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Rodger Parzyck
Owner, The Heritage Company Architectural Salvage & Supply
f you've ever restored or renovated an old house or just love old architectural items, then you will appreciate Rodger Parzyck's "hoarder" gene. The owner of The Heritage Company Architectural Salvage & Supply, at 150 N. Edwards St., has been salvaging materials from old homes and buildings for nearly 35 years and selling them from his store in downtown Kalamazoo. His shop has everything — and we do mean everything — from hardware such as hinges, locks and doorknobs to lights, furniture, trim, fireplace mantels and doors. And, yes, kitchen sinks. It isn't just owners of old houses who frequent his shop, says Parzyck. “Popular TV shows have increased interest in our business, programs like Salvage Dogs, Pickers and Fixer Upper have led to people coming in looking for trendy things,” he says. “Pinterest too. People want to put old stuff on new construction. Chippy paint is popular and other items that have character. We sell more windows that are used for decorating than replacements, and French doors for wedding backdrops. All of a sudden, sliding barn doors are a thing, and now everyone wants a unique pantry door. I never realized how many people have pantries!” You're from Detroit. How did Kalamazoo become home?
Brian Powers
I came (to West Michigan) to attend Grand Valley (State University) and then Western Michigan University. After graduation, I was
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accepted into the physician assistant program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and ended up moving back here from D.C. in 1978. At that time Bronson Methodist Hospital didn't have P.A.s on staff — the role was new — but they did hire me as an emergency room tech. Part of my role was running clinical drug studies in a program Bronson had with the (former) Upjohn Co. What drew you to architectural salvage? When I was studying to be a P.A., I heard about a group trying to save some old buildings that my university wanted to tear down. I got involved in historic preservation by joining that group. After moving back here in 1978, somehow I became chair of the city of Kalamazoo's Historic (Preservation) Commission, which I did for almost 20 years. How did your business get started? There was a church downtown that planned to tear down a house that I wanted to save from demolition. We couldn't save the (continued on page 37)