo if it got national coverage,” he said. “It’s tourism season and it’s been down somewhat.”

The town had taken a hit this summer with hail and wind, Geisler said, damaging the museum’s facilities and knocking down billboards advertising the town’s attractions along Interstate 90.

An air date has not yet been set, but Geisler expects Murdo’s segment will be on in March or April 2012.

Mike is moving to Nashville

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:40:00 +0000

Mike Wolfe, co-star of American Pickers, recently moved to Nashville and opened an Antique Archaeology store. / Kristin Barlowe

Of all the locations for the choosing, reality star Mike Wolfe picked close to his heart when he made Nashville the location of his second Antique Archaeology store.

The co-star of History Channel’s American Pickers series is quick to say that whether he’s picking antiques or locations, he only picks what he loves. If that’s the case, this picker is having a love affair with all of Middle Tennessee.

As creator and co-star of the popular show, Wolfe offers a fascinating look at what pickers — the folks who scour the countryside for antiques — will go through to find vintage gold. While Wolfe logs some serious drive time all over the country scouting for treasures, he says his recent move to Nashville has, in many ways, brought him full circle.

“Nashville, to be honest with you, is key to why I even got this show,” Wolfe said. “In my small town, in my community, when I told people my idea for the show, they would laugh. Or they didn't understand.”

The draw of Lower Broadway

Though Wolfe is quick to say he will still maintain a presence in the tiny town of LeClaire, Iowa, where the initial season’s episodes were filmed, Nashville had him at hello.

“I was riding my motorcycle on the Natchez Trace and I cut through Nashville. Like everybody else, I ended up on Lower Broad, and I was like, ‘Man, this is so cool,’ ” Wolfe said.

Wolfe, an avid motorcyclist, then rode his bike to Leiper’s Fork and “ended up at Marty Hunt’s store, Leiper’s Fork Antiques, and I was blown away by the way the shop was put together.”

Wolfe credits Hunt, a woman he describes as “one of the modern-day founders of Leiper’s Fork,” as being one of the many Middle Tennesseans who championed him and his dream of a television show.

“I was naive. I had this idea for a show. I was like, you just call up the History Channel and tell them the idea,” he said. And that wasn’t the case. “I had to write a treatment, start pushing the idea to production companies, then edit the whole thing.”

Wolfe bought a video camera and starting filming the road trips that he and American Pickers co-star Frank Fritz took, logging hundreds of hours of video.

Hunt, who worked in the antique business for more than 20 years, remembers seeing the early video and being impressed with Wolfe’s commentary. What could have been simply an account of two men looking for junk was elevated by Wolfe’s personality.

“Mike can talk to a doorknob. He treats every person he meets with such enthusiasm and courtesy. And he is so passionate about antiques, restoration, people. It comes across,” Hunt said.

So Wolfe kept coming back to Nashville: He sold at the Nashville Flea Market and picked items for local antique dealers — “this community just gets my style, my stuff” — and he previewed his video to local antique dealers, art directors and music-industry folks and kept fine-tuning his ideas.

Highest ratings for History Channel

Wolfe spent almost four years honing the pitch. The show first aired in 2010 to the highest ratings the History Channel had ever scored.

American Pickers and his first American Archaeology store became so successful that Wolfe decided to put an addition on the shop.

“We started getting bids back on the shop in Iowa and it was around $200,000. For a town of 3,000, it didn’t make sense,” Wolfe explained. “We needed a bigger market.”

Wolfe said that since the “whole essence of the show was planted here in Nashville,” he looked here immediately for space.

His Nashville store, at 1300 Clinton St. in Marathon Village, is part showroom, part playground, with 2,000 square feet of space. It’s much bigger than his first shop, and Wolfe said people will be able to walk in and buy things they saw him pick on the show.

“This is my chance to take all the stuff we find and put it in here so people can say, ‘I get it.’ In Iowa, I don’t have the space or the market. People are not going to get it,” Wolfe said.

