Large Scale Central

Acme Pawn & Eastside Mower Repair Shop Craig's 2023 MIK

The MIK - Annual Build Challenge
#1

I’m going to toss my hat into the crazy of the 30 day challenge. Keeping with the theme of downtown, I’ve got 4 buildings in downtown Redmond other than the feed mill. Last year I pulled off the depot (I’m not sure how did that still) so I figured I’d continue tackling projects I wasn’t planning on doing yet.

The block I’m modeling has a few major structures. Of those structure only one is still standing ( and is considered a historical landmark). That building is a 60 x 60 brick building. I’m not quite ready to tackle that one.

The other 3 buildings are a cluster together. I have information on 2 of the 3.

The first is Eastside Mower and Repair. In the above photo, it’s the red roof with the white lean to in the back.

I only have limited information from the tax assessor file.

Also included is a basic building footprint. A while ago I built a foamcore mock-up of the building.

The other building is Acme Pawn Shop. Not labeled in this photo. Will share a different one later.

The false front side of the building used to face a street, but is now backed up to T&D Feeds with a small lean-to shack filling in the gaps.

I’ll share the few contemporary photos later.

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#2

So in typical fashion, I dug around in my photos and found as many of the pictures I have of these two buildings.
Lower left corner shows the building. Electrical meter to door are part of the “Acme Pawn”. This section looks to be board and batten. In this photo the door and small upper window exist. Date is supposedly 1988. This is probably the most accurate of this side for my modeling date based on the feed mill construction as well.

Same angle, post 1988. I’m guessing late 90’s early 2000’s. Again date based on feed mill construction. I know the big silos out front got removed in the late 90’s. Roof has been upgraded to sheet metal, and the door and window are missing as the siding has been replaced with sheet metal siding.

Same angle, similar date in color. I suspect that it’s the same photo original vs above cropped and black and white.

The tax assessors file calls out the middle of the building divided by shiplap. This is where I’m guessing the original structure and false front ends.

Now on to the ‘front’ view. Late 80’s time frame. Building labeled as “Acme Surplus”. I’m going to try digging around in the local paper to see if I can find anything about a grand opening as the “Welcome Open (for) Business” sign looks fairly clean. The tax assessor files said it was two businesses that occupied this building but from this angle it looks like one. Can’t tell if one of the front doors has been removed due to tree in the way. Also a side window on the shiplap siding, and far back you can still make out the door and small window by the electrical meter. Yellow building has no name but that’s the Eastside Mower & Repair Shop.

Not sure the date but mid to late 90’s. Side wall has changed. And one of the front doors has been removed. No tree. The Eastside Mower & Repair shop is the square looking building labeled “Acme Pawn Shop”. The false front building name is now “Redmond Pawn Shop”

Limited Side views. Click the link to see the full photo but in the far background past Hobby Town, the roof line of both Eastside Mower and Acme Pawn can be seen. The Pawn shop extension slopes towards the railroad tracks, while the other building slopes parallel to the tracks.
[/url]DSCF5271 by Craig Townsend, on Flickr

And the final, I couldn’t find anything other than this photo… I’m guessing this is a side door/entrance to the mower repair shop.


Cropped in close…
21314542_1504724516237838_6180989752442894506_n by Craig Townsend, on Flickrx

Next up some foam core mockups… And yes these are ‘small’ compared to the big feed mill next door!

#3

Some searching around in the local newspaper, and gives me some more clues.
Building location 7800 Gilman
1968 Eastside Mower and Repair
1974 Linder Electric operated by Bob Linder
1981 Acme Surplus
1989 Redmonds Pawn Shop (Business name Acme Loans)

I’m wondering if the building even though it shared two businesses had one address as the tax parcel is just one lot (including T & D Feeds).

I just also found a 1989 ad for Linder Electric but it doesn’t give an address.

#4

Half surprised Devon hasn’t made some snappy, half witted comment yet. :wink:
@Devon_Sinsley

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#5

The best I can do as a drawing…

Still more work needed on the mock-up.

