BANOWETZ ANTIQUE MALL REPORT

THE BANOWETZ ANTIQUE MALL "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE" STARTED EARLIER THIS MONTH..... IS GOING WELL.   IT WILL CONTINUE DURING SUMMER MONTHS AND COME TO A CLOSE WITH A BIG WEEKEND PUBLIC AUCTION.
TODAY, I WAS OUT TO SEE KATHY AND VIRL AND TAKE A COUPLE PHOTOS

OF THEIR COLORFUL PLASTIC "DOME" ON THE ROOF OF THEIR BIG WAREHOUSE BUILDING NORTH OF TOWN.    

IT IS 16-FEET DIAMETER AND 6-FEET DEEP.    TODAY IT IS COMING DOWN IN 25 PIECES AS IT HAS BEEN SOLD TO A NEW CLOCK AND GLASS MUSEUM IN EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, OPENING NEXT YEAR.    IT WAS ORIGINALLY AT THE
ELK'S CLUB IN DUBUQUE AND WHEN THAT BUILDING WAS RAZED, VERL
BOUGHT THE "DOME" AND MOVED IT TO MAQUOKETA IN THE THE LATE 70'S.
EACH PANEL IS A ZODIAK SIGN AND THE MILKYWAY GALIXY CONSISTS OF
450 STAINGLASS JEWELS FORMING THE STARS.

VERL AND KATHY STANDING IN THE VERY LARGE WAREHOUSE BUILDING
A MILE NORTH OF TOWN.   NOTE THE "DOME" ABOVE THEM.   AT THAT
LOCATION (WHERE THEY STARTED THEIR BUSINESS IN THE EARLY 70'S)
IS THEIR HOME AND 4 OTHER LARGE BUILDINGS AND A HUGE PAVED PARKING LOT.   AT THEIR HIGHWAYS 61 AND 64 LOCATION, THE SALE
IS IN THEIR 12,500 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING WHICH WILL BE SOLD.    EVERY WEEK THEY RESTOCK THAT BUILDING WITH ANTIQUES FROM THE WAREHOUSES.   KATHY SAID IN THEIR  "HEYDAYS" ...THEY SOLD NEARLY TWO-MILLION-DOLLARS WORTH OF ANTIQUES EACH YEAR, FROM
BUYERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.    ALSO YEARS AGO, WHEN A NEW "GODFATHERS PIZZA" STORE WOULD OPEN, THEY WOULD SELL A TRUCKLOAD OF ANTIQUES FOR THE DECOR OF THE NEW PIZZA STORE.
VERY AND KATHY ARE HAPPY TO SAY THEY WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE
THEIR "SQUIRES MANOR" SEVEN-ROOM, THREE-STORY BED AND BREAKFAST IN MAQUOKETA.  

THE BANOWETZ'S HAVE BROUGHT THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS TO MAQUOKETA OVER THE YEARS.    THANK YOU VERL AND KATHY.....
AND GOOD LUCK IN OUR SEMI-RETIREMENT YEARS!

PHOTOS AND STORY BY DENNIS VOY