ACME GARAGE

ACME GARAGE ~ A Photo Blog, by Gerean Pflug

Before meeting Casey Gillum, owner of Acme Garage in Medford, OR,

I’d heard about his shop so many times, I felt that I’d already been there.

The word is definitely out, a new kind of mercantile has moved into the Rogue Valley

Acme Garage makes the phrase “Man Cave” a gross understatement.

Located at  2784 W. Main Street in Medford, OR,

Acme Garage connects to Morrow’s Architectural Salvage.

The two have merged into one very large and highly unique compound.

Vintage and antique signage,

old parts & implements

and rusty things

of days long past

decorate the entire rustic wood exterior of the large, U-shaped building.

Music plays from a 1955  blue Chevy dashboard with a high quality JVC stereo installed where the old radio used to be.  This mega-cool remnant of auto history is the backdrop to the Acme Garage sales counter, where customers can pull up a vinyl & chrome 50’s style garage stool and hang out.

A pool table open for customer use fills a large space at the store’s entrance

 and games of yesteryear are found throughout the 6,000 sq. ft. store.

His father’s passion for picking and collecting, especially antique and vintage signage and advertisements, influenced Gillum’s love for the same.  As a child, he and his father frequently travelled to many off-the-beaten-path locations hunting treasure, regularly returning with a truckload of collectibles.

As the years passed, Gillum’s interests broadened and his love for the pick became more personal.  After relocating from Wyoming to Oregon, Gillum formed friendships with others who loved to pick and a vision began to develop of what has now become Acme Garage.

There’s nothing common about the categories of merchandise found here,

which range from soda pop to creepy-cool collectibles.

Affectionately referred to by Gillum as his “Man-Tique Store,”

Acme Garage is filled with unique collectibles that mainly cater to masculine tastes.

Large areas are merchandised and staged by private vendors,

such as well-known local merchandiser, Ron Dunn, Craftsman,

specializing in vintage furniture, reclaimed industrial items and parts & pieces.

Martinis & More  hosts an amazing display of the finest quality

collectible martini shakers, servers, glasses and unique barware.

If not for the price tags affixed to each item,

one might mistake Acme Garage for a museum ~

which speaks to the energy and care focused on the well-staged merchandise.

“We don’t want the store to be just for shopping . . .

We want people to hang out and have fun,”  

says Gillum . . .

And fun it is ~

The store offers customers 6,000 sq. ft of shopping space, plenty of parking and an ever changing display of merchandise offered by numerous private vendors, covering a broad range of vintage and antique categories including signage, advertisements, toys, games, mechanical collectibles, art, auto, music, furniture, storage, lighting and a lots of rust.

The Acme Garage group are a creative bunch,

 often upcycling and repurposing their parts into treasures.

Throughout the store, shoppers will find old parts and pieces

masterfully transformed into tables, chairs, lamps and other functional items.

Gillum’s partnering vendors, take turns manning the store.  Private vendors include:

Ron Dunn, Aaron Evans,  Juan Gonzales, Dave Thompson,

Moe Miller, Doug O’Dell, Gail Gonsalves,

Robert Cleveland, Mike Thomas, Brandon Vohander, Lee Dunn, Michael Stephenson,

Bernadine Lawson, Darrell Goodwine. Rich Wilson & Craig Warren

and Brian Barton of Spit ‘N’ Polish Antiuqes (Williams, OR)

With the warmer months coming,

Acme Garage  is considering hosting a variety of events.  And . . .

Casey Gillum has been asked to speak at an upcoming event at Horton Plaza

with the Southern Oregon Antique & Collectibles Club  (SOACC)

in September of this year.

The public can get up-to-date information

about Acme Garage news and events by visiting or contacting the store:

ACME GARAGE  2784 W. Main, Medford, OR, Phone:  541-622-8155

Or click here:  ACME GARAGE ON FACEBOOK

COPY LIMITATIONS:  The above article was written by Gerean Pflug, The Oregon Pick, All Rights Reserved.  If any part of this posting including photographs are republished, we ask that appropriate links back to this post are included.

GEREAN PFLUG, EDITOR/OPERATOR ~ THE OREGON PICK

The Oregon Pick will be following and posting the activities and events of the many resale businesses throughout the Rogue Valley.  We are in the process of developing a private vendor directory to highlight the many independent merchandisers operating from mercantile and thrift resale locations throughout Southern Oregon.  Please direct questions, inquiries, suggestions and requests for inclusion to the Oregon Pick through the “Contact” page above or by direct email to:  OregonPick@aol.com

Feel free to add your email address on the Oregon Pick Home Page and receive up-to-date information on what’s happening in the resale industry in Jackson County Oregon.   Visit and “Like” us The Oregon Pick on Facebook.  Through connecting with each other, we increase our visibility and strengthen our business relationships.

Stay tuned.  I have a fantastic line-up of feature stories from local mercantile owners, private dealers and events.  Thanks for reading the Oregon Pick!

~Gerean

April 15, 2012 | Categories: THE MERCANTILES & THRIFTS | Tags: Acme Garage, ads, advertisements, antique, auto, barware, Casey Gillum, collectible, fuel cans, furniture, gasoline, gerean, Gerean Pflug, industrial, Main Street, man cave, martini shakers, Martinis and More, mechanical, medford, mercantile, metal, mid century, Morrows Architectural Salvage, oil, Oregon, Pick, Pickers, repurpose, resale, retro, Rogue Valley, Ron Dunn, rust, signage, soda pop, southern, store, upcycle, vintage | 1 Comment