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MILTON -- Mike Patterson, owner of 2nd Time Around Resale Shoppe on Merchant Row in Milton is ready to retire.

“I should have done it a long time ago!” he said. Patterson was already in his 70’s when he opened the shop. He said that he still has a passion for what he does, but it has become more difficult to do. “I’m going to be 83,” he said, “and it was getting to the point where there was so much work.”

Most of Patterson’s inventory came from auctions which he and his wife Patty attended regularly. After purchasing the inventory, which sometimes included furniture and other large items, he would load it onto his truck and then unload it at the store. It all had to be washed, sanitized and then put on the sales floor.

“And on top of it,” he said, “I’m working the store, people are buying it and I’m helping them load it. It got to the point where it was too much.”

While most of the items in his store were his own inventory, he also had three different vendors who brought in glassware, collectibles including toys and beer signs, and cast-iron cookware. The gentleman who brought in the cast iron had over 3,000 pieces, which until about a year ago, Patterson said he brought in on a consistent basis. “He brought it in,” said Patterson, “and I sold every bit of it.”

Before getting into the resale business, Patterson had a long career in merchandising, working for Purina and ending with an English muffin food company. His resale business started out part-time with an 8-foot booth in a mall, which in time, spread to 300 square feet. He did well but eventually he decided he could do better on his own.

Patterson’s merchandising background was evident in the way he displayed his merchandise. The shop’s space is divided into two main areas with smaller rooms and spaces off those areas. This made it easy for him to organize his items by category and easier for customers to navigate.

Since deciding to retire, Patterson’s inventory has been dwindling quickly. Everything he has left to sell is in the shop. “We’ve got the storage unit cleared out,” he said. “We’re already starting to sell some fixtures.”

There are, however, many things left to choose from in all areas of the shop, including glassware. “Lots of glassware,” he said. “This weekend, we sold of lot of glassware, but we still have a lot of it.” He also has decorative figurines and assorted decorations. “We also have a lot of Christmas inventory,” he said, “and artificial Christmas trees.”

With camping season coming up, Patterson has moved all camping related items up to the front, visible when you first walk in. With snow on the ground, he said that the weather isn’t helping to move the camping items. He isn’t worried, though. “If we get a couple days up in the 60’s or 70’s,” he said, “that stuff will be gone in a flash.”

Patterson has the business up for sale and remains hopeful that someone will purchase it. “The biggest thing I would like to see is meeting somebody who will come in and talk about it.”

He would love to go through any remaining inventory with them, share what he has learned, and show them how to do it.

Over the years, Patterson has developed positive relationships with the business, both with those he’s worked with as well as customers. Many customers have expressed surprise that he is closing.

“We have had such a nice following,” Patterson said, “So, yeah, that would be great. That’s something we’d love to see is if there is somebody to take it over.”

Patterson’s goal is to be finished by about May 1. But once the door closes, he’ll have no problem keeping busy. “I have a very large family,” he said, “My wife and I have seven kids and 21 grandchildren.”

Most of them are high school age. Three of the older ones are married. They are also scattered throughout the midwest and South Carolina, which means traveling for Patterson and his wife. Retirement will make that easier.

“The weddings are coming up like crazy!” he said. He has one this summer and there is another soon after that. Great-grandchildren are making their arrivals, too, including one who looks just like him. “The funny part is that one great-grandchild who was just born last August,” he said, “if you compare a picture of me at his age and him, you couldn’t tell us apart!”

2nd Time Around is located at 34 Merchant Row, Milton. Current hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Remaining merchandise is 70% off. Check their Facebook page for updates.