PENDLETON — When anything brings him to town, Markleville resident Garrett Wilson makes a point of stopping in at a small shop across from the post office on State Street.
An avid antique collector, Wilson browses the shelves at Burmeister’s Old Towne Antiques at least once a week looking for more treasures to add to his collection.
“When I come to Pendleton, this guy right here is where I come to,” Wilson said, pointing to owner Jerry Burmeister. “If I’m going to spend any time in town, I’ll spend it here.”
Burmeister chuckled at the compliment, then returned the favor.
“Every time I get a fiddle in (stock), he buys it from me,” Burmeister said. “I asked him one day, ‘Do you play?’ He said, ‘No, I don’t play.’”
Lighthearted relationships with customers like Wilson are a large part of the enjoyment Burmeister gets from running his business, which Monday will celebrate 21 years at its location in Pendleton’s historic downtown district. The store has become an anchor of sorts, epitomizing the historic feel and inviting atmosphere for shoppers that officials say are vital for continued growth.
“The No. 1 thing is making sure we preserve what we have here,” town manager Scott Reske said. “Without shops like Burmeister’s, it would be absolutely impossible to keep the unique nature of downtown.”
Burmeister retired a few years ago after spending 35 years as an Anderson firefighter. Antiques have been a hobby for him for decades, starting, he said, in a high school shop class where a teacher introduced him to several varieties of woods used in antiques. He attended his first antiques auction when he was 16.
“I fell in love with the antiques and old stuff,” Burmeister said. “I used to set up for flea markets, and I’d go to Indianapolis and set up at the fairgrounds and do different antique shows — Shipshewana and so forth.”
He also grew enamored with the historic downtown area of Pendleton and realized it would be an ideal location for an antique store. In 2018, his building was one of several along State Street to receive facelifts, restoring their facades to their approximate appearances from the town’s early days.
His customers have made his business venture a continually rewarding experience, Burmeister said. The town’s proximity to the interstate means he’ll welcome antique hunters from all across the Midwest.
“I have people from everywhere in here, which makes it nice, the diversity,” he said. “You get to talk to people – I always ask about antiques in their town or their state and find out what are hot items there, what sells in their hometown versus my hometown.”
Relying heavily on word of mouth to keep his business thriving, Burmeister has gradually enlarged his store’s online presence, posting photos of his merchandise on Instagram and Facebook. The internet is not the most comfortable medium for him, but he acknowledges it’s a necessity. He still enjoys haggling on occasion with a shopper looking for a deal.
“That’s part of the fun of this,” he said. “It’s the thrill of the hunt – you never know what you’re going to find. When I’m out going through barns or buildings, sheds, basements, I never know what I’m going to find. I try to give people a deal so they’ll keep coming back.”
