The owners of the Tupelo Hardware Store, the place where Gladys bought her son his First guitar, found another interesting way to cash in on Elvis. A few weeks ago, the glass of the display case in which the guitar was stored, broke because of an accident. The 400 pieces of glass of the original counter, are now for sale for 4.95 $US each – including a certificate of authenticity.
Shirley Sumner, JD’s daughter, has cleaned up the garage, or so it seems. She’s offering some unusual personal belongings of her father, such as a set of old ties (400 dollar each), a tire of a car that Elvis gave JD (4.000 dollar), a contract (12.000 dollar) and a 1972 poster (1200 dollar). Other items are Las Vegas menus, pictures and albums.
Elvis Sale
August 20, 2007 | Other
Jerome wrote on
August 20, 2007
Hopefully someone breaks the new display of these vampires as well. I'm living too far away or else I would have thrown some stones..
E.P. BLVD wrote on
August 22, 2007
Having lived in both Tupelo (for 6 years) and being that I currently live in Memphis and have been here for 13 years... (Life long American citizen and Elvis fan here), I know the folks at Tupelo Hardware personally. They are lovely people...To say that they are bloodsuckers or Vampires is just wrong. Unlike other Elvis attractions...They don't charge you a dime to go in their store and look, and you don't have to buy anything if you don't want to....Mr. Howard Hite greets every visitor with a lovely story...for free... The pieces of glass that were for sale were sold for a mere $4.95, that's nothing...chump change they probably spent more on the labor to have the glass cut up and bagged, and the certificates printed. When I purchased two pieces of the glass in Tupelo last week, I asked Mr. George Booth III and Mr. Howard Hite why they didn't post the sale on E-bay and make tons of money off of it...they basically told me they didn't have the time and didn't want to go through the trouble, and they wanted the Elvis fans to have a piece of history. If you do the math and Multiply 400X$5.00 you come up with only $2,000. I wouldn't exactly say they are making a killing on it. Tom (Livin' in Elvisland 365 days a year, and lovin' it)
Rejane wrote on
August 22, 2007
Oh, brother! The things people think should make them money. Especially the dentist who bought the crown, can we say Eew! But as long as Tupelo Hardware isn't going to clear a fortune off plain glass I really don't have a complaint. The prices on some of that other stuff?? To each their own!
pasa-ryu wrote on
August 22, 2007
its good seeing the tupelo store again and the bloke who tells you the true story of elvis getting his first guitar!-i went to MEMPHIS for the very first time in january and had to book a dat trip to TUPELO to visit elvis' birthplace and tupelo hardware store!..i was allowed to film with my camcorder in the shop and he was impressed that i made the trip to memphis all by myself from wales(he said "tom jones" he was frinds with elvis",etc,etc.)I had the dream holiday visitng graceland and elvis' birthplace and eatinfg in "JOHNNYS DINER" in tupelo-the same place where elvi used to eat the johnny burger19and i sat in the same seat seat where elvis sat)..it was superb standing on the X that elvis stood where gladys and vernon purchased elvis' first guitar.(the owners of the store were really frindly to myslef and made me feel welcome to tupelo)..i got proof on my camcorder that i interviewed the owner and went to the birthplace on my camcorder(10 hours of my enire trip to graceland and tupelo and sun studios..9th january to the 16th!!l