Meet the Abandoned Team
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Jay Chaikin
As a teenager, Jay starting climbing, crawling and sneaking into abandoned buildings for thrills. Now, he does it for profit. Jay's passion is discovering artifacts that were one step from the dumpster and re-purposing them as beautifully designed furnishings for people who love history. Business is booming: wife and business partner Ricki is the brains of the operation, and buddies Mark and Dan follow him on every trip. Together, they go where others won't—leaving safety behind to explore forgotten places, discovering unique objects and sometimes unlocking their value through expert refurbishment. Jay and his team are saving a piece of American history, one object at a time.
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Ricki Chaikin
Like most people, Ricki didn't think much of abandoned buildings before she met Jay, her future husband. After their first exploration together, Ricki was hooked. Four kids later, she is the manager of Reclaimed Relics, the company she and Jay co-founded together. While Jay's decisions are based on spur of the moment passion, Ricki brings a much needed rational prospective, reigning in her impulsive husband when his spontaneity threatens the bottom line.
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Dan Graham
After bonding over Jay's busted pickup as teenagers, Dan and Jay became best friends and have remained so ever since. Now, Dan is ready at a moment's notice to hit the road in search of hidden treasure. Dan looks out for his risk-taking friend when Jay steps a little too close the edge, and uses his technical know-how to unravel mysteries of forgotten machines and equipment.
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Mark
He may not know the business as well as Jay or Dan, but what Mark lacks in experience he makes up for in muscle... and a well-timed wise crack. Jay's teaching Mark the ropes of abandoned building exploration. Mark's been learning quickly, and is often dispatched on his own when the team has a lot of ground to cover. The only problem? For a big guy, Mark scares easily: anything that creeps, crawls or haunts sends Mark in the opposite direction in a hurry.
We have the luck to meet Jay, Such inspire guy at what he's doing! so energetic! We can stay for hours there listen and talking to him .. he rocks!!!! if you don't watch his show yet, you better!
What a fascinating show! I'm not a reality show fan, but I just watched several episodes back-to-back. I share Jay's passion for rescuing old objects, and the more "history" the better. Wondering about the children who carved graffiti into 19th century school desks, or imagining a church bell calling the townspeople to worship in a tiny church gives the objects a value that exceeds their monetary worth. Watching has made me wonder how someone acquires the skills to restore objects made of such diverse materials. It's not the sort of thing taught at the community college, but it would be fascinating to learn. I want that job!
Jay Chaikin over at Reclaimed Relics is one of the nicest guys and a great speaker!!! Jay walked us around two of his yard locations and spoke with us on how his business grew and the hardwork that America seems to lack these days. Its amazing anymore these days where you can meet a random guy by searching the web for old barn beams and walk away knowing so much about he and his families lives. Reclaimed Relics is a god send to those who have historical houses that want to keep them in the manner of which they were once. Reclaimed Relics is what America is all about, hard work and dedication to provide for your family. As Jay says "if your out of work, create it"!!!!