The Unexpected Finds Waiting to Be Unearthed at Antique Archaelogy in Nashville

Even though we don’t have cable, I of course know who Mike Wolfe is from American Pickers. Mostly because he has a house out in Leiper’s Fork and is neighbor’s with one of my tennis buddies.

What I didn’t know was that he had a store here in Nashville called Antique Archaeology. (Which apparently I would’ve if I did watch the show because it’s on there.)

However, I learned about it when our friends from Seattle paid us a visit last month. We were trying to figure out what sites they’d most like to see. Doug had it pinpointed on his phone’s map and asked, “Do you guys know how to get here?”

That was the first time I’d ever heard of the store. The name instantly piqued my interest.

Lurking within Marathon Village

We saw it was in Marathon Village. It took me a second to register why that sounded familiar, which I did once my husband said, “Remember? That’s where we went to see Collective Soul in concert at Marathon Motor Works.”

Ah yes. That concert. (The concert was fine, but it was standing room only following a near 100 degree day. I’d been playing tennis to condition for the Sectionals meet in Mobile, Alabama, which my team was going to be competing in the following week. I was wiped out come show time and there was nowhere to rest my weary bones. I’m sure I was dehydrated, and I still don’t know how I survived that night without a visit to the ER.)

Anyway, apparently Marathon Village, and definitely Antique Archaeology, are tourists destinations here in Nashville. Something we learned when we took our guests and played both tour guide and tourists in our own city for the day. (Which is always a fun thing to do.)

Digging Into Antique Archaeology’s Artifacts

Oh the treasures waiting to be discovered inside Antique Archaeology’s walls!

The very first thing that caught my eye was the old gypsy fortune teller case.

If I’d had a spare $3k laying around, I would’ve snatched it up. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been a sucker for fortune telling machines.

Alas, much to my chagrin (but my husband’s delight), it was out of our price range. (Way out.)

Then, right next to it, was another “treasure” that spoke to my twisted, macabre soul: a mannequin head! (Literally it’s right next to it. You can see it peeking just to the right of the Gypsy Grandma in the photo above.)

But here’s a better photo it…

 

Not sure how much she cost. If she had a price tag, I didn’t catch it in any of my photos. (I think I purposely didn’t look, because if I ever get my haunted mannequin book done, what a great prop she’d be to take to events. But if she was more than $10, which surely she must’ve been, no way could I afford her. Le sigh.)

Display Only

And then there was the prized treasure (at least in my mind): the Wolf Boy.

What in the world…?

I was so fascinated with this artifact in particular, I hung out with it until my husband and our friends were done roaming the rest of the store.

It felt wrong to want it, but I did. What in the heck would I really do with a Wolf Boy? Seriously? I didn’t need it.

And was it even right to “own” such a thing? Just how twisted am I?

Besides, if the Gypsy Grandma was commanding such a hefty price, this bad boy must be near priceless. (Or may as well be, since I was positive he was as far out of our price range as a trip to the moon.)

Priceless was close. He was actually NFS. You can see it on the close up of his tag (below), which also explains his origins.

Anyway, our jaunt to Antique Archaeology was an unexpected adventure. Definitely will be adding this to the list of possible places to take visitors when showing them around Nashville. (Plus, it’s  a good excuse for me to go back and see what new odd things they may have on display..and maybe say hello to the Wolf Boy if he’s still out!)

Jaunt There!

Antique Archaeology Nashville
1300 Clinton Street
Nashville, TN 37203
615.810.9906
http://www.antiquearchaeology.com/