Dual operation

Ever wanted some flowers to go with a new antique pot?

There’s a one-stop place in Portland that sells both.

Bricker’s Flowers and More lives up to its name and is the new retail operation for Bricker Auction Company, located at the former site of Aker-Taylor Plumbing at 414 N. Meridian St., after it previously had a storefront at the Jay County Antique Mall.

“We have whatever type of arrangement they need,” said Pat Bricker, who runs the the site’s flower operation while her son, Chad, handles the storefront, which features chests, dressers and other types of antique items typically found at their auctions.

The Brickers, who also buy and sell real estate, host weekend auctions in the back of the building that features whatever the family finds from those houses.

So, there are a lot of items for sale both in the store and, for auction items, online at brickerauctioncompany.com.

Chad Bricker said selling items online has especially boosted his business this year and allows him to sell directly to collectors, such as when he sold a World War II paratrooper bicycle to a museum in New York or when he shipped an antique pyrex bowl to a collector in Canada.

His wife, Kelly, a visual arts teacher for Jay School Corporation, assists with the technology side of things.

“Without her, I’d be lost,” said Chad Bricker, who became a licensed auctioneer five years ago.

Pat Bricker has been in the flower and gift business for decades and said she used to operate out of Always Just For You, a Portland store that closed in 2000. A lot of her products, naturally, are seasonal. Mums and pumpkins were especially popular for her business this year, she said.

She also sells candles, gift baskets and decorations. On the flower side, she is currently making grave blankets for the season.

“The COVID is definitely affecting our business … We like a challenge,” Pat Bricker said on the difficulties of opening a business in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. “If everything was easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing.”

Chad Bricker said he had been looking to move to a bigger location for a while, and the approximately 10,000-square foot building that once housed Ken Kunkle Chevrolet allows him to store rows of auction items in addition to some space for his mom’s operation.

“We just love this location. … It’ll give us a chance to grow our business,” Chad Bricker said.

In addition to pickup, Bricker’s Flowers and More can also deliver any of its auction items or flower or gifts. The Brickers said they are looking to add flowers and the rest of Pat’s wares to their website in the near future.