And Wolfe isn’t limiting his Nashville love affair to strictly selling vintage goods. The upcoming season of American Pickers will feature the saga of the start-up of the new store and his struggle to gather enough to keep both stores full.

In addition to nurturing the show, Wolfe also has an upcomingchildren’s book series, The Kid Picker, which will encourage children to learn the art of picking, and he’s trying his hand at songwriting, collaborating on an album called Music To Pick By. He credits Nashville with sparking what appears to be unlimited creativity.

“Nashville is this melting pot of creativity. If you can dream it, you can make it,” he said.

Picking in Iowa

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:29:00 +0000

“American Pickers” television star Mike Wolfe, owner of Antique Archaeology in LeClaire and host of the History Channel television show, was in Winnebago County Thursday afternoon along with co-host Frank Fritz to make a deal with collector Denny Hill at his barn northwest of Lake Mills.

The crew also traveled to Thompson to see more of Hill’s collection and made a purchase in Lake Mills.

In between deals, Wolfe took time to meet with fans for photos as word that the crew was in town traveled quickly and a crowd gathered. Producers of the show said there will be footage from Hill’s farm on an episode of the show that is expected to air sometime in the late fall.

Hill said it was an honor to have the American Pickers show an interest in his collections.

— By Emilie Nelson, Forest City Summit/Britt News-Tribune

“Looking for Amatuer ‘American Pickers.’ $$$ COMPTE TO WIN BIG $$$$

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:08:00 +0000

“Looking for Amatuer ‘American Pickers.’ $$$ COMPTE TO WIN BIG $$$$

The producers of the hit TV show “American Pickers” are doing a new show for the History Channel. We’re looking for America’s best amateur pickers to compete for the title of “Top Collector!” We are seeking picking partners (husband/wife, friends, father/son, etc) who are fun, knowledgeable and passionate about collecting. Do you spot the hidden treasurers that others miss? Do you know how to flip items for profit? Do you pick better than everyone you know?”

They’re looking for people who collect such things as classic cars, motorcyles and scooters, coin-operated machines, antiquie casino equipment, circus, carnival, TV or movie memorabilia, military and Civil War items, cast iron or antique toys.

“To apply, email Jennifer Styker here ASAP with a description of you and your picking partner, your area(s) of expertise, your phone numbers and a recent photo, or call Jennifer at (646) 873-6528.”

Mike Wolfe is now a Nashville song writer...

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:59:00 +0000

Most people know Mike Wolfe as a History Channel reality star on American Pickers, a show that chronicles Wolfe’s escapades hunting down antique treasures on the back roads of America. Now, after buying a home in the area and opening a store Antique Archeology in Nashville, he’s adding another line to his resume — songwriter.

Songwriter Linda Dyer introduced Wolfe to producer Brian Ahern and Ahern thought up the project “Music to Pick By.” Wolfe mentioned he was a fan of Dale Watson and Ahern brought the two together for a writing session and four hours later the pair had written three songs. Wolfe has since signed with BMI.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW TULSA FIND IS MOST VALUABLE EVER! | Antiques Roadshow | PBS

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:34:00 +0000

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW TULSA FIND IS MOST VALUABLE EVER! | Antiques Roadshow | PBS: "ANTIQUES ROADSHOW TULSA FIND IS MOST VALUABLE EVER!"

'American Pickers' show tonight features Pensacola | Pensacola News Journal | pnj.com

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:28:00 +0000

'American Pickers' show tonight features Pensacola | Pensacola News Journal | pnj.com

'American Pickers' star Mike Wolfe to make local Goodwill appearances

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Mike Wolfe, the star of the History Channel’s “American Pickers” will meet and greet shoppers – and scrounge around for good finds – at two new Goodwill locations.

Wolfe will make two appearances at recently-opened Chicagoland stores July 23.

From 10 a.m. to noon, he will be at the Arlington Heights south store, 900 W. Algonquin Road; and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., he will make an appearance at the Woodridge location, 8615 Woodward Ave.

KISS and American Pickers

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:59:00 +0000

Kiss and “American Pickers”: A star-studded night for local couple

By Kathryn Rem

It was a double bill of celebrities Monday (July 18) for Beth and Dave Packer of Virden.

