Fishforall's Man Cave Discounted Collectibles | TVM Spotlight

Lonny Gentz started fishing when he was just a boy. "My dad took me fishing when I was little with a cane pole at a creek in the Smoky Hill River area. We would catch bait for our limb line. That is where you take a fishing line, and you tie it to a tree in the river." After retiring from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, a life-long hobby became a business. Lonny became one of the first vendors at Topeka Vendors Market, and Fishforall's Man Cave Discounted Collectibles has now expanded with hunting and fishing items on both floors.

Lonny Gentz, Owner of Fishforall’s Man Cave Discounted Collectibles

How long have you been in business?
I've been in business for about eight years and with the Topeka Vendors Market since it opened in October 2020. I retired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and I have been collecting vintage gear for about thirty years. It all started because my wife's cousin was a collector and I was fascinated by the different types of lures and bait. I had never seen anything like that. It was a long way from the cane pole and hook I had used as a kid.

I became a collector and fished any chance I got. I would still be fishing today if my health allowed it. After 30 years of collecting, I have a lot. Currently, both fishing booths contain only about 10% of what l own.

I have three booths, and the third is across from my main floor fishing booth. In this booth, there are many small vintage items in a case, including Coke collectibles, knives, belt buckles, canes, yardsticks, and toys.

What can we find in your booth that we cannot find anywhere else?
My items are mostly hunting & fishing items that are no longer made and hard to find. I sell many fishing lures and tackle that range from $3.00 to $1.00 plus rods and reels discounted by 50% at the checkout.

What is the most unusual, popular, or rare item you have ever sold?
I've collected many items, sold many items, and have a lot more to sell from the past 30 years of collecting. I've sold many items that you don't see every day. I have a vintage wooden fish trap that is rare. They told me at the counter that I sold a single water ski to a man who only had one leg.

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