'To Have and to Hoard' exhibition showcases funky and forgotten finds of local collector

Jan. 11—Packrats, collectors, antiquers, savers — these are often the monikers we give to those who revel in bargain hunting, thrifting and delight in uncovering the oftentimes quirky or rare finds of yesteryear.

From kitschy to clever, one never knows just what gems are hiding in a cardboard box in someone's basement or under a veil of dust high in the rafters of an attic.

Boulder-based accumulator Joel Haertling — a musician and filmmaker — takes the art and hobby of yard sale shopping to a new abundant level. Over the years, he's consistently visited garage sales and obtained everything from mannequins to magazines of bygone eras.

"My first memory of a garage sale is at age 5 with my mother at about 7th and Aurora," said Haertling, who worked at Boulder Public Library for 30 years and was director of its Cinema Program. "That would've been the year 1963."

A slice of his immense collection can be seen in the exhibition "To Have and to Hoard" at Boulder Public Library's Canyon Gallery through Feb. 5.

Haertling, son of famous architect Charles Haertling, grew up in Boulder, and remains loyal to the garage sales of his origin, never venturing to those outside of his hometown.

"It's really down to the fact that I believe in garage sales as a place to go," Haertling said. "I stay in the city limits of Boulder, and I go to all of them during the garage sale season or out of season."

In the exhibition, visitors will even see the various signs for garage sales Haertling has saved and preserved — treasure maps to rummage sales from Mapleton Hill to Goss Grove.

"The Denver garage sales are tricky because of competitiveness among the hardcore city garage salers," Haertling said. "When one leaves the city limits — in any direction — there seems to be a lot more gun-related items."

While the unique objects and the fun of collecting motivates him to rise early for the hunt, Haertling is also driven by the desire to connect with others.

"Some of the common is the experience of instant rapport with a total stranger at their sale," Haertling said. "They may tell you things about themselves even their spouse doesn't know."

A day of garage-saling always brings with it the elements of spontaneity and surprise.

"There have been a number of very odd and unusual items," Haertling said. "This didn't happen to me, but one lady said she went to a garage sale and there was a box under a table, and she looked in it, and it was a box full of dynamite."

The engaging exhibition is curated by filmmaker and musician Andrew Novick, a longtime pal of Haertling.

"We met in the late 1980s when his band Architect's Office and my band Warlock Pinchers performed together at venues in Boulder," Novick said. "I went to many of his cinema screenings at Boulder Library and saw him at pop culture events in Denver. He has always been a fun and kind person."

Since opening in early December, the exhibition has attracted fellow junkers and treasure-seekers, as well as those curious to get a look at the bounty of items Haertling has scouted throughout the decades.

Attaché cases, a Fisher-Price record player, bibles, unopened cassette tapes, Russian dolls, calculators, family portraits and old-school board games are some of the pieces that make up the eclectic mix.

A sense of humanity flows through the exhibition, and the fact that most all of the items were found or bought in Boulder makes this display a sort of love letter to the city and its residents.

Haertling has even collected a bunch of cardboard signs, displaying messages sketched in Sharpie, created by members of the unhoused community. Slogans ranging from "2 Ugly 2 Be A Stripper" to "Homeless Couple, Anything Helps," tell deeper tales of struggle and survival.

Empty glass soda bottles — items that would likely be discarded by most — are showcased in the scaled-down show.

"Seeing people enjoy it is one of the big rewards," Novick said. "Also, getting to go through all of the stuff and hearing Joel's stories about the items is fascinating. He has a great memory and has stories about most everything."

Haertling's impressive collecting — which some may consider impulsive — is truly controlled chaos.

"A psychologist and psychiatrist I've seen have suggested that I wasn't nurtured right when I was little," Haertling said.

But there is an organization and categorization to his various collections — that range in themes from filmmaking to "dead garage sale museum" — that only a former library employee could produce.

