Stamps. Glasses and mugs. Lawn sprinklers. Salt and pepper shakers. Pencil sharpeners. Condoms. Toothbrush holders. You name it, it has probably been shaped into the Statue of Liberty. Tim Harmon, owner of Tim and Julie’s Another Fine Mess on the corner of Oxford and East 10th St., has been collecting Statue of Liberty memorabilia for 30 years, and has seen a lot of interesting items shaped like the grand lady of New York. For only 50 cents, he can show them to you in his museum, Indy’s Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum at 2907 E. 10th St.
“The museum is five and a half feet wide, fifteen feet deep,” he said, making this a teeny tiny museum of teeny statues. With over 400 items on display, the museum won’t take up your whole day to see. But it is cool to see how the Statue of Liberty has been imagined into mundane objects.
Ethel Winslow/Weekly View
Indy’s Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum is an arts and cultural destination on East 10th St.
The real statue, which sits on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, opened to the public in 1886, and was created by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Gustave Eiffel, of the Eiffel Tower fame, created the inner structure. Standing 151 feet, 1 inch from base to torch, it is an icon of America. “The Statue of Liberty, along with Mickey Mouse and Coca-Cola, is one of the most reproduced images in the world,” Harmon noted. “If you went to the farthest igloo in the world and knocked on the door, showed the people a picture of the statue, they would know it immediately and what it stands for.”
Harmon began his collection without realizing he was beginning a collection. “My first piece was part of a packing box with the Statue on it. I just thought it was interesting. Then I started seeing it everywhere. I found a whole box of pencil erasers, and lined them up in my bathroom.” After that, there was no stopping him from picking up odds and ends. Like most collections, people soon found out he collected miniatures, and they would bring him items. On the wall is a list of donors to the museum.
Harmon has been in the salvage/antique business for decades, first as Tim and Billy’s, then Tim and Avi’s — long before salvage and restoration became trendy. He left the business for seven years due to health reasons, but continued to collect. Then he met Julie Crow, who owned Modern Times, a vintage shop. They decided to start another salvage/antique business and bought the building on East 10th. “I work 70 hours a week and take home about $200 a week . . . I’d forgotten how hard you work when you own a business,” he said. “But I love it. I’ll die doing this.” In March, he decided to convert part of the building and put his Statue of Liberty collection in the space. “I emptied the boxes . . . I know there are still some boxes somewhere full of things.”
So far, a small but steady stream of visitors has put down two quarters to see the museum. He noted that a family from Sweden stopped by recently to see the museum. “I don’t think they came over just to see this, but it was great.”
The shop and museum are part of the East 10th St. revitalization area, across from Pogue’s Run Grocer and next to the Love Handle restaurant. A long-time community supporter, Harmon noted that he has a long history in the area, living there for a time, and even after moving away, supporting residential, commercial, and retail development in the area. “It’s a great place to be,” he said, looking out the window at the businesses that have set up in the past few years.
In addition to the museum and salvage store, Harmon is the owner of Restoration Press, publisher of local poets such as J.L. Kato and Thomas Alan Orr.
Indy’s Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum is open the same hours at Tim and Julie’s — just step into the shop, plunk down your two quarters, and Harmon will be happy to share his collection with you. The museum also has a Facebook page, Indy’s Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum.
