Upstate NY restaurant owner to sell massive memorabilia collection after announcing closure

Now that he's closed his restaurant, Sticky Lips BBQ Juke Joint, Howard Nielsen is looking to sell its huge collection of Americana, which he accumulated over several years at auctions in Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.

He'll hold a sale from noon to 6 p.m. July 8 at the restaurant at 830 Jefferson Road in Henrietta, New York. Prospective buyers will be able to walk through the space, select things hanging on the walls and take them home, with some exceptions depending on size and location of the item. The sale is cash only; no credit cards or checks will be accepted.

"We're going to let the public get their first dib at it," he said. "I wanted people to come in, see it, touch it — the old way we used to buy and sell things. We'll haggle for a price right there."

When he started amassing his collection years ago, prices were low, he said, but shows like "American Pickers" have made vintage items more popular and therefore more valuable, he said.

"If I made any good investments in my life, these are one of them right here," he said.

What you can find at Sticky Lips memorabilia sale

∎ Framed historic newspapers

∎ Framed vintage magazines

∎ Framed posters and pictures

∎ Beer trays

∎ Neon beer signs

∎ Taxidermy moose head

∎ A taxidermy "flying bear" with skis and ski poles

∎ International flags that once hung in Midtown Plaza

∎ Coca-Cola signs dating back to the 1930s and 1940s

Tracy Schuhmacher covers Rochester's food and drink scene. Notice something open or close in your neighborhood? Send tips to tracys@gannett.com