Johnny Lunchbox: The Chippewa Valley’s number one source for gently used man wigs. Renee Carrell lounges in her recently reopened store of wonderful funk.

Tucked away in the basement of a building in downtown Menomonie that is overflowing with vintage treasures, one will find a section dotted with bright orange and green bags, bow ties, British rockstar leather and wooden boots, lunchboxes, wigs, thick glasses, and clothing galore.

While there isn’t a glaring sign to advertise it, found at the bottom of the stairs in the Town & Country Antique Mall is a little-known jewel called Johnny Lunchbox. The name originated from a misspoken term in a politically fueled conversation between original owners Mike Tarr and Renee Carrell prior to opening in 2002. While Tarr is now pursuing his own company (Mike’s Art & Design), Carrell, a former UW-Stout student, has re-opened the Menomonie booth.

When she closed the Menomonie spot a few years ago, Carrell says she explored the idea of online-retail, but found it just wasn’t for her, “I spent a lot of time in my pajamas. ... It didn’t seem good.”

After running into the owner of an antique shop in Colfax, she decided to rent a space there. When the Colfax store did really well, she decided to bring the venture back to Menomonie. The online store is still up and running, along with the branch in Colfax (which can be found in the Begga Mall on Main Street in Colfax).

All the branches operate under the same title of Johnny Lunchbox, but each has it’s own distinct style. The Colfax store is more lunchboxes, toys, furnitures, and records, while Carrell wants to see more vintage clothing, costumes, and music in the Menomonie store. Carrell says the Colfax shop mainly differs from the Menomonie shop because “if you’re willing to look and dig, you can find some treasures in there.”

The pieces come from state sales, thrift stores, and garage sales. Among the pieces in the Menomonie booth, Carrell mentioned a pair of “crazy, parliament funkadelic, platform boots” that had very recently just been sold and she says her most favorite piece is an old fashioned TV set up in the corner.

The antique mall is equipped with a stage, but beyond your typical sales and new finds (which can often hardly be considered “typical”), there aren’t any events planned. Carrell talked about ideas of fashion shows and she also mentioned involvement with the Jackie Fontaine Show in the future, but decided “that’s a story for a different time.”

If vintage is your style, or maybe you’re just looking for a pair of super-thick rimmed glasses, keep in mind that although the name may be deceiving, this Johnny Lunchbox contains bigger and better things than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a carton of milk.

Visit either Johnny’ Lunchbox on Main Street in Colfax (the Begga Mall) or on Main Street in Menomonie (Town & Country building) or at JohnnyLunchbox.com.

More photos? OK!

 

It’s not all sweet threads. Johnny Lunchbox also peddles knickknacks and tchotchkes.

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