"They seem to be real popular," said Sax Antiques owner Gary Sax, showing off one of his stuffed Santas at his shop in St. Paul. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall)
The garden gnomes, Greek goddesses and grinning gargoyles are going, going, almost gone.
That's because the king of ornamental concrete in St. Paul is going out of business.
For more than 20 years, Gary Sax has cast tons of concrete planters, birdbaths, fountains and statues of all description and peddled them out of a tiny storefront called Sax Antiques on Fairview Avenue near Selby Avenue.
His handiwork can be found in homes, gardens, banks, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes and institutions ranging from the Governor's Mansion to Lauderdale City Hall to the St. Paul Saints stadium.
"Summit Avenue is just loaded with my stuff," Sax said. "Lots of those planters in front of those homes are mine."
But because of a rent increase, Sax has decided to close his shop at the end of the year.
He put a sign in the window declaring that "Concrete Makes Great Christmas Gifts" and set everything at half price. Now, the only concrete objects left in the shop are a couple of planters bound for South Dakota and a couple of gargoyles awaiting delivery to a motel.
By cutting overhead, Sax said he's kept costs low, undercutting the prices charged for concrete objects by big box home improvement stores or catalog companies. His 225-pound gargoyle, for example, normally costs $138. He sold it for half that during his going-out-of-business sale. He charges $40 to deliver a piece.
"Not that many people want to work this hard for not that much," he said.
Sax,
56, said his business happened sort of by accident.He said he first got into antiques after he quit drinking, so he opened an antique shop in 1985 at the Fairview Avenue storefront. Then he got into concrete after he discovered a mold behind his father-in-law's shed that could be used to cast a planter.
"He had it for 20 years and never made one," Sax said.
So Sax gave it a try. In the summer of 1991, he cast a concrete planter each day and brought it to his shop. He ended up selling every piece he made.
"My father-in-law said if you got your butt out of bed, you could make two a day," Sax said.
Sax's concrete menagerie has included frogs, dogs, turtles, rhinos, bears, pigs, lions, penguins, hedgehogs and crocodiles.
"Angels were very popular," he said. "Gargoyles are very good. The religious stuff, St. Francis of Assisi, sells well."
But Sax said his most popular item is Buddha. But not the fat jolly one.
"The serious Buddha," Sax said. "He is the top seller. I make three of him a week. Every time I make concrete, he gets made."
One mold cost him $800 but turned out to be a disappointment. It creates a concrete space alien.
"Kids love the alien, but the kids aren't buying the concrete," Sax said.
He said customers have ranged from churches to a tattoo parlor to former governor Jesse Ventura.
"I made a fountain for Soul Asylum, the rock band," he said.
His business is run the old-fashioned way. His store doesn't have a cellphone or a landline. He doesn't use a computer. He keeps track of orders with a dog-eared spiral notebook. He takes only cash or checks.
He's a one-man operation, casting pieces weighing up to 500 pounds each at a studio at his home in Lauderdale. He usually muscles them on and off his truck by himself.
Sax said people like concrete because it lasts. And it's heavy. He reinforces his pieces with metal rebar, which helps make sure the wings don't break off the gargoyles or the ears don't snap off the rabbits.
"I always tell people it has a built-in theft deterrence," he said. "I have pieces that have been out there since I started."
Although Sax is closing his doors at the end of the year, anyone seeking a touch of the monumental for the yard, with a little more dignity and gravity than a pink flamingo or a chainsaw-carved eagle, may not be totally out of luck. Sax said he might do custom-order work after the beginning of the year. He can be reached at 651-633-7810.
Richard Chin can be reached at 651-228-5560. Follow him at twitter.com/RRChin.
Source: http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_22142460/st-paul-his-works-will-endure?source=rss
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