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A&W auction set for today
Photo
Memorabilia and other items from the Boardman A&W restaurant, such as these root beer mugs, will be auctioned today by Basinger Auctions. The Boardman restaurant closed Dec. 31, after nearly 40 years in business.
BOARDMAN
It’s been a long ride for the A&W restaurant on the corner of U.S. Route 224 and West Boulevard.
Customers jammed the eatery last month before it closed for good Dec. 31. Today, the restaurant known for its all-American food and car cruises will be auctioned off, piece by piece.
It’s a liquidation sale and as such, everything — root-beer mugs, decorative license plates and equipment — must go.
“We’re expecting a record turnout, and it’s one of those auctions that you very seldom get to do. This place is known nationally for cars and hot rods,” said Paul Basinger, owner of Basinger Auctions.
The auction begins at 10 a.m. today at the restaurant, 680 Boardman-Canfield Road, but Basinger encouraged people to get there when the doors open at 8 a.m.
Those who are unable to attend the auction in person can bid online at www.basingerauctions.com in real time, Basinger said.
“They go to the website and click on ‘bid now,’ and there’s a registration area to give credit-card information. It’s live during the auction. Or, if they’re working and don’t know when the item they want will come up, they can leave a maximum bid. It’s just as if they were standing there,” he said.
If, for example, a person enters a maximum bid of $500 for an item and the item sells for $300, the individual’s credit card will be charged only $300, Basinger added.
Photos of all A&W items available were posted online last week, and the A&W auction has “generated the most hits of any auction we’ve ever done,” he said.
Basinger said nostalgia probably spurred much of the interest. The Boardman A&W was built in November 1972.
“It closed on the 31st, but people were bringing their grandchildren in so they can say ‘This is where we met’ — that’s how far back it goes — and there are hundreds of kids who worked here over the years,” he said.
Cedarwood Development purchased the A&W lot and plans to demolish the building and replace it with an Advanced Auto Parts store.