Gables auctions off memorabilia

Walking past the Gables, 114 S. Indiana Ave., there is no glimpse of the rich history of a restaurant that's been around for 60 years in one form or another. \nOr of the legendary Hoagy Carmichael composing "Stardust" on the piano of the Book Nook, the Gables' predecessor; or how the restaurant -- offering sandwichs and cold sodas -- was so wildly popular among students during the "roaring '20s" and when students and Bloomington residents celebrated three NCAA championships over the frothy beer and the made-from-scratch cuisine.\nBehind the dark windows, all that remains of the long-standing local landmark is so much plywood.\nThe memorabilia that so famously lined the walls was all auctioned off Saturday.\nLinda and Max Wildman, the restaurant's owners, decided not renew the lease this January after having reopened it four years ago.\n"We couldn't keep up good business," Linda said. "It was either feast or famine." \nShe faults the construction on the adjacent Kirkwood Avenue and of the Carmichael Center a few doors away.\n"People simply couldn't find any parking spaces," she said.\nHer son, Brad, who put in long hours working at the restaurant, also blamed the ready availability of corporate fast-food chains.\n"We were trying to bring back history," he said. "People just preferred the chains."\nAuctioneer Charles Hunt of the Commercial Liquidators of America, his voice hoarse from shouting all afternoon, estimates that locals spent about $25,000 on the old pictures and framed newspapers.\n"To see the stuff I spent $150 on going for $17.50 or something, I could hardly watch," Linda said.\nWhen the Wildmans decided to reopen the restaurant, which the Poolitsan family had abandoned in 1977, after more than 50 years of ownership, Linda invested hundreds of hours in recreating the original atmosphere of the Gables.\nShe scoured garage sales and attics; she took out loans from local museums and historical archives. Some of her bigger catches, like an autographed photo of Hoosier musician John Mellencamp, were on the block.\nKitchen supplies and unused food -- including nine gallons of dill pickles -- were also sold. \nBy far, sports memorabilia brought in the most money.\nUniversity employee Stewart Cutshall decided to splurge $575 on vintage Big Ten banners he had long had his eye on.\n"There was many a time I sat there at a game and thought 'I'd like to grab one of those banners'," he said. "Now I've got them, and it's legit."\nThe day was a melancholy one for the Wildmans, who had been in the restaurant business in Bloomington for 40 years.\n"This is the end of the Gables," said Linda, who's toying with vacationing in Florida after all of the legalities are taken care of. "We spoke with the Poolitsans, and it's unlikely they'd let anyone else use the name. After all we went through, I don't know why anyone would want to reopen it again anyway"