- Editor’s
Note:
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- This
column is a regular feature in the Wayback Times in which my
husband takes interesting people out to lunch … and sends
me the bill.
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- (It's
a tough job, but someone has to do it!)
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- Send
us an e-mail if you have someone in mind for one of Peter Neilly's
interviews over lunch.
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- Peter Neilly is Out
to Lunch
- Breaking bread with
interesting people
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- Out to Lunch!
- with Peter Neilly
- Occasionally
“The Warden” and I are asked how we choose the people
I take Out To Lunch. Every situation is different, but one night
in June while watching the Canadian Pickers show on the History
Channel, Sandy shouted: “Hey, there’s George on TV.”
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- The George she
was referring to is George Lawrence, who owns and operates
George's Custom Paint and Nostalgic Station in Lindsay. We have
known George for a number of years, having sold pieces to him
and we've had work done by him.
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- Shortly after
we saw him on the show, he was in our shop buying some signs
and Sandy suggested I interview him for the paper. George chose
The Boathouse Café at The Golden Beach Resort on Rice
Lake, where he and his wife own a cottage.
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- We had a nice
lunch and went back to his cottage on the water for this interview.
I know it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
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- Peter: Before I ask you about
your appearance on the Canadian Pickers Show, I need to know
how you got interested in collecting, restoring, and selling
antiques and collectibles and where you learned the skills required
to reach the high level of quality that your work showcases.
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- George: I guess my interest
started because of my mother owning an antique store, Cameron
Schoolhouse Antiques. She always did the Lindsay show and was
the first dealer as you entered the show. I was always fairly
good at art and went to the Ontario College of Art in the mid
seventies. I learned to airbrush and, in fact, the first thing
I painted on a car was a sunset scene I airbrushed on the back
of a Volkswagen Beetle. People liked what I did and so I started
doing vans and motorcycles. I ended up working for a body shop
and eventually had my own shop in Lindsay. For the last 10 or
12 years, I have been restoring more and more old gas pumps and
Coke machines and the business just grew and grew. I set up a
nice showroom at the body shop, but it was impossible to keep
pieces that were completed clean. I eventually sold the body
shop, although I still do some work for regular customers.
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- Peter: I have seen many examples
of your restorations and the quality is first-class.
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- George: It requires a lot of
patience. It is not easy to paint on glass or porcelain. I now
do lots of old signs as well as the old gas pumps and Coke machines.
I have a 2,400-square- foot shop that is full and at present
I have four transport trailers full of future projects. Those
are the trailers they showed on the Canadian Pickers show.
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- Peter: How did you end up
on the show?
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- George: They advertised for
people with interesting stuff and my son responded to them. They
asked for pictures of what we had and we sent them some. They
asked lots of questions and then they showed up to film the episode.
It took a full day of filming, but they didn’t buy a lot.
They have to pay about what I pay in order to resell at a profit.
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- Peter: I guess you got some
free advertising out of it?
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- George: The response was incredible.
We got tons of emails and the next day I had to put a chain across
the driveway to stop people from coming in. It was amazing. I
think I’m also getting business as a result of that new
show on the History Channel, American Restorations. It is a spin
off from Pawn Stars that shows how things can be restored and
the work that is involved to do it properly. They also quote
prices for restorations and what a piece is worth after it is
done the right way. A lot of customers who watched that show
called after they realized what their soda machines or vintage
signs are worth restored. I also get a great reaction from my
ad in the Wayback Times.
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- Peter: Your son was also on
the show with you. Is he involved in the business as well?
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- George: That’s my son
Shane and he is involved. He grew up in the body shop so he restores
stuff at his home in Newmarket and brings it up to me to paint.
He is always on Kijiji buying and selling. Shane and his brother
Corey are both firefighters. Corey collects Batman stuff. My
other son Joey, who did my website, is a photographer and he
has done a lot of promotion shots for several TV shows, including
Pawn Stars. He got us all invited to the show when we were in
Vegas. We met Austin “Chumlee” Russell and he
let us hang around for a filming of one of the episodes. They
are a friendly bunch on that show. There is a ton of promotional
stuff that my son produced, like Chumlee shirts and mugs and
photos they sell in the shop. The Old Man on the show has his
portrait my son took, signed and hanging in his office. Joey
has his own website – joeyl.com - that is definitely worth
a visit just to view some of his photos.
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- Peter: I know from running
an antique business that many people get upset when they see
a piece that has been stripped and refinished. I know myself
I wouldn’t want an old dresser covered in leaded paint sitting
in my house, but collectors pay much more for an original finish.
How do you feel about refinishing or restoring the pieces you
do?
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- George: If I have a rusty old
Coke sign that’s beat up it isn’t worth anything unless
I do restore it, then I refinish it. But if I come across a sign
that only has a few chips where the screws went in and is only
weathered then I won’t touch it. It is more valuable left
as is. If people go to my website, they can see examples of items
I have restored.
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 Peter: Where do you find all of these old
gas pumps and Coke machines and are some more rare than others?
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- George: I am so busy I hardly
have time to go to shows or other places to buy stuff, but people
know me and keep bringing pieces in for me to buy. I do buy some
pieces off Kijiji, but you have to react very fast or things
are gone. I have bought off eBay, but you have to keep in mind
it can cost from $500 to $700 just to have a Coke machine or
gas pump shipped. I have so much stock that I am only buying
rare pieces, like old clock face gas pumps. They just have a
dial that calibrates gallons and not the price. Some arcade games
are rare. Anything I buy now has to be rare or very reasonably
priced.
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- Peter: Thanks for spending
time with me today, George. Keep up the great work. You have
an amazing talent. We're really fortunate to have you located
here in Ontario.
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- George’s
Custom Paint and Nostalgic Station is located in Lindsay, Ontario,
705-328-0122. Visit georgescustompaint.com or email him at nostalgicstation@hotmail.com
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