Ron Cust was searching for Marilyn Monroe posters when he happened upon a vintage Matchbox Dodge Wreck tow truck and BP tanker.
Encounters with original Matchbox vehicles were becoming frequent during his searches for Marilyn memorabilia, but it wasn’t until he came across those two particular models that he felt an unexplainable rush of excitement.
“All of a sudden it was like, why do I feel this way?” he said.
The die-cast miniatures brought on a flood of childhood memories.
Now Cust is hoping he can elicit the same fond recollections in his customers and in the patrons of Smith Music.
The former fire chief and Morinville resident has recently set up shop in Smith’s Plaza – the building which houses Smith’s Music.
The venture is a partnership between Cust and music school owner Paul Smith. The pair have been longtime friends and have partnered on projects in the past, including the annual Cars and Guitars fundraiser.
Last year, Cust set up a display of vintage toys at Smith’s. Its success led to the idea of permanently hosting a portion of his collection within the building’s retail and auditorium space.
Ron’s Collectibles features iconic toys and technology from the 1950s to the 1980s, as well as a vast collection of vinyl records and gramophones.
Unlike an antique shop, Cust’s store really focuses on cultural items – things that people immediately link back to a certain era, whether a 1970s Easy-Bake Oven, a 1980s ColecoVision gaming console or a 1960s vintage Hot Wheels.
Cust is excited to publicly display the collection he’s been building for nearly four decades. He hopes his hobby will bring as much joy to others as it has brought him.
“They’ll be thinking good memories,” said Cust. “Even if they don’t buy it the job has been done.”
In fact, Cust says sales are secondary in his mind.
“Absolutely everything I have really is worthless unless somebody wants to buy it. But it’s priceless because of the memories,” he explained.
Prices will be below what he could make if he were selling on e-Bay, but will still range from $1 for some toys to upwards of $1,000 for rare collectors’ pieces.
Introducing the new generation to toys of the past is also important to Cust, who will be hooking up the ColecoVision system to a 1980s wooden box television so that children can enjoy an original game of Donkey Kong.
“My idea is more about getting it out there for people to enjoy,” he said.
The shelves at Ron’s Collectibles also include a vast collection of records, as well as new and old gramophones. There are also classic TV sets, wooden radios, vintage Matchbox vehicles and 8-track tapes.
Ron’s Collectibles is open in the afternoon and evenings on weekdays. Cust said he would be at the store most days, but that he could also be reached at 587-783-5134 for those who wish to shop by appointment.
