LINCOLN SQUARE — Good thing Penn Dutchman Antiques' "everything must go" closing sale back in 2014 fell way short of its mark.
Because owner Jim Mowery is reopening his shop after what turned out to be less of a retirement and more of a hiatus.
Penn Dutchman makes its return on Saturday, operating out of 4920 N. Western Ave., two doors north of the shop's former home, which is now owned and occupied by Chicago Printmakers Collaborative after a gut renovation.
Mowery will turn 84 in June, an age when most of his peers are taking life easier, not rejoining the work force.
"I have all this stuff in storage," he explained, and frankly, since his wife died last May, "I don't know what to do with myself."
One concession to age: "I used to be open every day, I don't think I can do that," Mowery said.
He's aiming to keep fairly regular hours — 10 or 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Tuesday through Saturday.
Though he doesn't have much in the way of furniture at this point, Mowery said he has plenty of "the smalls" for curiosity seekers, including the antique hardware that made Penn Dutchman a favorite haunt of home remodelers.
He also hopes to lure back some of the set designers and prop masters who frequented the old shop.
"They were interesting people," he said.
It's the interaction with customers that Mowery said he's missed the most, and he has fresh tales to share, starting with his brief brush with celebrity during the Cubs' World Series run.
Turns out, Mowery had attended the Cubs last World Series game in 1945, a factoid he proclaimed on specially printed t-shirts that drew the attention of television and print reporters alike.
Major League Baseball sprung for Mowery's ticket to Game 7 of the 2016 series in Cleveland, where he witnessed the team's historic victory, and had a bird's-eye view of LeBron James, from the stadium's very top row.
"It was incredible, the game was as exciting as you could get," said Mowery.
"I was told to get down to the field after the game ... there was no way," he said.
Instead, he celebrated in the streets with his fellow Cubs fans and classy Clevelanders.
"The Cleveland fans, I never heard anyone boo, never a negative thing. Everyone was hugging," Mowery said.
He'll gladly swap stories about the Cubs, or really any topic, with visitors to the revived Penn Dutchman, where some things haven't changed.
"If I was famous for anything, it was that I would talk and talk," Mowery said.
