Obnoxious Antiques in Burlington preserves pieces of ‘misfit’ Americana
For more than 50 years, owner John Polito has been buying and refurbishing vintage items, from machines to carnival figures, neon signs and roadside statues.
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If you’ve ever driven down Route 130 in Burlington, you’ve more than likely noticed a curious collection of statues, signs and vintage objects outside a warehouse-like building. Inside is Obnoxious Antiques, a shop dedicated to buying, restoring and reselling pieces of forgotten Americana.
For more than 50 years, owner John Polito has been buying and refurbishing vintage items, from machines to carnival figures, neon signs and roadside statues.
“When I graduated from college back in 1969, 1970, I was kind of bored. So, I went out and bought a couple of pinball machines, sold them, and we bought a few more. Sold them. Then all of a sudden, I found myself, that there was money in this,” Polito said.
What began with a handful of pinball machines grew into a warehouse filled with decades old artifact items Polito said might otherwise have been discarded or destroyed.
“Over the years, we’ve had thousands and thousands and thousands of pieces that we’ve sold, and it’s all in collections. It’s all in museums. And it’s just been a labor of love,” he said.
Polito is joined by co-owner, Joe Csik, who specializes in finding, buying, and selling the items for the business.
“I like cutting the deals, making things happen, you know, bringing something that somebody had no respect for to bring it up to where they do have respect for true Americana,” Csik said.
Many of the items eventually end up in private collections, museums, or on movie sets. But Csik said the mission goes beyond sales, and is really, people.
“It makes people happy. They relate to it. They were kids. They were at a carnival. They were a circus. It just their faces light up when they see it. And it’s not going away. I mean, nobody, nobody’s saving it. And we’re fortunate enough to get the leads and chase it down and save it and make people happy,” he said.
Everything at Obnoxious Antiques is available for sale or rent, and you can even schedule a time to come see the facility yourself on their website. https://obnoxiousantiques.com/
