By David Haerle
Grays Harbor News Group
Back in April, when the “American Pickers” made their way to Grays Harbor, they made two stops with their production crew — and two full-day picks.
The first, which aired Sept. 9, was with local collector Terry Baltzell at his place up the Wishkah.
The second, which took place in the heart of downtown Hoquiam, will air Monday at 9 p.m. local time on the History Channel.
The brief synopsis provided by the History Channel states: “While picking their way through Washington State, the guys visit their VW spirit brother, Norm, who’s got two giant buildings full of vintage wheels and a backroom overloaded with awesome signs.”
The Norm they speak of is Norm Callaghan, owner of Gordon’s Service on K Street in Hoquiam.
They also offer a little biographical information: “Norm’s dad was a hot-rodder, and he inherited his passion for cars. Mike (Wolfe) and Frank (Fritz) visit his old bus station and are in awe over his car and sign collection. Mike shows interest in a rare motorhome called a Hanomag from the late ’60s.”
The Daily World was provided an exclusive advance screening of the show, which proved both entertaining and educational.
The production crew spent more than 12 hours at Callaghan’s shop, and viewers will learn some of the history of its almost century-old buildings during the 25-minute segment.
“I’m kind of looking forward to it finally being over,” Callaghan said earlier this week with a grin. “It’s been six months since they were here, and that’s all anybody wants to talk about. “I have no idea what to expect.”
Well, obviously, there’s the picking and haggling that went on, which seemed to delight Frank and Mike; but the show also offers some great insight into how Callaghan’s love for cars and automotive memorabilia stems from his father and other relatives.
Frank and Mike spent “just under $22,000” that day, but you will have to tune in to see what they paid for specific treasures.
Callaghan said the show brought a crew of about 20 people, including its own “crowd control” to help contain the hundreds of people who gathered across the street from his shop that day. He noted that Frank and Mike spent about 90 minutes with the crowd, taking pictures and signing autographs, after the filming wrapped up.
Part of the deal with the show producers was that Callaghan had to close his working auto shop for the entire day, which he said was a “make or break” aspect of the visit, so he reluctantly did so.
But he was happy with the result. “I didn’t sell them anything I really cared about — I’ve got a lot more,” he said with a chuckle.
There were some items that Frank and Mike asked about during their visit, but got the response “I don’t want to sell that” from Norm.
All of those items had local ties, and that prompted this understanding statement from co-host Mike Wolfe during the episode: “For Norm, it’s a two-lane road. It’s not just about automotive history, it’s about local history and how they parallel.”
