As promised earlier, we are leap-frogging over several successful forays into antique shops earlier in the trip to report on another shop connected to a popular TV show.

Heading out on this trip, we knew we wanted to re-visit Orange, California.  Seven years ago, we rushed through several antique malls there prior to boarding an airplane for home.  We also knew that Orange was the home of the Now and Then Second Hand Store, which is owned by Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante of Storage Wars fame.  (No, as expected, they were not there in person.)

We had no trouble locating the shop, which is in a strip mall at 810 N. Tustin in Orange.

The big truck parked out front is a dead give-away, too.

Inside, the shop was very neat.  There were shelves of knickknacks, housewares, electronic things, holiday decorations, toys, etc.  Glass cases held jewelry and Jarrod/Brandi merchandise such as autographed photos, playing cards, shot glasses, etc.  We didn’t pay much attention to the furniture, but there was an entire room of it.

We were looking for vintage things, and there actually were some.  Most items in the shop were probably between five and fifteen years old, but here and there something older popped up.  I was leaning toward buying a tiny Woodstock (from Peanuts) bobble-head that was about forty years old and cost $19.99.  That was a little more than it was worth, but I wanted a souvenir.  Then Jim spotted a Rittgers plaster baseball player figurine for $14.99.  He had some condition problems on one leg, but we know a restorer who can easily fix that.  (Her name is Amy.)

A quick check on eBay turns up many Rittgers sculptures.  Most date to the 1940’s (This one is dated 1941 right on his foot.) and have quirky, cartoonish faces.  Many, but not all, have a sports theme.  The baseball and boxing figures are quite collectible.  Examples of our baseball figure brought anywhere from about $20 to $50.  We didn’t steal him from Brandi and Jarrod, to be sure, but we felt that we got a good deal.  Plus, he’s something we would have bought at any antique shop, show, or flea market at that price.

It was fun to visit a second shop connected with a well-known TV show on this trip.  Unlike Antique Archeology in LeClaire, the Now and Then Second Hand Shop does not bill itself as an antique shop and, therefore, cannot ask the moon and the stars for its merchandise.  Compared to thrift stores back home, we thought the prices were a bit high, but we didn’t visit any other California thrift stores for comparison.  Still and all, our visit to the Now and Then Second Hand Store yielded something we liked, and that’s what it’s all about.