Shopping at 2Bobs

Almost every day I go past the 2 Bobs General Store, and I always have wondered what is inside a store with such an intriguing name. So one day I stopped in to take a look around.

Inside I found two friendly guys in a rather small store. It is like a large flea-market booth at a flea market. If you like flea markets or NASCAR or knick-knacks, you will probably enjoy it.
I have never figured out why people buy this stuff, but as they say, de gustibus non est disputandum.
They also have some stuff that is utilitarian.Their store actually has two rooms. In the back room was more stuff, including fishing equipment and books and a lot more flea-market stuff.
I went back a little too far and found their office, where the shelves were just piled with stuff. I guess I should not have gone there.
The sign in the front gives the website address for 2Bobs, and from their website you can find their myspace page and their ebay page. Rensselaer has had a number of flea-market stores over the years, and they have all had fairly short lifespans. To be honest, I do not understand how a flea-market store can be a viable business here, but that view may reflect family history in retailing.
Michael O told me that I should mention the billboards on the building. They are in an Art-Deco style, which suggests that the building was built before 1950. However, one of my sources for Rensselaer history (Karen M) tells me that she remembers the building being built, probably in the late 1950s. For many years, and even when I came to Rensselaer, it was Wright's furniture. Now the major retailer is Fases, which will be the topic of some future post.