Time for an update on Rusty Relics and the BVD

So, what's going on at Rusty Relics and the BVD? Well, it's past time to explain.

To begin with - if it's not already clear – both our store and the BVD office is temporarily closed. For the next few weeks as we'll be work on a rebuilding project. Contrary to rumors, the new construction that began in June behind Rusty Relics isn't a huge hair salon, strip club or whatever else people are saying. It's actually just the back half of a new, energy efficient building.

We closed about two weeks ago and spent several days packing up and storing our inventory and equipment. Since then, we've been working to dismantle the old drive-inn to make way for a new building, which will cover the footprint of the original.

There's not much I dislike more than announcements of new buildings touting how much of an improvement the new place will be. The truth is it often means the end of something that many people found special. Our building began life as Didriksen's Drive Inn in the mid 60's and was later home to Mom's Drive Inn, before being remodeled in 2003 as a home and office. Like most locals, we both have strong memories of the building's restaurant days. Mom's Drive Inn was an institution in town when my wife was growing up here, and it's also home to my first memory of Lincoln. The Drive Inn was the first place my family stopped when we came to town in 1985, after a summer spent living in an old Army tent. My mother, sister and I were happy they served fried mushrooms, and I met at least one of the students I later went to high school with that fall.

Originally, we didn't plan to take down the old building. A couple years ago we realized we just didn't have the room we needed for Rusty Relics' inventory. So, we planned to build an addition to the existing building for more room. But as so often happens with such projects, we hit a snag. It became clear that there would be issues with the roofline for an addition and the original building's roofline. Complicating the issue is the fact the original building has two roofs, a newer one built over the original, and neither is in great condition.

In the end it came down to a business decision. It would be impractical (and a potential eyesore for the town) to hodge-podge the thing together. For the next several we'll be taking down the old building and salvaging what we can of the original structure for use in the new one.

Rusty Relics and the BVD Office should re-open in a few weeks - as soon as possible after the new construction is completed. But be warned: we'll likely still be working to put the finishing touches on the interior.

We'll reopen the BVD print shop in part of the new building, and try to keep the website updated, but with all the work going into the overhaul of our building, we're very limited on what we can do right now.

Once Rusty Relics re-opens, be sure to check in often. Our selection of antique and vintage finds will be quite a bit more substantial when we empty our house and sheds full of cool old stuff. A couple very generous and understanding friends will have their garages back too.