As they were sitting in Bennigan’s having cocktails before the Kiss concert at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, they recognized Frank Fritz, one of the hosts of the TV show “American Pickers.”
“He drove four hours from Iowa to come to the show. We talked to him for a short time, had a picture taken with him (above, Fritz in center) and then he was off after people started to recognize who he was,” the Packers wrote.

On the History Channel’s “American Pickers,” Fritz hits the back roads of America, earning his living by restoring forgotten relics to former glory.

And speaking of glory, the Packers report they could have rock ‘n’ rolled all night with Kiss, one of their favorite bands.

Frank Fritz to offer free appraisal - Friday in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Chicagoans may bring their attic treasures to be appraised by antique collector Frank Fritz, star of TV’s “American Pickers,” and an appraiser from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the Craftsman Experience showroom at 233 W. Huron.

American pickers stops in Pittsylvania County

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:43:00 +0000

CHATHAM — Henry Burnett loves collecting old items and bartering.

“I’ve collected since I was old enough to drive,” Burnett said during an interview Thursday evening at his property off Beverly Heights Road in Chatham.

The History of Pittsylvania County, Virginia

Burnett had the experience of a lifetime when cast and crew members from the History Channel show “American Pickers” visited the area this week. They searched garages, sheds and trailers along the back roads of Pittsylvania County to buy antiques, odds and ends and other pieces of Americana.

“American Pickers” crew and cast members Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby Cushman spent Wednesday at Gary Parrish’s Mount Hermon area business, Parrish’s Paint & Body Shop, and his other property in Chatham before heading to Burnett’s place Thursday.

The show features Wolfe and Frank Fritz “on a mission to recycle America,” according to the television show’s web page at History.com. American Pickers “follows them as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories,” according to the show’s web page.

The show airs on Monday evenings.

The Danville Register & Bee tried to visit “American Pickers” while cast and crew were at Burnett’s property Thursday, but representatives would not allow media access. An attempt to contact Wolfe’s spokeswoman via telephone was unsuccessful.

Parrish, 66, said the “American Pickers” cast and crew were “extraordinarily nice” and that he was amazed they picked him to visit.

“Once I shook hands, I felt like I knew them my whole life,” Parrish said during an interview at his business Thursday.

“American Pickers” contacted Parrish about a month ago after his wife Betty emailed the show in February. They sent scouts to his garage shortly thereafter, Parrish said.

“I’ve just always liked old stuff,” said Parrish, who has vintage vehicles including an old state police car — a 1959 Ford — and a 1957 Studebaker Silverhawk.

The pickers, who also scoured his property in Chatham, bought three or four items from Parrish, including an old gas pump and an old jukebox. They expressed interest in his 1962 Ford Fairlane 500.

“It’s a day I won’t ever forget,” he said of Wednesday’s experience. Parrish said the episode will run in three of four months.

Burnett, 68, has been collecting antiques including old cars and auto parts, signs, oils cans and other goods. He keeps his aged collection in a garage and four trailers. He has at least 20 old automobiles lining his property, including two Chevrolet Corvairs, Ford Thunderbirds — two 1958s and a 1960 — and a 1938 Cadillac.

“I was just tickled to death they (American Pickers) would come out here to see what I got,” Burnett said at his property off Beverly Heights Road Thursday evening.

Burnett would not reveal what he sold to “American Pickers.” They told him not to tell what they bought from him, Burnett said. However, the cast and crew “were just super nice,” he said.

“It was totally fun,” Burnett said of their visit. “They were the nicest people you ever want to meet.”

Burnett said the episode will run in the fall.

Pickers - July 13th

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:30:00 +0000

American Pickers, Wednesday, July 13

Paul Kalina

July 13, 2011

The "pickers" are on the hunt of antiques and collectibles.

