Mayfield's ADK Vintage Gifts & Collectibles an eclectic wonderland

Sitting at the desk she also uses as a checkout counter, Robin Markert oversees another day of business at ADK Vintage Gifts & Collectibles in Mayfield.

MAYFIELD — The man with white hair, a white mustache and wearing a peach-colored George Harrison T-shirt handed Robin Markert four CDs that were in jewel cases. Markert then collected a few dollars from the man.

“You’ll be seeing me again,” the man said as he stepped away from the desk that also serves as a checkout counter. “You’ll be seeing me again, miss.”

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and the weather had pushed a greater number of browsers than normal inside ADK Vintage Gifts & Collectibles, which Markert opened five years ago in a former trailer supplies store at 3032 Route 30.

“We get a lot of regulars in here,” Market said after the man had left with his new purchase of used compact discs, “but I’ve never seen him before.”

The store contains merchandise from the owner and nine other vendors. When the weather allows, four vendors sell from tents set up on a section of the lawn next to the highway. ADK Vintage Gifts & Collectibles is not a consignment shop. Markert earns a living by renting space to the other vendors and through sales of her own goods.

Prices range from 25 cents — for a shot glass or a small toy — up to $200, for autographed sports memorabilia and cast-iron lawn furniture.

“We’re doing okay,” Markert said. “Our business depends on what’s going on in the area and the weather.”

Four people advanced to Markert’s desk, on which sits a cash register, and placed before the owner four objects they had gathered from throughout the store. There was a set of Triple Threat water guns, still new in the box; a diecast replica of a Richard Petty Pontiac race car; a glass wine stopper; and a folding knife used for gutting and skinning wild game.

Markert announced the items could be theirs for $51. This is a cash-only enterprise, and there is an ATM on the premises for customers that need to obtain currency.

“Every couple of weeks, we come here,” said one of the quartet, Mike Pigeon, Jr., of Broadalbin.

His wife, Dawn, pointed to a third person in the group — their daughter, Victoria.

“She just flew in from Arizona today,” Dawn Pigeon said. “Right away, I said let’s come here and see what they’ve got.”

“They have these kinds of stores out there, but they’re not as warm and close-knit,” Victoria Pigeon said as her parents joked with Markert.

The fourth member of the group, a family friend, Nick Santuccione from Rotterdam, threw down some banknotes to get the pile of money up to $51.

“A lot of people have opened these types of shops,” Santuccione said. “This is a nice place to come.”

Markert, 62, had operated the restaurant and tavern Robin’s Nest in Broadalbin for 34 years before she sold it in 2020. The venue included softball fields and was used for weddings and other private events.

“I had a great business, but it was time to retire,” she said about her time in foodservice, which can be a difficult industry because of high labor turnover and the fickleness of customers. ADK Vintage Gifts & Collectibles, which operates in a leased building, was started as a way for Markert to engage in commerce but on a smaller scale.

“I do this here, because I enjoy people,” Markert said.

The store is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday.

When someone buys an item, Markert punches the price into the cash register and also enters the sale onto a page inside a three-ring binder she keeps in her desk. Merchandise is tagged so Markert knows which seller is due the proceeds. Once a month, she remits the sales amounts to the vendors — including to herself, for any items sold from the owner’s stock. Markert only collects rent from the other vendors and does not receive a cut of their sales.

“This place is paying its way,” she added.

A tour of the store revealed an inventory of unusual items, and Markert said that was by design. Boxes of hair curlers, new old stock that likely dated from the 1970s, were displayed down the aisle from a barrel full of old axes, beyond a Tiffany-style ceiling light adorned with Michelob logos. There were assorted toys — some in their original blister packaging and some loose in a pile — and old beer cans and clothing for Barbie dolls.

There were framed concert photos, vinyl records and CDs.

After her husband, daughter and family friend had departed with their latest purchases, Dawn Pigeon brought two more items to Markert’s desk: A Mickey Mouse backpack that was in its original packaging, and a plastic drink container that was shaped like a miniature gasoline can of the type used for refueling stock cars. Pigeon said she planned to use both items herself.

“I love coming here,” she said, giggling as her phone rang. It was her husband’s number, and the call was to urge the shopper to leave the store so they could get on the road.