'American Pickers' visits Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — American Pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz visited Poplar Bluff on Wednesday in their never-ending quest for “rusty gold,” stopping at the Donut House for breakfast and chit-chatting with several local residents.

The stars of the History Channel’s series announced earlier in the year they would visit Missouri sometime in May in anticipation of the upcoming new season, although exact times and locations were not provided.

The series airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and follows antique collectors Wolfe and Fritz as they tour America in search of items of historical value for resale.

But late Tuesday, social media was abuzz with picker sightings in Poplar Bluff.

Apparently Wolfe and Fritz, aka “The Bundler,” had dinner at China Garden on Westwood Boulevard before turning in for the night at an undisclosed location.

Wednesday morning, the pickers headed to the Donut House for some coffee and pastries.

Manager Christy Wilkerson was surprised and excited the pickers visited the shop.

“They just came in and got doughnuts and coffee. I was trying to figure out who they were at first. I was like, ‘They are on a TV show — “American Pickers.”’ I started talking to them, and he (Wolfe) was like, ‘Yeah, we are here doing some picking today,’” Wilkerson said.

Donut House employee Kyle Divine also spent several minutes talking with Wolfe.

“I just talked to him about how he had been picking for 25 years, he said that’s really who he is. He was just like he is on the show,” Divine said.

Crystal Weston, an employee of Security Finance across the street from the Donut House, said Wolfe walked in front of her car as she was pulling onto the drive-thru.

“He walked in front of my car and I was like, ‘Surely that’s not him.’ When I got up to the window I was like ‘OK, is the guy from “American Pickers” in there?’ and he was like ‘Yeah, he’s standing right here.’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God,” Weston said.

Weston said she went back to the office and told her manager Dana Lindsey what happened. Lindsey then went over to the shop and spent several minutes talking with Wolfe and getting a photograph with the star of the series.

“I went over there and he was just standing there having his coffee with his crew,” Lindsey said. “I just told him me and my husband love the show and watch it all the time, and that my grandson has a little ‘Pickers’ onesie that we got him. He told us a little story about his daughter, and we shook hands and took a picture.”

It was undisclosed whether they did any filming in the Poplar Bluff area.

Lindsey said Wolfe and the crew told her they would be heading to the Springfield, Missouri, area Wednesday.

“I asked them where they were headed, and he said somewhere west. His crew members said the Springfield area,” she said.

According to the History Channel, “American Pickers” Season 15 will premier Wednesday. It was undisclosed when the Missouri footage would air.

Pertinent address:

Poplar Bluff, Mo.