Document text
Red Barn Auction bids goodbye after 58 years Wednesday Mar 28, 2018 at 3:55 PM Mar 28, 2018 at 4:52 PM Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Declining business and health issues for the auctioneer have closed the Red Barn Auction, a Thursday-night fixture in the Rogue Valley for 58 years. “We had been wanting to close for quite a while,” said Nita Brood, wife of auctioneer Duane Brood, 81. “I guess it was the end for us because of Duane’s health situation. I couldn’t run it without him. Our sales had dropped quite a bit.” The couple took over the business in 1964. During the 1960s and ‘70s, Nita recalled, crowds of 200 people or more would come to the auction at 5421 S. Pacific Highway, between Talent and Phoenix. “I think the cyber world kind of got us by the tail a bit and shook us around,” said Nita. Actors sometime showed up at the sales, among them Mills Watson, who starred in movies and TV shows, including as Deputy Perkins on “B.J. and the Bear.” The late Ric Holt, a former county commissioner, was also an auction regular, Nita said. “It got to be kind of a family thing,” said Nita. “I’ve had kids and grandkids coming back.” Betty Bechtel of Medford attended the auction for more than 30 years with her son and his wife. Bechtel acquired tools for home remodeling and yard work at the auction. “I bought my son a bunk bed when he was just a little boy. He still has the bunk bed,” said Bechtel. “We’ve gotten a lot of good bargains from the Red Barn.” Auction items ranged from everyday implements to the exotic. “Oh, good grief. There’s been such a mix of everything, it’s hard to pick out one item,” said Nita, when asked about spectacular sales. One of the last guitars from Joe Fender’s assembly line was auctioned by Duane for $14,000. A lot of housewares and antiques crossed the auction block, she said. The regular Thursday night schedule meant there were only weekends away, no long vacations, said Nita. The couple always knew they’d get Thanksgiving off, and if Christmas or New Year’s fell on a Thursday, those were days off, too. “I didn’t do much on the floor, most of it was in the office,” Nita said of her business role. Auctions required a staff of three or four people. The couple’s children worked in the business. Nita has been writing checks to clear out accounts. Few items remain, as most were taken by their owners if they didn’t sell. She’ll try to sell what remains or give it to organizations. First owner Bill Rombach placed an opening announcement in the Mail Tribune classified section of June 12, 1960. The initial auction was held June 16, a Thursday, at 7 p.m. The last was Dec. 28. Duane wore a signature white cowboy hat for the auctions, according to an October 2014 column in the Mail Tribune by Peggy Dover. He would travel the area scouting estates and helping seniors downsize, Dover wrote. The couple has been married for 57 years. Brood graduated from an auctioneer school in Mason City, Iowa, in 1957. They will retain the property and may rent or lease the facility after some repairs and cleanup work, said Nita. “It was a wonderful experience. We miss it. We always had a wonderful time,” said Bechtel. “(Duane) always was very thoughtful.” Reach Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at [email protected].