AUGUSTA — Having cluttered piles of dusty and rusty old stuff sitting around the barn could pay off in a television appearance for a few Mainers.
And if producers for the History Channel program “American Pickers” find enough interesting spots here to pick through in a hunt for antiques and collectibles, the show’s stars could be in central Maine to do some digging sometime after Labor Day.
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Thomas Giglio, a producer who works with Danielle Colby Cushman, an on-air co-star of the program, said they haven’t decided where in Maine to visit. They need to find places for co-stars Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz to comb through in their search for treasure amid piles of trash.
“It depends on which areas of Maine bring us the best collections,” Giglio said. “Mike and Frank will take a look once we’ve assessed what’s in private collections there.”
Giglio said they’re not looking for museums, antique stores, garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, commercial stores or other places open to the general public. They’re looking for undiscovered treasures in private collections. The dirtier and dustier the better.
“We love big, dingy, dirty areas with lots of grime and clutter,” Giglio said. “The spirit of the show is they like to pick through people’s stuff. We’re not looking for a gallery or museum. We want things that are a little more messy, if you will.”
Big is also better. Show officials note someone with one or two items, no matter how great those items are, won’t make it onto the show. They’re looking for large collections to look through because, as the name of the show suggests, they need places to pick.
Giglio said he’s reached out to media and chambers of commerce across the state to get the word out they’re looking for pickable places in Maine for the upcoming visit.
He said he works directly with Cushman, whose role on the show is to find places for Fritz and Wolfe to pick.
Mainers with stuff that they think could be attractive to the pickers, or who know of someone else who may have lots of stuff, may contact officials of the company that produces the series, Cineflix Inc., by email at AmericanPickers@Cineflix.com, or by calling and leaving a message at 1-646-493-2184. Potential participants are asked to provide producers with their name, phone number, municipality and state of residence, and description and photographs of items the show may be interested in.
Giglio noted the show is specifically not interested in collections of agricultural items, glassware and signs, because the show has already had its fill of those types of items.
The show is in its sixth season and follows Fritz and Wolfe as they drive around the country in their van looking for interesting items they can pick and negotiate prices for with their owners. They later resell the items they purchase in one of their stores. The show hosts also frequently talk at length with the often colorful characters who amass the piles of trash and treasures they prefer to pick through.
The show has been in Maine before. In 2011, they picked items from Champion Auto in Arundel from Mario Binette, who collects motorcycles and bicycle items, and other places in southern Maine.
Keith Edwards — 621-5647
kedwards@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @kedwardskj
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