Day Trips: Good Ole Days, Brady

D and J's Good Ole Days in Brady might be called a junk shop, but that would be a gross understatement. This is an emporium of oddities, memorabilia, antiques, and other wonders where one man's junk is another man's treasure.

DeAnn and Joe Evridge opened the store after they semiretired from ranching and running a local furniture store. Joe says they started the business because their kids insisted they clean out their house and barn. One of the owners offers a friendly greeting to every visitor with an invitation to look around and an admonishment not to be shy about buying something.

Wandering the paths through the four storefronts can be a little overwhelming. So much stuff is stacked from floor to ceiling that it overpowers the senses. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's merchandise (for instance, the deer head with a blond wig and pink lips is for sale) and what's just a joke (the mannequins giving birth).

The cathedral of recycled items has everything you would expect in an antique shop, like books, tools, kitchen utensils, clothes, and salvaged building materials. It also has a lot of things you wouldn't expect, like funeral home tools, a case of glass eyes, and a prosthetic arm.

Two things not for sale are the stuffed remains of Joe's pet bobcat and raccoon. He's got stories about each and the tales are free.

D and J's Good Ole Days is at 109 W. Commerce (Highway 87) in Brady across from the county courthouse. The emporium is open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday after 2:30pm. Call 325/456-9030 or 325/456-7228 to be sure they're open.

1,401st in a series. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.