John Sikorski is an accidental antiquesman.
Sikorski, an Ocala antiques appraiser who hosts a weekly radio show called "Sikorski's Attic" on WUFT, said that though he has been interested in antiques all his life, he "fell" into the business about 30 years ago.
"It was literally an accident," he said. "I never set out to be in this business."
Sikorski said it all started when his wife started studying engineering at UF. He was returning to Ocala from Gainesville after a promising second job interview with Blue Cross and Blue Shield when he made a stop.
"Up on I-75, there was this big, red antique store," he said. "I had some spare time, so I decided to just stop in and see what was there."
The store's owner was there, and he and Sikorski talked about his experience.
"We got to talking, and I told him about the job. He said, 'Well, it'd be better if you'd come to work for me here,'" he said. "So he hired me on the spot."
The store was Wayside Antiques, and Sikorski worked there for about 10 years, during which time he picked up valuable experience, he said.
Sikorski then opened his own antique shop, which he ran until he opened his appraisal office about 10 years ago.
He decided to begin appraising after he realized that the buying and selling of antiques wasn't as lucrative as it once was.
"Along came the Internet, and you no longer needed to have a retail store," he said. "But there are a lot of people out there who have things but have no way of finding out what they're worth."
In addition to "Sikorski's Attic" and his downtown appraisal office, a tangled mix of eclectic findings and books from which he studies to stay up-to-date on the business, he writes question-and-answer columns for the Gainesville Sun, the Ocala Star-Banner and the Citrus County Chronicle.
Sikorski also provides a walk-through service for people who want many items in their houses appraised.
"It's a conversation about things in their homes with regard to collector interest and dollar values," he said, adding that he also offers advice on how best to sell antiques.
Despite having traveled the world collecting and studying antiques, Sikorski said he never loses interest because of the variety of items he comes across.
So far, Sikorski said, the most interesting item he has come across is a footlong hardened walrus penis, called an usik, which sits in a glass case in his office. Smiling impishly, he held out the item for examination before explaining its significance.
"From one minute to the next, you never know what's going to come in. It's always different," he said. "I love it all."
