Text by Sara Wright Covington. Photos by Patrick Hood 

Antiques Dealer and Filmmaker Frank Crafts Brings Ingenuity to Athens

Frank Crafts reclines easily in a midcentury modern arm chair in the middle of his antiques booth,The Mod Pod, at Serendipity Antiques on Highway 72. A self-proclaimed dealer of things, maker of films, and child of the universe, Crafts is relaxed and charming, dressed smartly in jeans and a blazer, enjoying what he considers a rare treat--a can of Tab. As he sips his soda, he laments to me that since Coca-Cola discontinued his cherished beverage in 2020, he’s only able to enjoy them in moderation. “I found the last 64 cases at the bottling company in Corinth, Mississippi,” he says. “I bought them all, and I now have about ten cases left. I allow myself to have one every other day and on the weekends. I have to ration them! Tab is truly the nectar of the gods.” 

Discontinued sodas aren’t the only thing Crafts is dedicated to tracking down. Many people might relate to having camped out on a sidewalk overnight to nab concert tickets or willingly getting up at the crack of dawn on a Black Friday to join thousands of other frenzied shoppers on the busiest shopping day of the year. Crafts admits to sleeping on the porches of estate sales to guarantee his spot as first in line to garner a coveted artifact. We sat down with Crafts to hear about how his travels, love of art, and filmmaking have inspired him to keep Athens interesting. 

LL: Tell us about your background. 

FC: I’m a native Athenian and attended Auburn University, double majoring in marketing and biology. I call myself a child of the universe because I’ve lived all over the country and only recently landed back in Athens. I’ve actually spent time in every state in the union. I’ve also worked for several large companies, including Xerox, AT&T, and Merck & Co. I grew up in a home with fine antiques, so I knew what they were. 

LL: How has your past travel and career in sales led you to create Frank’s Good Stuff?

FC: I’ve never been a stranger to estate sales and auctions, and my mom had begun taking me to them at an early age. When I was in a career-ending car wreck, I needed to find something to while away the hours when I was recuperating from the injury, so I started with one little 8x10 booth. My mother helped out by sketching the logos, and Frank’s Good Stuff was born as a business. At one point I had four locations, but that proved too much to handle, so now I just split my time between Serendipity Antiques and The Willow Cottage in Athens. The Mod Pod is a further extension of Frank’s Good Stuff and is also located inside Serendipity Antiques. Mod Pod is one of the biggest galleries and it’s all midcentury modern stuff. It’s actually a ton of stuff that was used to create the set of a small film I did that was based in 1979. Frank’s Good Stuff started out with just traditional English and French antiques but has grown over the years to include midcentury modern, farmhouse, primitive, and boho styles.

LL: What are some of the favorite pieces you’ve collected over the years?

FC: I have a passion for art, and I’d have to err in that direction. I have a Picasso sketch, a couple of Miro hand-colored engravings and an old pastoral George Moreland oil on canvas that are some of my favorites.

LL:Tell us more about your filmmaking projects.

FC: I started doing small films right out of college because it was the only affordable means of filmmaking back in the early ‘90s. Back then, we were shooting films on super VHS and getting them screened in pizza restaurants or anywhere else that wanted to catch the independent film vibe that was prevalent in the early ‘90s. Then I started doing scramble films in Birmingham through the Sidewalk Film Organization. I’ve produced several short films that have made it into competition there. Over the years, I got busy with my career with Merk, but when I retired and got back to Athens, I knew I wanted to make a feature film that could actually be seen in theaters. I’ve partnered with a couple of buddies I had met through Sidewalk--director Jay Burleson, and producer Ian Cunningham--and our project “The Third Saturday in October” franchise was born.

LL:Tell us about the movie!

FC: It’s a comedy/horror! It’s full of horror film cliches that horror fans will definitely catch. There is a fictional backdrop and two football teams that have a big rivalry (think Alabama vs. Tennessee). A mad killer attacks the town on the biggest game day of the year.

LL:You’ve mentioned enjoying being back in Athens and getting to use your creative side. What are you most excited about for the future of the city and how you are getting to contribute artistically? 

FC: For me, it’s the way Athens is planning to accommodate the incredible growth spurt it is having, and will continue to have over the next decade, and the investment the city and private citizens are making in the arts. That  planning is going to lead to more creatives making their home in Athens. We made these two movies with a lot of talent from out of town, but we also sourced people from Athens that didn’t necessarily have a background in film but had a creative spirit and a willingness to learn. The growth in the artistic community will not only serve to make it easier to source local talented casts and crews but will also make it easier to get the projects made. From a secondary standpoint, as an antiques dealer, we are constantly busy at Serendipity Antiques and The Willow Cottage with customers who have relocated to Athens, and I am working my creative best to deliver the finest in midcentury modern and classic antique furniture to North Alabama in order to fill the demand we are getting from these new residents.