#6

Your attention to historical detail will make this a very enjoyable build to watch, Craig.

#7

No need for a snappy reply. I like where its going. The pawn shop is a cool building.

#8

I have a feeling I could go really crazy on the interior details with some 3d printed parts. But I think I’m going to hold of on the interior until later. I have a few buildings that will need interiors due to the big windows.

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#9

One building mocked up in foam core. It’s only 16" by 32" so it’s fairly small. For me this is the best “napkin drawing” I have.



Gathering/organizing supplies to see how I can tackle the shiplap siding. The Acme Pawn Shop building is almost easier I think to build as two separate buildings since they have two different shapes and styles.

I’m going to try and hit the late 80’s look of having metal roofing but still retaining the shiplap and board and batten siding. I know I can do the board and batten easy based off last year’s building, but still thinking about how I can do the shiplap.

One option is to cut 5" wide strips and then apply them individually with a 1" gap. About option is try cutting a groove with my .030" mini table saw blade and spacing those out. I don’t think the full sized saw would be a good choice as the slots would be closer to 4" wide.

For the metal roofing, I think I’ll just cut styrene strips for those and glue those on top of 1/8" sheet. Since I have plenty of 1/8" sheet on hand, I’ll be using that as a substructure like the depot.

#10

Fwiw, I did metal roofing on my general store a few Mik’s ago.

The process was:

  • cut PVC sheet to cover the roof
  • use a straight edge and a scribe to make grooves to represent the joints between sections
  • glue in 3/64” styrene rod to represent the joints (not accurate of course, but nobody notices it)

This was suggested to me by a fowl who frequents LSC.

It worked just fine for me, though of course your mileage may vary.

#11

Interesting approach. I may end up just using the same anti skid tape that I used last year for a shingled roof again as I can’t pinpoint the date of the switch from shingled to metal but I’m guessing it corresponds to the siding redo as well.

#12

Got myself thinking, what’s really inside a pawn shop? Lots of just random stuff…

Maybe I could pull off detailing the inside.

A few cabinets lining the walls, a few shelves stacked with stuff.

If I really wanted to go crazy that could mean finding and printing off random tools, etc that I could find online, but I think just grabbing random styrene from the scrap pile is more in style with the MIK build. Will ponder this some more before I can start.

Here’s a list of what I think of in a pawn shop:
Hand tools
Jewelry
Books
Small power tools
“Collectables”

The smell over stale cigarette smoke…

Just overall clutter and junk with hardly any aisle space…

Or maybe that’s just the few pawn stores I’ve been in. :joy:

#13

I frequented pawn shops during the late 80’s and I would say Gold jewelry was most common But most of the shelves were filled with home audio equipment. Also musical instruments and guns.

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#14

Dan,
I better watch out, next thing I know I’ll have files in my in box from you for home audio equipment and musical instruments! lol

Not sure how I could scale down the gold jewelry, but the cases would be fairly easy to bash.

#15

Unless Dan has a secret method for searching 3d print files, I’m having a hard time finding stuff in 1:87 ( I figured more detail parts in HO and just upscale).

#16

I learned long ago it’s far easier for me to draw something than edit someone else’s design. However,

VCR’s, TV’s , Walkman’s, and other music related equipment was commonly pawned at that time. Also, outside you could stack up of these

Pawn shops take stuff they can sell quickly for top dollar. Hand tools not so much as Tool boxes of full sets. Books? Possibly college textbooks if the shop is in a college town. Collectibles would be stuff like Teddy Ruxpin, Cabbage patch kids, Transformers, Ninja Turtles.

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#17

Removed as it didn’t really relate to the thread

#18

I dug through the scrap pile and found parts from last year.

Probably not enough to do these panels but it might be enough to get started. I’ll have to make more.

Marked out and laid out the other shiplap parts.

And in a moment of weakness assembled the office bump out. This will also get the shiplap treatment.

#19

Kinda looks like shiplap?

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#20

I need one of those rulers in 22.5:1 scale. looks very handy.