American Pickers’ Mike Wolfe adds antiques outside Tennessee eatery – but space remains vacant a year after construction
AMERICAN Pickers star Mike Wolfe continues to add new features to his Columbia, Tennessee eatery, but the space remains unused nearly a year after completing construction on the property.
Mike, 60, completed construction on a $600,000 property in the fall of November 2023, as he transformed the outdoor area to include a fire pit, seating area and more.
In exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun, the American Pickers star added two vintage red and white gas pumps to the outdoor space.
A source previously told The U.S. Sun of the area, “It’s going to be a restaurant. They are going to sell pizza, soda, that kind of stuff.
“Construction workers are building a stage for karaoke, a fire pit and a pergola in front of the building.”
But when no restaurant opened, a town source told The U.S. Sun in April, “It used to be a vintage wine bar and lounge. They closed that down and Mike Wolfe bought it and built that.
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“It’s just sitting there. I don’t know what they’re doing with it.”
A second insider claimed the space currently acts as an outdoor seating area for the next-door restaurant Prime and Pint.
MIKE'S VISION
The front of the restaurant has a wooden pergola with lights streaming from the beams.
There are gray pavers under the pergola with concrete for the rest of the space.
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The fire pit area also has pavers and a brick bench for customers to sit around the fire.
A black metal gate lines the outdoor area along with brick planter boxes, shrubs and other greenery.
The 976-square-foot red-and-white building, which was built in 1953, remains untouched, as the inside has construction materials.
'MEMORIES FOR YEARS TO COME'
Mike has kept Instagram followers updated on the progress, as he posted a photo on Instagram of the outside of the building in November.
He captioned the photo: “It’s time to choose plants for the 1940s Esso Station Courtyard project. This property will have an intimate unique experience In the heart of @visitcolumbia TN Historic District.
"Come see all this little town has to offer. Big thanks to @tmoney_design For helping make all the green decisions.”
He also posted in late November: “When I first came to Columbia TN 6 years ago this building immediately caught my eye. Thru all of the changes over the years this little Esso Service Station has managed to weather the storm.
“So many of these places have been scraped from the earth. Erasing such a big part of transportation history in America. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to reimagine how this property could continue to serve the community. This outdoor space will create memories for years to come.”
Mike Wolfe's businesses
Mike Wolfe has created a business empire featuring real estate, antique stores, and more.
KING OF COLUMBIA
The History star owns many properties in Columbia, including Mike’s vacation rental Two Lanes and his car garage Columbia Motor Alley.
According to property records, Mike also owns a commercial property rented out to Hazelwood Laboratories.
Mike also became the owner of a 2,900-square-foot property with a value of $192,700 that Muletown Coffee rents out.
Another commercial property is 4,653 square feet and is appraised at $336,300, as a drama theater called Packard Playhouse rents out the space.
Mike also purchased a three-bathroom, 3,166-square-foot home for $700,000 on May 20, 2022 in the small town.
He is currently renovating the house, as he added a turret.
A source told The U.S. Sun Mike's project to revamp Columbia is "costing $93million."
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The insider added, "The town is happy Mike is taking this on to help bring new life to Columbia.”
Mike stars on American Pickers alongside Robbie Wolfe, Jon "Jersey Jon" Szalay and Danielle Colby.
