Metz & Co

05/30/2026

Vinyl and Beer!! OK!

We’re loading up the van and heading over to Beaver Island Brewing for the Beaver Goat Record Revolution.

We’ll be bringing some of our favorite music-related finds, including vintage band tees, CDs, cassettes, music VHS tapes, stereo equipment, and vinyl.

One of the things we love most is supporting events like this. It’s a chance to support a great local business like Studer’s and Beaver Island Brewing, spend time with fellow collectors, dig through bins, talk music, and enjoy a cold beer with friends old and new.

If you stop by, make sure to say hello. And if you mention this post at our booth, maybe I’ll even buy you a beverage.

See you at Beaver Island this afternoon! 12-5!

We are just under a week away from the 2026 Beaver-Goat Record Revolution! Join us next Saturday at noon and witness the Goat Guest DJ show broadcast live from the taproom stage. Grab a cold beer and finger flip your way through thousands and thousands of vinyl records. This is one of the areas largest record shows and you don’t want to miss it.

See you next Saturday!

05/30/2026

Tonight, O’Brien’s Dry Goods and Metz & Co. welcomed a team of 10 paranormal investigators for an evening of exploring the stores after hours.

Armed with cameras, audio recorders, EMF meters, and all sorts of equipment, they spent hours investigating the old rooms, hidden corners, creaky stairways, historic spaces, and even some of the vintage treasures that fill our shelves.

Did they find anything?

We’ll let them sort through the evidence, but it was a fascinating reminder that both old buildings and old objects have a way of capturing our imagination. After all, many of the items in our stores have lived entire lives before finding their way here…passing through homes, families, celebrations, and generations.

Whether you believe in ghosts, history, or simply the mystery that comes with old places and old things, it was a fun and memorable night seeing our stores through a different lens.

HistoryLivesHere DowntownStCloud

05/26/2026

Today I had the chance to speak at the Sertoma Club about O’Brien’s Dry Goods, Metz & Co, our work downtown and how deeply important preserving local history is to me.

I talked about how old buildings, forgotten stories, and everyday pieces of local history connect us to the people who built this community long before us.

Then tonight…one of our awesome vendors texted me these.

Original pieces from the old Germain Hotel in downtown St. Cloud … including restaurant ware and matchbooks. The Germain began life as the Breen Hotel in 1921 alongside the Sherman Theater (now the Paramount) and became one of downtown’s most recognizable landmarks for decades. At one time it featured hundreds of rooms, dining areas, and even a rooftop garden overlooking the city.

Moments like this are why we do what we do.
These aren’t just dishes and matchbooks…they’re little pieces of St. Cloud’s story.

05/23/2026

Some great additions for the weekend! Upstairs at Metz!

05/22/2026

Not every record survives 60+ years in perfect condition… but some are too important not to save anyway.

Just landed: an early mono pressing of Kind of Blue Columbia 6-eye label, CL 1355, early “1G” matrix pressing from the original 1959–1961 production era.

The condition shows its age. The jacket has wear. The vinyl has lived a life. But somehow that almost makes it better. This record was meant to be played, passed around, and listened to late at night on old stereo equipment.

We’re just happy it still exists and excited to help it find a new home.

05/14/2026

Downtown Stories ….Liberty Bond Boxes & Fandel’s

Before online banking and credit cards, important papers and savings were often kept in metal lock boxes like this one.

This Liberty Bond Box dates back to the era of World War I, when Americans purchased Liberty Bonds to help fund the war effort.

What makes this one especially special is the name on the lid:

Fandel’s Department Store ..Downtown St. Cloud

For generations, Fandel’s was one of downtown’s iconic department stores…a place woven into everyday life in St. Cloud.

Amazing how a simple old box can still tell a story about both American history and downtown St. Cloud at the same time.

05/12/2026

Grey Cannon Guest House is officially live.

After months of restoring, planning, decorating, and bringing this historic space back to life… bookings are now open.

Located above O’Brien’s Dry Goods in downtown St. Cloud, Grey Cannon Guest House blends historic character with vintage style, local history, and all the comforts of home.

Original wood floors, exposed brick, curated vintage pieces, records, skylights, and a space designed to feel connected to the story of downtown.

We’re excited to finally start welcoming guests.

GreyCannonGuestHouse.lodgify.com

05/09/2026

“Ephemera.”

One of my favorite words in the vintage world.

Ephemera refers to paper items that were originally meant to be temporary ….. magazines, comic books, posters, ads, ticket stubs, postcards, and more.

Most of it was never meant to survive.

Now, these pieces act like little time capsules preserving the music, design, culture, and everyday life of another era.

05/09/2026

One of the coolest parts of this adventure has nothing to do with selling vintage.

We posted this vintage “Husky Hustler S.C.S.U.” jacket hoping someone might remember the story behind it and within a day, SCSU Archivist Tom Steman responded with history, newspaper research, and the story of the Huskies Hustlers booster group from the 1970s.

This is exactly the kind of community we love being part of.

People sharing stories.
People preserving local history.
People helping keep these little pieces of the past alive.

Huge thank you to Tom for taking the time to help uncover the story behind this jacket.

05/07/2026

A great piece of brewery history right here.

This vintage Cataract Beer / Cream Ale tray dates to roughly the late 1930s early 1940s and was made for the Cataract Brewing Company of Rochester, New York. The bold colors and Art Deco styling are classic for the era, designed to stand out in busy neighborhood taverns.

The edge wear tells the best part of the story …this tray was actually used, carried through bars and taverns decades ago, not just tucked away on a shelf.

A small piece of everyday American history that somehow survived.
DM for details!