If you ever happen to meet James Mowery, you'll quickly learn there are three things he's really passionate about—Cubs baseball, Chicago history, and antiques. The owner of Lincoln Square's Penn Dutchman Antiques has been an antique dealer for more than 40 years. For 33 of those years, he's sold collectibles from his current location on Western Avenue. The shop that sells pieces of history has an interesting history itself. "Originally it was a paint store called Farguson Paints," explains James. "After that and before I moved in, it was the Pegasus betting parlor." Remnants of the parlor's decor remain in the red flocked wallpaper throughout the front of the shop. It's a labyrinth devoted to the past, made up of 13 rooms on two floors packed with collections of everything you can imagine—and then some.
Penn Dutchman Antiques has items large to small, from furniture to thousands of old keys, as well as hardware for your home. Everywhere you look there are drawers asking to be opened and discovered. Items are organized by type in each room, often in drawers labeled with their details. One room features thousands of postcards, while another houses old photos in drawers marked with titles like "babies," "couples," and "weddings." The largest item James has ever sold was a yacht, which he did just recently. There are almost too many items to comprehend. Just a few include art, jewelry, sheet music, type from an old printer, buttons, paper money, historical documents, civil war items, more than 20,000 automobile collectibles including original ads, police hats and billy clubs, glassware, cameras, toys, and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. One particularly interesting set of items is a group of real Bertillon cards, or criminal mug shots from the early 1900s. Each has a handwritten record of the person's crime as well as detailed measurements of the person's head and face, along with other key physical characteristics that police used to identify criminals before fingerprinting was a common practice. If you can name an item, you can bet that James probably collects it, catalogs it, and sells it.
James has a long history in and a strong love for Chicago. He's spent his life on the North Side and has lived in Lincoln Square for more than 50 years. Closely connected with his love for the city is his passion for baseball and unwavering loyalty to the Cubs. Originally slated to become a minor league baseball player for the St. Louis Browns, James was sidelined with an injury and followed in his father's footsteps to become a painter for interior decorators instead. But he never lost his love of the game. He continued to play recreationally for the many softball leagues that existed around the city. "Chicago has always been a big city for sports and different leagues," says James. "I played softball in the leagues in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s if you believe it. I was in my 70s when I played my last official game." His love of sports echoes through the shop's collections. The front section of the store was once dedicated to sports memorabilia. "I probably have more than a million trading cards for sale," says James.
 When you ask James what his favorite thing to collect is, he'll tell you that it's memories of old Chicago. "I love collecting Chicago memorabilia more than anything," James explains. You'll find bits and pieces of the city's history at Penn Dutchman Antiques, such as items from the World's Fair, or a Chicago newspaper announcing the death of President Lincoln. (Back in the days before television and the Internet, news traveled much more slowly and could take days to reach people.) Much of what he finds comes from estate sales, while other items are dropped off at the shop by people who want to sell them. One of James' most interesting acquisitions came while he was still working primarily as a painter. "I got a call that the Stockyard Inn at the Chicago Stockyards was up for sale," recalls James. "This place had 500 rooms filled with furniture. Conventions were held there and it had a famous restaurant. I bought the entire contents of the Sirloin Room Bar and stayed overnight to guard my purchase. They literally sold every board and fixture in the building. I just recently found and put on sale the flags that flew over the Chicago Stockyards." One of his current collectible items he has for sale is a menu from the Sirloin Room.
In addition to his shop in Lincoln Square, James has run a thriving business on eBay for the past eight years. He has several other storage facilities stocked to the brim with neatly organized and classified boxes filled with items he's selling on eBay. "We have about 37,000 items currently on eBay," says James. It's a smooth operation that James' daughter helps run, along with a few additional employees. Each time an item is sold, someone picks it from a labeled box, packs it, and ships it to the buyer, wherever they are in the world. James also travels to antiques shows periodically, bringing his wares to other locations.
Through the years, James has supplied countless movie crews and theater productions with props from appropriate time periods. Most recently, the crew from "Public Enemy," the new Johnny Depp movie about John Dillinger, came in and acquired items for their film shoots around Chicago. "The Public Enemy people bought old electrical equipment from me and some crates," says James. He supplied props for the quintessential Chicago gangster movie, "The Untouchables," and served as an extra. And he also worked with the crew for the John Candy film, "Uncle Buck." "I've met famous people," says James. "But John Candy was one of the nicest men I've ever met. He went out of his way to be friendly and talk to everyone on the set. He was a real gentleman."
Penn Dutchman Antiques customers come from all ages and all walks of life. Besides those in the movie industry, the shop brings in local theater troupes, as well as lots of artists and college students. "I love working with all of the young people who are so artistic and so dedicated to their work," explains James. "I've particularly enjoyed working with all of the people who come in from Columbia College, as well as their instructors." Through the years, James has developed a reputation as the neighborhood historian. He has archives of photos of the area and has constructed a list of the original stores that occupied Lincoln Square's storefronts. Although he's in his 70s, James has no intention of retiring anytime soon. "How could I leave this place?" he asks. "Every day I meet someone more interesting than the day before."
Penn Dutchman Antiques
4912 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.271.2208
www.penndutchmanantiques.com
Hours:
Monday - Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm - 3:00pm
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