Metz & Co

06/14/2026

Took a little day off and made a stop at Wild Things Antiques in Minneapolis. The stores were still in good hands (thanks Mike and Sam!), but it was nice to spend a few hours on the other side of the counter for a change.

One of my favorite finds was this great old 400 Club Pleasant Lake shirt. I’m always excited when a piece of local history like this turns up. You can almost imagine the stories this shirt could tell.

Not a bad souvenir from a day away from the shop.

06/11/2026

Customer Pick of the Day!

A clean little Technics turntable and a stack of classics from Prince, Michael Jackson, and Billy Joel found a new home today.

The best part of this business? You never know what’s going to walk through the door.

We’re always looking for great records, vintage audio, clothing, advertising, collectibles, and unique local history items. Reach out and show us what you have?!?

06/10/2026

A little mystery from the early 1970s…

These well-traveled boxes are marked Yokosuka, Japan, Navy Exchange, and BX-500. We know what’s inside…but we haven’t opened them yet!

Somewhere in the early 1970s, these boxes made the journey across the Pacific. More than 50 years later, they’re still together, waiting to tell their story.

06/08/2026

Welcome Home Karate Champ, Welcome Home!

A classic Karate Champ arcade cabinet has landed in the stores.

Considering the Metz building spent nearly a decade as The Skill Mill arcade, we have to assume a Karate Champ machine stood here at some point. We can’t prove it… but we’re choosing to believe this one has finally made its way back home.

Some stories just belong in the building where they happened.

05/30/2026

Vinyl and Beer!! OK!

We’re loading up the van and heading over to Beaver Island Brewing for the Beaver Goat Record Revolution.

We’ll be bringing some of our favorite music-related finds, including vintage band tees, CDs, cassettes, music VHS tapes, stereo equipment, and vinyl.

One of the things we love most is supporting events like this. It’s a chance to support a great local business like Studer’s and Beaver Island Brewing, spend time with fellow collectors, dig through bins, talk music, and enjoy a cold beer with friends old and new.

If you stop by, make sure to say hello. And if you mention this post at our booth, maybe I’ll even buy you a beverage.

See you at Beaver Island this afternoon! 12-5!

We are just under a week away from the 2026 Beaver-Goat Record Revolution! Join us next Saturday at noon and witness the Goat Guest DJ show broadcast live from the taproom stage. Grab a cold beer and finger flip your way through thousands and thousands of vinyl records. This is one of the areas largest record shows and you don’t want to miss it.

See you next Saturday!

05/30/2026

Tonight, O’Brien’s Dry Goods and Metz & Co. welcomed a team of 10 paranormal investigators for an evening of exploring the stores after hours.

Armed with cameras, audio recorders, EMF meters, and all sorts of equipment, they spent hours investigating the old rooms, hidden corners, creaky stairways, historic spaces, and even some of the vintage treasures that fill our shelves.

Did they find anything?

We’ll let them sort through the evidence, but it was a fascinating reminder that both old buildings and old objects have a way of capturing our imagination. After all, many of the items in our stores have lived entire lives before finding their way here…passing through homes, families, celebrations, and generations.

Whether you believe in ghosts, history, or simply the mystery that comes with old places and old things, it was a fun and memorable night seeing our stores through a different lens.

HistoryLivesHere DowntownStCloud

05/26/2026

Today I had the chance to speak at the Sertoma Club about O’Brien’s Dry Goods, Metz & Co, our work downtown and how deeply important preserving local history is to me.

I talked about how old buildings, forgotten stories, and everyday pieces of local history connect us to the people who built this community long before us.

Then tonight…one of our awesome vendors texted me these.

Original pieces from the old Germain Hotel in downtown St. Cloud … including restaurant ware and matchbooks. The Germain began life as the Breen Hotel in 1921 alongside the Sherman Theater (now the Paramount) and became one of downtown’s most recognizable landmarks for decades. At one time it featured hundreds of rooms, dining areas, and even a rooftop garden overlooking the city.

Moments like this are why we do what we do.
These aren’t just dishes and matchbooks…they’re little pieces of St. Cloud’s story.

05/23/2026

Some great additions for the weekend! Upstairs at Metz!

05/22/2026

Not every record survives 60+ years in perfect condition… but some are too important not to save anyway.

Just landed: an early mono pressing of Kind of Blue Columbia 6-eye label, CL 1355, early “1G” matrix pressing from the original 1959–1961 production era.

The condition shows its age. The jacket has wear. The vinyl has lived a life. But somehow that almost makes it better. This record was meant to be played, passed around, and listened to late at night on old stereo equipment.

We’re just happy it still exists and excited to help it find a new home.

05/14/2026

Downtown Stories ….Liberty Bond Boxes & Fandel’s

Before online banking and credit cards, important papers and savings were often kept in metal lock boxes like this one.

This Liberty Bond Box dates back to the era of World War I, when Americans purchased Liberty Bonds to help fund the war effort.

What makes this one especially special is the name on the lid:

Fandel’s Department Store ..Downtown St. Cloud

For generations, Fandel’s was one of downtown’s iconic department stores…a place woven into everyday life in St. Cloud.

Amazing how a simple old box can still tell a story about both American history and downtown St. Cloud at the same time.