FOR MIKE LEONG of Trash from the Past -- Antiques & Collectibles, his dream and passion have become his everyday reality. Collector bottles his
passion in shop[COLLECTOR FEVER]
By Brandon Lee
blee@starbulletin.comSeven months ago, Leong, with lots of help from his wife, Lori, opened up the antique store in downtown Wahiawa that he'd been dreaming about the last five years. Leong's shop specializes in old Hawaiian bottles, which he collects himself, but also has a wide selection of glass fishing floats, old license plates, collectible kitchenware, Hawaiian artifacts, Coca-Cola collectibles and old signs, along with some jewelry, sports cards, currency and coins.
"I always used to tell Lori that one day I want to open a store of my own," Leong said. "The biggest reason is, to me this is not like work. It's building my collection, doing what I like to do and kind of making a few dollars on the side."
Leong began collecting Hawaiian bottles in 1989, but primarily only as a digger who would search out old sites to hunt for the buried treasure. He traded with other collectors back in those early days, but Leong never sold a bottle during his first eight years of collecting.
Trash from the Past -- Antiques & Collectibles is at 532 California Ave. in Wahiawa. It's open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Call 628-9220. Trash from the Past
But then one day he brought some of his collection to the swap meet with his friend who was selling bottles, scooped $700 to $800 that day, and a light went on in his head. He started selling at different antique shows at the Blaisdell Center and consigning some of his bottles at other local stores. He began to make a name for himself with other hobbyists, and people began to search him out to buy their stuff.
"I just really love bottles; Hawaiian sodas is my collection," Leong said. "But it's a lot harder to go out and find good places to dig now. Even the best (diggers) that said they would never buy a bottle, I know are buying bottles now."
Leong went from consigning his wares at three different stores to having seven other vendors renting space from him at Trash from the Past. He buys, sells and trades in virtually everything he has in the store and said that people sometimes bring in the weirdest things; he pointed to a carousel horse near the entrance as an example.Leong's clientele is a mix of locals, tourists and military personnel. He typically sells bottles in the $1-to-$40 range to walk-in customers, but often deals with serious collectors on high-priced items as well.
"I can sell dollar bottles all day," Leong said. "The big-dollar kine is really among collectors. I have developed some want lists, so when stuff comes in, I know the first guy to call."
The smile on Leong's face and the ease of his laugh as he tells his story show a man happy to be living his dream. He knows that he is still paying his dues as a businessman, but the man who went from strictly digger to dealer is glad for the opportunity.
He's also quick to credit his wife, without whom Trash from the Past would still only be a bottled-up fantasy.
"No matter how harebrained the idea or how stupid she thinks I am, she always supports me," Mike said of Lori. "As far as the store, she's the one actually doing most of the work. She kind of always knew about bottles, but what she's picking up on now is stuff like kitchenware."
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