What's on 2nd?
What's on 2nd? is a store specializing in antiques, art, and collectibles located in the Wooster Lofts building (the former Calder warehouse) at 2323 1st Avenue North.
Long-time antiques dealers Steve Gilmer and Michele Wilson opened the store on May 2007 in a two-story building at 2306 2nd Avenue North, which inspired the name. The grand opening was celebrated on July 6 of that year.
The shop specializes in nostalgia items rather than decorator antiques. Along with hundreds of thousands of postcards and pop-culture items the store has a selection of advertising and architectural fragments, t-shirts, toys, model kits, comic books and other collectibles, including letter-size photocopies of a wide selection of Gilmer's postcard collection. Some furniture pieces, books and folk-art creations also find their way into the store. In later years a diverse line of vintage video game systems and cartridges was added to the store's offerings.
Gilmer fills the windows with seasonal displays, including a science-fiction theme during the OmegaCon and a political theme during the election season. The store also serves as a venue for fundraisers and art shows, and as an artist site during the Artwalk festival.
What's on 2nd? plans to downsize and move to a smaller location in the Wooster Lofts in February 2016.
External links
- What's on 2nd? website
- What's On Second on Facebook
- What's on 2nd? video ad by Vacant Manifesto
References
- Buchanan, Charles (July 6, 2007) "What's on 2nd?" opens tonight." The Terminal
- Tomberlin, Michael (August 24, 2008) "On the Record with Steve Gilmer, co-ower of What's on 2nd? In downtown Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Prickett, Sam (December 21, 2015) "What’s on Second to relocate in February." Weld for Birmingham