Ron Onesti: What is an 'old soul?'

These days, I get many young people who come up to me at shows and thank me for keeping the "vintage" music alive. They call themselves "old souls" because they like Led Zeppelin, the Who and the Beatles.

Really?

I suppose it makes sense. Those bands are all celebrating 50 or 60 year anniversaries. THAT'S hard for me to truly embrace. I can't be THAT old!

I am someone who loves the music of the jazz age of the 1920s, the big band era of the 1940s, Doo-wop of the 1950s, the "free love" psychedelic Sixties and impending British Invasion, and the classic rock and soul of the 1970s. So what does that make me? An "antique soul?" A "prehistoric soul?" A "senior-moment soul?"

I consider myself fortunate as I was raised in a World War II household during the '60s and '70s. That old music was all around me, so I not only garnered an appreciation for the glorious antiquities of life, but also felt the music of the day inside my very soul! And it remains there to this very day.

Along with those "singing into a hairbrush in front of my dresser mirror in my bedroom" days, I also fell victim to a love for the "things" that came with the eras of music I was jamming to. The antiques, which I bought at estate sales and overbid for at auctions, ultimately resulted in what has become to define me and my business. I also have become a clearing house for those who know the value of those items, but do not want them to go into the dumpsters of forgotten memories.

I have two Roaring Twenties era theaters and two Prohibition era speak easy-style bars. My other restaurants and eateries are all "retro" in nature. I have been collecting vintage items for years, all not so much as a collector, but as a designer of music and food venues with a cool vibe and old-school atmosphere.

And boy, has my collection grown!

With two 2,500-square-foot warehouses and 12, 10-by-20-foot storage units filled with antique Edison phonographs, old time cathedral-style radios, French Provincial couches and ornately framed mirrors, it is an adventure for me every time I rummage through all myself!

It's been a while since I was there, but now that Rock 'N Ravioli is about to open and the Des Plaines Theatre is up and running, I am peppering all my places with some of the various historic oddities that have been safely tucked away over the years.

As the steel roll-up door of one of those units opened, I remembered the 1890s horse-drawn carriage once owned by a doctor that I placed there years ago. It is in perfect condition with shiny black leather seats, 4-foot spoked wood wheels and brass hardware. What can I do with this?

Next to it was a century-old Chinese rickshaw! Ya, never can have too many of those! Purchasing that was definitely one of my "what was I thinking" moments!

How about that all-copper electric washing machine from the 1920s? It looks like a shiny copper still for bootleg whiskey. Hey, wait a minute …

I have one of those boxing machines where you hit the bag as hard as you can and it registers the force, like a carnival game. It is all wooden and from the 1890s. I am sure there will be a time when THAT comes in handy!

I found this box that had these bright-red glass balls the size of baseballs filled with some sort of liquid. They were used to put out fires in the 1930s.

How about the 12, 100-plus-year-old upright player pianos I have? I have become the piano cemetery for those who are remodeling their homes.

Let's not forget the old jukeboxes, framed painted pictures of unsmiling couples in bonnets and Abe Lincoln hats, countless press photos of Frank Sinatra, and the lamps … ohhh, the many, many Capodimonte lamps with huge, umbrella-like shades and porcelain maidens dancing with harps.

Yet, I love this stuff! The smell of old-dark wood and the boxes of collectibles are adventures in and of themselves. When folks come to my places and ask, "Aren't you afraid someone will break this stuff?," I just say I am happy people can enjoy being among these things that bring me so much joy.

One of my favorite times in history was that of the Roaring Twenties. Here we are, back experiencing the "Roaring Twenties Part II!" The fact that the music, decor and pop-culture items of those days are still appreciated these days is heartwarming, at the very least!

So come out to Club Arcada Speakeasy & Restaurant in St. Charles and Bourbon 'N Brass Jazz & Blues Speakeasy soon! And before you throw out your grandfather's chewed up pipe or your grandmother's gold inlay tea set, give me a call. I may have a place for it so you can visit your grandparents on a regular basis!

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of the Onesti Entertainment Corp., the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and the Des Plaines Theatre. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.