It all started in 1969 when Dr. Garlan Gudger started rescuing architectural objects from buildings slated to be demolished in his local Community of Cullman, Alabama. Not realizing his hidden desire of antique building materials would flourish into one of the largest stores in the nation, Dr. Gudger just consistently did what he enjoyed year after year - rescuing and restoring architectural salvage. Being ahead of his time, he knew the demand for his recycled material would not balance with the supply he was obtaining, so he started organizing the salvage into his 2 car garage. It didn't take long for word to spread of this "Garage Collection" and the quality of antiques that were showcased. People slowly started to congregate early every Saturday morning to see Dr.Gudger's treasures. Over time, he realized the interest of this industry was gaining momentum and opened a small shop in North Cullman. As always, his desire and years of hard work paid off as he began collecting notoriety for owning the premiere architectural salvage store in Alabama.