Even with single-digit temperatures deterring what Willoughby resident Tom Pescha guessed to be “a good amount of people,” scores of enthusiasts still braved the elements to be a part of an event marked by passionate devotion.
No, this gathering had nothing to do with a winless football team.
The Antique and Collectible Old Toy Show, held Jan. 6 at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland drew significantly less, but probably infinitely happier people than the Cleveland sports parade/protest, as delighted attendees inquired vendors about everything from old-school lunch pails and Han Solo action figures to comic books and retro pharmacy Ex-Lax advertising.
Pescha, who coordinates the biannual event with his partner, Jim Wendorf, knew the weather would dissuade overall attendance, but also knew those considering themselves more than just hobbyists would definitely show up.
“We’re still going to have about 350 to 400 people throughout the day,” he said. “We updated our page early to let people know we were still putting the show on. Some people don’t want to come out in this weather, but once word was out that there was no advisory and that the roads were clear, we knew people would show up.
“It’s always steady, though the one we hold in October typically brings more out, and that’s expected. We’ve already had a nice crowd. Collectors are always looking for things they haven’t found. Based on that, we knew we’d be fine.”
Pescha and Wendorf have learned over the years to join ‘em if you can’t beat ‘em, embracing the power of the internet to not only get the word out about the show, but to use it to locate rare items.
“I advertise on Craigslist,” said Pescha, “why not? Because of the internet, there has not been much growth over the years as far as volume of attendees, but that’s also because there are so many shows around the region. We get people from New York and Pennsylvania as well as Northeast Ohio.
“You can find all kinds of things thanks to the internet. All the older toys collectors had when they were kids can be found, and people buy them. These shows have it over the internet due to the fact that the people want to touch the items. They don’t want to trust the condition of an item on two or three pictures, and condition dictates value, like a car.”
One of the 25 vendors at the show, in its 10th year at Lakeland, was the Painesville Railroad Museum where Wendorf and Pescha serve as president and vice president, respectively. All proceeds from their booth go to the restoration of the museum.
“It’s also helping out the community and preserving history,” Pescha said.
For over 30 years, Frank, the owner of Frank’s Toy Box in Geneva-on-the-Lake, has been specializing in unique and retro advertisements, toys and assorted memorabilia, traveling to shows in Indianapolis, Columbus and Pennsylvania.
“Non-collectors don’t understand that people do want this stuff,” he said. “I’ve been to shows with 500 vendors. Things have changed, but sophisticated collectors have this in their bones. They will always seek items out. It’s fun.”
Wendorf is one of those collectors, perhaps more sophisticated than others, as his decades-long love of the Chevrolet Corvette remains unabated.
“I’ve got 3,000 die-cast Corvettes in my collection, and it’s growing,” said the Concord Township resident, adding that he also has a “life-sized” ’Vette in his garage. “It’s a ’77 C3. My wife calls the car ‘Floozy’ since I spent so much time with her.”
Pescha’s wife, Louisa, was one of the event’s first purchasers, buying a stuffed “kitty cat.”
“People have to understand that serious collectors and even superficial hobbyists connect to the past with a lot of these items,” he said. “It brings back memories. We always see fathers and sons and grandfathers and grandsons talking about old and new toys. There’s a valued nostalgia that won’t ever go away.”