Selling a Piece of History

The day of the shiny diner has come and gone but many are still holding on to the nostalgia that those buildings provide. Recently, a Washington, DC diner owner faced reality and his failing business and put his shiny diner up for auction…on eBay!

The authentic modular Silk City diner that was build in 1947 by the Paterson Vehicle Company was originally located in Avoca, NY. After 60 years in that location, the seller purchased the diner and moved it to Washington, DC where it spent two years as the Capital City Diner. After facing major competition from a national chain that located near the diner, the owner had to make the difficult decision to close the diner in January 2012.

Instead of limiting his buyers to only the Washington area, the seller decided to list the diner on eBay. Below is a screenshot of the actual listing.

The seller listed the diner on February 28, 2012, with a beginning amount of $20,000. Ten days and nine bids later, the seller had a winning bidder who offered up $40,000 for the diner. No word on if the buyer was local to DC or not. The seller did inform bidders that he had the contact information for a reputable company to move the diner to the buyer’s location. Shipping was separate and it was the responsibility of the buyer to arrange the move, if needed.

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