"I think the notebooks of his documentation of everything he has acquired is a favorite for me," Novick said. "Also the transistor radios of all kinds and the old games. I'm a wacky collector, too, so I like most everything there."

Novick is excited to eventually release a film on Haertling and his growing collection so that those beyond Boulder can get a peek into the colorful and evocative world of the local eccentric.

"I have been filming all summer, as Joel (Haertling) and I have been digging through his storage spaces and going to garage sales — so fun." Novick said. "We filmed a lot around the installation of the show and the opening night."

A GoFundMe campaign is underway to help catapult the project. Novick hopes to raise $10,000.

"I'm still filming a lot, as the home Joel has lived in for seven years is being put on the market and he will most likely have to move, which is so sad to hear," Novick said. "I have edited a few shorts around it."

Haertling has a whopping seven trailers that used to be part of an 18-wheeler and a number of garages all packed to the gills with his various finds.

"I get confused as to which storage space I am in — pure Twilight Zone," Haertling said. "Most of the very best things are at my apartment right near the compass 'Center of Boulder' street mural, which I am about to lose."

The mural, created by community members in 2011, sits at 19th and Grove streets, forming a compass to mark the Goss Grove neighborhood as Boulder's geographic center.

From a retro Barbie jetliner to a vintage Betty Crocker Junior Baking Kit, visitors to the exhibition will get a vivid taste of memory lane.

"I would describe myself as a nostalgist, but there are many collections that don't fit into the nostalgia definition," Haertling said.

Still, visiting a garage sale or second-hand shop can spark memories of previous wishes unfulfilled.

"Perhaps personally, the best experience at a garage sale could be finding something that you forgot you wanted so much earlier in life," Haertling said. "This happened to me in the case of a hunting horn — or cor de chasse."

"I've played French horn since seventh grade at Baseline Junior High and always wanted a hunting horn and had priced them — and even gone to stores in Germany and seen them, but they were too expensive — and then I found one at the Super Duper Garage Sale, at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, in Longmont," Haertling said. "The fellow had priced it at $75 and gave it to me for $50. Now that is magical."

It's hard to pinpoint just where Haertling's fascination and love of obtaining atypical stuff began.

"I suspect it all started with bibliomania," Haertling said. "I was interested in antiquarian books and was inspired by the Stage House II bookstore, on 14th Street, when I was growing up here."

Haertling also keeps an eye out for particular items he knows friends would cherish.

He used to give vintage records by mid-century jazz singer Keely Smith to his former Boulder Library co-worker who has the same name as the late chanteuse. She liked them so much that she lined the walls of her office with them.

"It certainly is a fine feeling that one gets giving someone something that they really wanted, and I was able to do that at little expense to me," Haertling said.

Haertling values the funky and forgotten — a quality that is actually one to be admired as the popularity of expensive minimalist houses and brand names only continues to rise.

While there are no set fundraising events to benefit the documentary, folks will have a chance to embark on jaunts with Haertling to scour the streets of Boulder for found art and more.

"Joel (Haertling) is doing a few 'walkabouts' for free in conjunction with the library, and I think people from those events may be interested in donating," Novick said.

On Jan. 19, participants looking to learn more about Haertling's collection and explore the neighborhood can join him for a walkabout at noon. Those interested can meet up at the Canyon Gallery to hear backstories and more.

While Haertling's current digs will eventually change, one thing that will remain is his unwavering passion for uncovering his new favorite tchotchke or trinket — precious portals to the past.

He still feels a rush of immense joy when he discovers a special item — a sensation that simply can't be slapped with a price.

"That happens often, with a wide variety of items, for example, musical instruments, rocks and minerals, books, records, stamps, coins, clothes, hats, on and on," Haertling said.

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Walkabout with Joel Haertling

Meet in the Canyon Gallery at the main public library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave.

Boulder, at noon on Jan. 19 and set off on an informal one-hour stroll around the neighborhood to hear the interesting backstories Boulder has to offer. Longtime Boulderite Joel Haertling has a story about everything in his collection and every place in Boulder.