One man’s junk has turned out to be another man’s treasure for one Edmonton business owner who has collected everything from vintage Coca-Cola memorabilia to old gas station signs.
The mass collection of memorabilia and antiques takes up an entire warehouse dubbed the Garagemahall at Rick Falvo’s electrical business, Falvo Electric Supply Inc. on 87A Street near 58 Avenue.
But somehow Falvo has managed to fill that large space in only 16 years that began from buying an old Coca-Cola cooler at an antique show.
“My wife would go to these antique shows and I would just sit in the lobby and wait for her,” said Falvo.
“One day I got tired of sitting around and then I saw this cooler, which reminded me of my younger days when I used to deliver newspapers.
“I bought that cooler and then my wife bought me a Coke sign, and then look out—we just went wild.”
The Falvos were hooked into antique shopping as they travelled just about every weekend to search for new treasure, which eventually created some problems as they managed to run out of space in their garage at home.
Now, after creating more space at his warehouse, Falvo has given his guests a chance to walk back in time as he has a massive room devoted for old gas station enthusiasts with old pumps dating back to the 1930s, a general store, a diner, a jukebox room and a room devoted to Coca-Cola. Falvo intends to add a saloon in the near future where his guests and clients can enjoy a bubbly beverage.