7mate, 9.30pm
Mike and Frank have high hopes of finding unusual collectables amid the rusty junk gathering dust in the garages and basements of the backwaters of the US in this knockabout show about antique ''pickers''. They hit the jackpot with their first port of call in tonight's episode, an old-timer whose immense collection includes a 1921 hamburger joint, a shed filled with 35 horse-drawn carriages and an original soda machine. Subsequent house calls are less fruitful but nonetheless demonstrate the perils and rewards of their gleaning; rooms filled with worthless reproductions that someone paid top dollar for, or a fellow collector who understandably won't let go of anything. The concept of this Collectors-meets-Bargain Hunt show is straightforward enough. Mike and Frank's boyish enthusiasm and the colourful people and places they stumble upon make it worthwhile.

Mesquite Man on American Pickers

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Skurow’s interest in Monday’s episode of the show will be a bit keener than usual — he’s in it.
American Pickers, which airs on the History Channel, stars Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, owners of an Iowa business they call Antique Archeology. The two men roam the countryside in search of items they can buy for resale. They drop in on collectors, hoarders and especially people who have inherited piles of what might seem to be junk.

Part of the show’s appeal is what the “pickers” discover; the rest is the interesting people they meet and the on-camera dickering that takes place when Wolfe and Fritz find something they want.

The show debuted in January of 2010 and became the top-rated non-fiction television show of 2010.

Skurow, a retired casino executive who lives in Mesquite, is a fan of the show. He’s been interested in antiques and collectibles since he was a teenager.

“I’ve been collecting since I was about 16 and began buying around the Las Vegas area,” he said. “It’s such fun stuff to have — there’s so much story in each item.”

He stored much of his collection in the buildings in his acreage along the Virgin River. It’s a pioneer farmstead he bought years ago, and it came with its own collection of antiques and artifacts.

When the Virgin River began flooding in 2005, Skurow scrambled to move his collection to a safer place. Despite his efforts, the water swept away some of his treasures.

“I probably lost $100,000 worth of antiques, including an old tractor,” he said. “They just went down the river.”

Among the items lost was a pool table that was too heavy to move.

“All of a sudden, it was gone,” he said.

As the water started rise in December of 2010, Skurow worried again about his collection, but the flooding didn’t touch any of his items.

“I didn’t want to be worrying about flooding all the time, so I decided to sell some of the things,” he said.

He posted some items on Craigslist, which attracted the attention of the producers of American Pickers. About four months ago, Wolfe and Fritz — accompanied by two cameramen, two producers, a director and three assistants — arrived at Skurow’s acreage. They spent a whole day sorting through Skurow’s collection while the cameras rolled.

“They came in the morning and they were still here when the sun went down,” Skurow said.

The main item the pickers liked was an antique horse-racing gambling machine, and they finally agreed on a price of $2,000.

“I sold it at a fair price, but I doubt I’ll be able to replace it,” Skurow said. “I’m kind of broken-hearted that I sold it, but I got caught up in the excitement.

“Antiques collectors say you’ll never regret anything you buy; you’ll only regret the things you sell.”

Wolfe and Fritz bought several other items, a gumball machine, and chips and playing cards from old casinos.

“The best part of the whole deal was just hanging out with these guys,” said Skurow. “They’re every bit as nice in person as they are on TV.

“They’re knowledgeable — they know what they’re doing.”

Skurow’s appearance will be part of the episode that airs at 9 p.m. Monday on the History Channel.

"American Pickers" makes it own town a star.

