BUSINESS: Rush's Auction House a popular spot on Saturday nights in Worthington

By Anna Rochelle Richard Rush knows how to draw a big crowd into a small town on a Saturday night -- have an auction. For the past few years, Rush's Auction House in downtown Worthington has been drawing big crowds week after week. [Order this photo]

WORTHINGTON -- Richard Rush knows how to draw a big crowd into a small town on a Saturday night -- have an auction.

For the past few years, Rush's Auction House in downtown Worthington has been drawing big crowds week after week.

"I started the auctions in the fall of 2003. Before that, I had a store here, since about 1996, called Second Time Around," said Rush.

Since Rush closed the store and extensively remodeled his building, even adding comfortable theater seats for auction-goers, business has been non-stop.

They come from miles around. Some come every week, some just once in awhile, mostly from Greene and surrounding counties though some drive hundreds of miles to get there depending on what's going up on the auction block that week.

Passers-by on State Road 67 on Saturday nights wonder what's going on. There are so many cars in the Triangle area, it's hard to find a parking place.

After most of the other businesses are closed, the lights burn late into the night in Rush's storefront building that's usually packed to the gills with standing-room-only crowds.

Rush opens the doors at 5 p.m. so people can come in early to take a look at what will be for sale.

A long-time friend and former business partner who is now retired, Auctioneer Larry May, shows up every weekend to start the auction off at 6 p.m. Col. Rush takes over around 8 p.m.

"It usually ends around 10 p.m. but sometimes it's later," said Rush.

The items up for bids change every week from used furniture to antiques, household items, tools, sporting goods, toys and appliances.

Rush maintains a page on a national Web site devoted to auctions called auctionzip.com. As early in the week as possible, Rush lists a preview on the Web site of the items that will be for sale on Saturday, sometimes with pictures.

Many auction-goers do come in early to look around, to visit and grab a good seat. Others slide in late.

Throughout the evening, a kitchen in the rear of the building does a brisk business serving up a wide assortment of snack and supper-food -- hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, nachos, beverages and desserts including strawberry shortcake.

Although the storefront is not open on weekdays, Rush employs several part-timers on Saturdays.

Another fellow-Worthington businessman and friend, Justin Coleman, also spends his Saturday nights at Rush's Auctions, holding up items for sale and helping watch for raised hands.

Preparing for each auction keeps Rush busy throughout the week -- and he's developed a knack for finding deals. Some weeks he spends a great deal of time on the road traveling to pick up more items to sell.

In fact, his ability to find bargains has led Rush and Coleman to start a new store in Worthington that will be open on weekdays and offer low prices on a wide array of items.

The store, located on SR 67 beside Coleman's Auto Sales in a building once occupied by Noel's Grocery Store, will specialize in liquidation and overstock merchandise of all kinds.

"The hardware store in town has closed so we're going to carry a basic assortment of screws, nuts, bolts, maybe some PVC pipe -- some basic needs of people in Worthington. We're also going to have some office supplies and auto items, paper goods and some grocery items like canned goods, dry grocery goods like pasta, chips and cookies. We've been doing a lot of work on the building, put in new shelving, and there will be two aisles of just grocery items," said Rush.

Toys, small appliances, knick-knacks, candles, paper towels, shampoo and candy were also on his list but he said the stock will change frequently.

"We'll carry anything we can get a deal on and pass the lower price on to the customers," said Rush.

The building has been empty for awhile and Rush said he and Coleman have been talking about opening up a store there for over a year.

"This year, we're going to do it," said Rush.

If his luck at attracting shoppers into Worthington on Saturday nights holds, Worthington might start seeing more bargain-hunters coming into town all week long despite any national economic downturn.

Rush and Coleman are planning to open their "This 'n That" Liquidation Store early in April.