I was driving on Wade Hampton when I made a sad discovery. Shinola Antiques has closed. There was a real estate sign on the building and a huge dumpster out front.
…and they would need a huge dumpster, probably several of them. I can’t see all of that junk moving to a new location.
The stuff there was weird, eclectic, and probably not worth much to anyone else. They had the strangest collection of old doll parts I’ve ever seen.
I could spend hours in there with a camera, if it weren’t for the mold and mildew that would start to get to you after awhile. I’m going to miss that place.
I did some digging and I did find an article from June 25 on the WYFF4 website that reported on the closing. Owner Ben McDaniel said that he just needs “a sabbatical.” He hopes to open in a new location in a couple of years. He has recently purchased the old Armstrong Elementary School off of White Horse Road, and plans to use it as storage and as a private residence. No word on whether that will be his new location or not. Who knows?
If that wasn’t bad enough, the cool coffee place across the street has also closed.
With both Shinola and Fix gone, I was worried that the buildings were going to be torn down for some development. I really like the unusual shape of the Fix Coffee building, and would hate to see it gone. Fortunately, there is a sign that says “For Rent” on the door.
However, all is not lost. Just up the street on Wade Hampton a new place has opened. Dodson Dig Company has more of an “American Pickers” vibe than the unbridled collection of junk that was Shinola. The displays are not overwhelming, and they have some cool stuff.
The hours are a bit odd, so you have to make sure you catch them when they are open.
The place is larger than it looks from the road, and there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore, kind of like Shinola was. There is a large space in the back with garage doors that’s set up as an auction house. Owner Nathan Dodson has just completed auctioneer school and plans to start holding regular auctions in October. I think I’d like to attend some of those.
I never found anything I wanted to buy at Shinola. My first visit to Dodson and I spent a LOT of money. I’ve been looking for the perfect bookcase for my antique hymnal collection. For the past year the collection has been boxed up, and I really want to get it into a better storage a display case. I had been looking for a barrister bookcase with the glass doors. They had one there, and Nathan made me a deal that I couldn’t resist.
Nathan included an extra foot and crown set so that I could break the case into two separate units. That actually worked out better for me.
I polished up the wood, cleaned the glass, and loaded it up with my hymnals. The cases look great in the basement.
I’m sad to see Shinola and Fix gone, but I understand that to keep these places in business you have to spend money there. We just didn’t do that. I hope Dodson Dig does well, and I’m looking forward to attending some auctions when they get up and running.