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:49:00 +0000

LeCLAIRE, Iowa — This riverfront town got its turn at being a star Saturday.
It was “American Pickers” Weekend, and two of the History Channel show’s stars, Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby Cushman, were right in the middle of it.
Wolfe is a familiar face around LeClaire, where his business, Antique Archeology, is located. He and Colby Cushman answered questions on a stage alongside the Mississippi River for about 500 people.
“What is happening to us is happening to our community,” Wolfe told the appreciative crowd. “Today is amazing because we get to showcase our community.”
The community showed plenty, with streets jammed with traffic and visitors flooding streets and stores on the scorching day.
During the question-and-answer session, the Pickers, sans Frank Fritz of Davenport, talked about picking, filming with the “Pawn Stars” for an upcoming episode, the Laurel and Hardy heads in Wolfe’s store, Colby Cushman’s crush on “Star Trek’s” William Shatner (Capt. James Kirk), their favorite episodes — including“Hobo Jack” — and getting 6,000 emails at the LeClaire business after the first episode in 2009. Autograph-seekers crowded around Wolfe after the Q&A.
Last year’s “American Pickers” weekend was whipped up as a tonic to sagging tourism in LeClaire caused by construction that partially closed the Interstate 80 bridge. This year, it continued to build on the program’s success.
“We are so thrilled,” LeClaire tourism manager Donna Walley said. “These people have been such a blessing to this town. When the Pickers showed up, it was a boost to this town.”
Walley pointed out that people from across the country were in town. Six women from Minnesota and Indiana had their pictures taken in front of Antique Archeology’s iconic van. The group of friends pointed to Amy Johnson of Indianapolis — and her celebrity crush on Wolfe — as the driving force behind organizing their weekend.
They enjoyed hearing Wolfe and Colby Cushman talk about the show’s background and how authentic they were when talking about LeClaire, helping children and about the people they meet. They planned on taking a river cruise, among other weekend activities, before returning home.
Karen DeSanto of Baraboo, Wis., was among 47 people who came down for the day on a bus. They have fond memories of the Pickers when they visited the International Clown Hall of Fame.
While celebrity-spotting was one part of the weekend, bargains could be found, too. Ginny Fullmer was running an estate sale up the hill from Cody Road. She and her husband, like many in LeClaire, count Wolfe as an acquaintance.
She said it was more work to bring stuff outside to display, but was worth it.
“I’m meeting a lot of people I wouldn’t normally meet,” she said. “I think that people are from all over

Want to be on American Pickers?

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Have any items, a collection or junk you want to sell? Don't quite know what's in your barn or storage shed? Frank and Mike want to hear from you.

The American Pickers will be touring the country again soon. Email us a text description of your junk or collection: If selected, you could be on American Pickers!
Email Now »
You are sending an e-mail to Cineflix Productions, the producers of American Pickers. You will be contacted only if they are interested.

What is 'picking'

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:32:00 +0000

These self-described "modern archaeologists" are a far cry from dumpster divers. Ask any American picker, and you'll probably learn there's a science to their scrounging, a method to their memorabilia-seeking mission. Antique pickers like Mike and Frank travel the country, meeting collectors, hoarders, amateur historians and other individuals who all have unique stories to tell. Each and every treasure they uncover is a new history lesson, providing a glimpse at American life in the recent and distant past.
And then, of course, there's the thrill of the hunt. Sometimes, it's a race against time, with various pickers traveling from far and wide to check out–and compete for–a hot lead. Working for clients such as set designers, photographers, decorators and dealers, pickers go on wild goose chases for anything from motorcycles to military regalia to Ferris wheels.
So where do pickers track down their wares? Often, it's way off the beaten path, in rural towns across the country, or right on the side of the road, especially on garbage pickup days. Sometimes they literally end up going from door to door, hoping to explore an abandoned barn or a basement packed to the gills with junk and gems.
Like antique dealers, pickers need a fabulous eye, especially when evaluating potential purchases that are covered in mildew, buried under dust or broken into fragments. It's a risky business, too: after all, one person’s trash doesn’t always translate into another’s treasure. Or, as Mike and Frank put it, "You’re only as good as the last deal you made

This isn't your grandmas 'picking'

noreply@blogger.com (KBlogger) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:30:00 +0000

This isn't your grandmother's antiquing. Pickers like Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz are on a mission to recycle America, even if it means diving into countless piles of grimy junk or getting chased off a gun-wielding homeowner's land. Hitting back roads from coast to coast, the two men earn a living by restoring forgotten relics to their former glory, transforming one person's trash into another's treasure. American Pickers follows them as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories. If you think the antique business is all about upscale boutiques and buttoned-up dealers, this show may change your mind--and teach you a thing or two about American history along the way.