After a couple of different careers – one in the military and one in education – Will Hecht needed something new for his third act.
What he found was combining a love of history and treasured artifacts with his gift of gab to pass on knowledge lent themselves to establishing a store, specializing in antiques, collectibles and an oddity or two.
Now, his Heck of a Deal Mercantile is coming up on its 20th anniversary in business. The actual date for the anniversary is Monday, May 5 and Hecht is encouraging residents to come in and peruse the items in the shop … there literally is something for everyone.
And, more than likely, more than one thing for everyone.
There is Coca-Cola memorabilia, Star Wars and Star Trek, collectible dishes, housewares, furniture, knick knacks – far too much to mention and too much to see in just one stop. The store is at 2135 Jackson Ave., having moved in to the former Rite Aid space years ago.
It was not his first location in the community, however.
“My first shop was over by MarVal, on McHenry,” Hecht explained. “I was there for five years and then I moved downtown and I was there for 10 years; ended up with four storefronts down there.”
Five years ago, Hecht made the move to the much larger space on Jackson Avenue, providing ample room for all his wares.
“What I enjoy most is finding the treasures and learning about them and sharing the stories of the items with people,” he said, “because there’s so much history here; you can’t step away from the history.”
For example, he pointed to a 1930 post office set, on display in a corner of the shop, where the phrase ‘Man of many hats’ came from, since the postmaster often was also the town constable, the shopkeeper and more.
A 1900 German trunk was used to lock away sugar, coffee, tea, saffron and salt to keep it safe from potential thieves.
As far as clientele, Hecht said sometimes people come in looking for something specific, other times they are just drawn to something they see on a shelf.
“Some people it’s because they like the history, some people it’s because it would look good in their house, some people because of the uniqueness of the item,” Hecht explained.
One of the more unique items he has is a rare, late 1930s-early1940s wire recorder.
“That’s pre-magnetic tape, for taking dictation or secretly recording your meetings,” he said of the showpiece.
Also in the inventory is a Sears Roebuck 1950s cowboy leather chaps and vest set for kids.
“One of the things I enjoy is that I actually get teenagers in here to hear the stories because they learn stuff that they’re not being taught in school,” Hecht added.
Originally from Ohio, Hecht grew up in Newark, California and said he “drove through Escalon in 1992 and stayed” because it reminded him of his original Ohio home.
“It’s a great joy to walk down the street or sit on my porch and have somebody walk by and say ‘Hi Mr. Hecht, how you doing?’ – you don’t get that anywhere else,” he explained.
A retired U.S. Army Sergeant First Class, Hecht also taught for San Joaquin Delta College and UOP (University of the Pacific) for 20 years, teaching 12 different subjects in college.
“It actually ties in because I’m a linguistic anthropologist,” Hecht said of his prior experience working well with the Mercantile business. “So, learning the stories is part of what I do.”
He gets tourist traffic at his Jackson Avenue location, along with regulars from the Oakdale-Modesto-Manteca areas in addition to Escalon.
“It’s fun because I actually have people who make my store a stop on their vacation,” he shared.
Hecht said he knew, from his time in the Army and teaching, that his third career would not be working for someone else; he wanted to be his own boss and the antique/collectibles shop fit the bill.
He said his greatest find so far has been a teacup saucer, which he purchased at a garage sale for a quarter … upon researching the item, he discovered it was a porcelain saucer from England, circa 1751, worth much more than he paid for it.
Hecht also enjoys the ‘hunt’ when he goes out in search of new items to showcase in the store.
“I have my weaknesses,” he admitted, which include California pottery, a specific type of teapot and a certain type of porcelain. “Anything that’s neat, fun, weird.”
The oldest item in the shop is an 1851 Seymore chair from Troy, New York while a unique piece is the 1904 National cash register that is still in working order.
The shop at 2135 Jackson is open seven days a week; closed only on Jan. 1 for New Year’s and June 27, for Hecht’s birthday. Hours are typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; you can also call 209-298-7128 if you’re looking for something specific, and leave a message.
Hecht started his business venture 20 years ago with 400 square feet of space; today, his items fill up 4,000 square feet.
“The name of the game is selection,” Hecht said. “You can never have a big enough selection.”
