By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

Word must be getting around that Wade Shirkey has put together the biggest collection of memorabilia in Our Honolulu. He's a one-man antique store.

Young Laundry is planning to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Whom did they call for one of those old clothes hangers on which they delivered suits, the wooden kind advertising "Young Laundry" and a four-digit telephone number?

Shirkey, of course. For good measure, he threw in a piece of marble rescued from the 1900 Alexander Young Building where Young Laundry had a shop.

Looking for a seat from Kuhio Theater? How about a window from the historic Halekulani Cottages? Or a pin from the Kapiolani Bowling alley?

Shirkey recently laid out his collection at The Advertiser where he's an administrative assistant in the newsroom. The stuff filled a big conference room. Antique auctioneer Marty McClain was nosing around.

"There's a market for pieces of old buildings," he said.

What makes some people collect stuff that everybody else throws away?

For Shirkey, it started when he and a friend picked up some pieces of marble during the Alexander Young demolition.

"I mounted them on monkeypod bases and gave them away for Christmas presents," he said. "Everybody wanted one."

Then the Magic Hula Studio, where Shirkey became a kumu hula under Rose Joshua, was torn down. He rescued some crystal doorknobs, mounted them and gave them to other Rose Joshua alumnae.

By that time, Shirkey was hot on the heels of demolition crews. He rented a Halekulani cottage the night before it was torn down and took home a window. He cockaroached some car speakers from the Kailua Drive In while bulldozers were knocking them over.

After Columbia Inn closed at the top of Kapi'olani Boulevard, he got the roof sign.

Tin Tin Chop Suey contributed chopsticks. Shirkey has service plates from Kelly's at the airport and dinnerware from Flamingo Chuckwagon.

The changing of the guard from Liberty House to Macy's almost did him in. Shirkey negotiated permission to take home a Liberty House sign before it got carted away.

He climbed a ladder to the top of a huge rubbish bin and there, far below, was the sign. But if he jumped down, how would he get out again? Someday, archaeologists would find his bones in the rubbish dump. Throwing caution to the winds, he leaped.

Using construction debris as a ladder, he managed to lug out all but one letter of the sign.

"I saved matches and an ashtray from the Lurline," he said. "Also a 'Vote for Ed Case' sign, a menu from the first Waioli Tea Room, a letter 'K' from the old Kaiser Hospital sign and a set of Don Ho posters."

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-0873.