West End Salvage sets up shop inside Good Ju Ju’s West Bottoms space

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Don Short still isn’t used to people asking for his autograph. Two years after his reality show, West End Salvage, began appearing on HGTV and the DIY Network, he often notices people noticing him, as well as Joe and Hal Davis, the two brothers who work with him at his 50,000-square-foot antiques warehouse, West End Architectural Salvage, in Des Moines, Iowa.

“What do you do with an autograph, any way?” he asked. “Just because we’re on TV doesn’t make us special. We’re just regular guys.”

In early August, these regular guys started a pop-up shop inside Good Ju Ju (1420 West 13th Terrace), the eclectic West Bottoms antique store that opens only First Friday weekends. When I met up with Short and the Davis brothers at Good Ju Ju on a Thursday afternoon, the three men had just finished unloading their goods and were beginning to tag each item — and there was still plenty to be done. They seemed tired but excited to be expanding to Kansas City, where they’re planning to operate their Good Ju Ju satellite shop each month for the foreseeable future.

Short said he was looking forward to drinking some of our “cool beer,” and Hal said the West Bottoms has a good vibe. When I asked if they loved the Royals (even though the most exciting part of that particular afternoon’s game had been left fielder Ben Zobrist trying to wrangle a rogue squirrel that wandered onto the field), I got a couple of halfhearted shrugs.

They don’t need to know about baseball. Their specialty is reclaimed and recycled items from New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, England and the Middle East. Short has been collecting the pieces himself and purchasing from other collectors since he began renovating properties full time in 2004.

Many of their items for sale feature repurposed tiles, which have been used to refurbish tabletops and frame mirrors, and to dress up jumbo numbers and letters into gorgeous artifacts of personal expression. Other items include light fixtures, picture frames, glass jars and, oddly, metal turn-of-the-century leg braces.

“You want to try them on?” Short asked. I said yes, but he was joking, which is something that these three do a lot. Case in point: When I asked if I could take their picture, Short asked if I preferred their shirts on or off.

With their affable demeanor and often surprising humor, it’s easy to see why these regular guys have been such a TV hit. They should also be popular on First Fridays.

When I told them that Kansas City’s monthly celebration of art and music shuts down several city blocks for a giant street party, they looked impressed. Short said they were happy to be a part of it.

“Come see us this weekend,” he added.

Then Short and the Davises got back to work.

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