TREASURE HUNT

I didn’t get on my bike all summer. Packing and moving (not to mention working) took up all my spare time. Then school started and free time got scarce and before I knew it we were cleaning out a space in the garage to store the bikes for winter.

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m a hardcore rider. I’m not. I can go months (occasionally years) between outings. But every now and then I like to hop on my electric blue, early 1970s, Schwinn – a $9.99 thrift store find – and take a spin around the neighborhood. When the tires aren’t flat, or there isn’t snow on the ground or I should be getting dinner on the table.

This bike causes a lot of raised eyebrows and rolled eyes at my house. My children aren’t so sure it’s cool to watch mom ride off on an old bike with a big basket on the front. I don’t know why they are so concerned. In the spirit of compromise, I took the baseball card out of the spokes.

I really meant to use that bike more this summer.

Every day, just as I crossed over the bridge on north Monroe Street, I would see vintage bikes, like mine only cooler, parked in front of Timebomb Collectibles. I’d tell myself that as soon as I got home, no matter what crisis met me at the garage door, I would pump up those tires and hit the pavement.

Well, that’s what I would tell myself.

Last weekend, getting ready to park my bike for another winter made me curious about the story behind Timebomb Collectibles, so I dropped in.

This is not your grandmother’s favorite dusty antique shop. It’s a funky little place with a lot of mid-century kitsch.

Josh Scott, the owner, likes it that way. Scott previously owned a vintage clothing store downtown. That space closed nine years ago. Since opening the store early last summer, Scott has been buying and selling items that especially appeal to younger shoppers.

“I’m looking for 16- to 35-year-old buyers,” he said. “My stuff has an edge.”

He’s right. Vintage toys, stylized 1950s lampshades and funky vintage clothing all compete for space with the bikes.

Timebomb Collectibles is just one of a number of new antiques and collectibles spaces that have opened downtown in the last few months. If you haven’t driven up Monroe in a while, it might be a good time to do so. There are some interesting changes going on.

Poking around in Scott’s little store convinced me I don’t need to put away my bike just yet. I should pack a lunch in the basket and go for a ride

There’s still time to take a loop or two around the park.