E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has a home in Ellettsville. The beloved movie character can be found on the phone in the back of Pickin Dixons, a new antiques and collectibles store. Setting up E.T. was one thing co-owners Jeff and Laura Dixon did to add color to the shop.
Jeff said it was part of making the experience at Pickin Dixons as fun for visitors as it is for them.
“I get excited about it all,” he said. “Everybody always asks me, ‘Well, what do you collect?’ I collect for everybody. That’s the fun part for me.”
The store had an early 19th-century sewing cabinet, amusement park tokens and everything in between in its first two months. The owners look for Hot Wheels, Barbies, fishing gear, cameras and other miscellany that speaks to people’s nostalgia.
“Everyone wants to go back to their childhood,” Jeff said.
The couple became interested in antiques and collectibles during the 27 years Jeff worked for auction companies. Laura helped them set up sometimes. The experience helped them figure out what kind of items sell and for how much.
Years ago, they had a store in Tell City, Indiana, but they had to move to Indianapolis for Laura’s family a few years later. Jeff worked as a door-to-door salesman and Laura was a manager at Regis. They kept those jobs until a few months ago when they decided to open their own business.
“Let’s leave corporate America and do what we love to do,” Laura summed up their decision.
The store is arranged as a combination of the Dixons’ wares, consignors and booths. There’s already a waiting list, though the store has only been open for two months.
The Dixons hunted for a place to open in Ellettsville so they could be closer to family. They quickly found one with high visibility at the intersection of Stinesville Road and West State Road 46.
“We get to see our grandkids just about every day, so that works out really well for us,” Jeff said.
He spent some time working on the store frontage to draw people’s attention. He hoped, also, it would give their store a personality distinct from the flea market there before them.
“The main thing is trying to get people to stop,” Jeff said.
They close the store on Thursdays to look for new merchandise. Jeff said he got lucky at a yard sale on Sept. 8.
An older man had stuff set up in his driveway arranged like a store. The man had just bought a building near his house that he was going to tear down. He told Jeff he had more stuff in the building. Jeff asked to see it and walked away with a wood stove and several other items for $15 total.
“The stories are what do it for me,” Jeff said.
After they got the sewing cabinet, which was made in the 1830s, they set it at the front of the store. It caught everyone’s attention.
According to the Dixons, a married couple came in on their anniversary. The woman said to the man, “If you love me, you’ll buy this for me.”
He didn’t.
Another man came in later the same day and bought it. The Dixons said they thought the first man had sent someone to pick it up for his wife, but that wasn’t the case.
“It’s just fun to watch their face,” Laura said. “We feel that way, too.”
Pickin Dixons is located at 9011 W. State Road 46. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Thursday. Its phone number is 812-876-2886. It is celebrating its grand opening through Sept. 30.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2016. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.