Robert McNutt likes to collect things, really old things.
The Vancouver man has amassed an incredible assortment of vintage items acquired all over North America, both online and around town.
His passion for gathering relics of the past began when he was just a child.
"In grade three, I was going through old houses for demolition, stripping doorknobs and light fixtures out of them, and it just went on and on and on," he reminisces.
After over 40 years of collecting. he's still going strong.
McNutt has turned his apartment into a veritable museum of accumulated items. All the modern fixtures inside his home have been replaced with antique ones that still function.
There's a central vacuum system from 1914, a juicer from 1917, and a working wall telephone dating back to 1905.
Most of his timeless treasures range in origin from the 1880s to 1920s.
In addition to adorning his abode with artifacts, he's also added some pieces to Mount Pleasant's Wenonah building, where he resides. After restoring lighting fixtures by trade from 1984 to 2017, McNutt now acts as the building's manager.
The self-described hoarder says collectors are a unique group of people.
"Only collectors know that feeling, the rest of you will just say 'weirdo.'"
He's constantly hunting for something new that's really old but space is always an issue.
"There's a lot of furniture I see, but I can't; I have no place to put it. You never know what you're looking for until you see it, and then you're just hopelessly in love."
