A little bit of everything
There aren’t a lot of places in Nebraska where you can buy Lottery tickets, a tank of gas, a six pack of beer and some vintage dishware in the same store. In fact, there’s only one of them that we could find.
Nestled right about halfway between Lincoln and Nebraska City along Highway 2 in Unadilla sits Nitty Gritty Gas and Thrift. It’s part gas station, part convenience store and part thrift shop and it’s one of the most unique Nebraska Lottery retailers in the state.
Owned and operated by Dan and Bev Anderson, Nitty Gritty Gas and Thrift has an assortment of food and drink options and Scratch and Lotto tickets, but they’ve also got a room right in the shop filled with vintage toys, salt and pepper shakers, VHS tapes, holiday décor and more.
The items come from the Andersons’ personal collection—the bulk of which resides inside a 53’ by 40’ building near their house a block and a half away.
For around 30 years, the Andersons worked for insurance companies in Lincoln but went looking for treasures on the weekends. One day about three years ago, when they bought the shop that had stood empty for a couple of years, they decided to turn their hobby into a big part of their business.
“It’s all stuff that we’ve liked,” Dan said. “That’s the hard part, you buy it because you like it and then giving it up is kind of a hard road.”
The store is also filled with Dan and Bev’s personal collections, some of which is just for decoration. They have a collection of vintage lamps behind the counter that Dan said he gets offers on all the time.
They’ve got big plans for the store, Bev said. They’re hoping to add a coffee shop in where the thrift store area is now and build onto the back of the building to expand the thrift business.
Since leaving the insurance industry and taking the leap into the retail business, the Andersons said they’ve been, even though it means working long hours seven days a week.
“We love working with the people,” Bev said. “We really have gotten to know the people in town. The town’s been real supportive. I wouldn’t go back.”
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