After two hurricanes, a pandemic – causing a weakened economy, what we all need is a calm stroll through an antique store. Just an hour, idly glancing through objects from simpler times is better than therapy. In The Old Bicycle Shop on Center Street in New Iberia, customers can come in and look without any pressure and enjoy seeing the things Bonnie and Walter “Dub” LaBauve collected over the years.

Don’t be confused by the name, many customers remember the long-time family bicycle shop before it was converted to an antiques and collectibles store in 2016. The 117-year old building was originally a blacksmith shop opened in 1903 and owned by Walter’s grandfather. In 1945, Walter’s father opened the bicycle business on the front side of the shop and continued to operate until he became ill and died in 2003.

Sadly, Walter passed away in August, but the love the two shared for the art of antiquing carries on. No newcomer to antiques, Bonnie says her inventory reflects years of shopping antiques and flea markets. “We enjoyed traveling to out-of-the-way places looking for antiques stores and flea markets. We’ve been all over Texas: Katy, Richmond, Canton, Round Top… I love to shop and hunt for treasures,” she smiles. For almost six years, they had a booth at the school house in Washington, La., but “it was hard work setting up and tearing down each time,” says the Church Point native. So, they decided to start selling all they’d accumulated in The Old Bicycle Shop.

Walter’s section in the store reflects what was a passion for ad memorabilia, military items, vintage soft drink bottles – and milk bottles from most of the dairies that were once in New Iberia. Everything else is of Bonnie’s collections: furniture, glassware, linens, utensils, granite pots and pans. A nearly 80-year-old armoire is a statement piece in the store and there’s a smaller child’s armoire from 1925, with the original finish. An original milking chair from the 50s waits for the discerning eye of someone with a sentimental tie to the industry. On the walls hang old bicycle posters, in homage to the bicycle shop.

And then there’s the true treasure, Bonnie herself, a retired nurse of 34 years with experience in pediatrics and gastroenterology who says meeting new people and talking with customers is her favorite part of the business. “They share their collection stories; you can get into some long conversations with people who have collected for years,” she says. Serious collectors and casual browsers alike come from Lafayette, Franklin and Breaux Bridge, as well as New Iberia. Many who were child customers of the bicycle shop walk in and reminisce of getting their first bike or getting repairs back in the day. And, every so often, Bonnie is surprised when one of her pediatric patients, all grown up, comes into the store recognizing her.

Bonnie is always ready to discover her customers’ interests and help them find items, if she can. She keeps a “looking list” for those searching for particularly hard-to-find collectibles, like memorabilia from Southwest Louisiana Institute (the first UL,) vintage milk bottles and soft drink bottles from area bottling plants long gone.

As to what’s in demand these days she says, “Customers are on the hunt for old books, glassware, antique kitchen utensils – and children’s school desks are a hot item.

Always looking for a challenge and something to do, Bonnie has created beautiful yard art and Cajun wine glasses, made from Mason jars, that she’s reportedly sold hundreds of in her store. One summer, she relandscaped her entire back yard with flower beds and 2’x 2’ cobblestones which she made herself mixing 2,000 pounds of concrete.

Another passion of hers was Corvettes. Of the eight vettes they owned -and Walter restored – Bonnie has had a 1993 and ‘99 model for herself. “We’d drive to Mississippi for Cruisin’ the Coast, a huge car event held each fall. We participated in Corvette car shows around Louisiana,” she says, adding that they’ve won several ribbons and plaques for Best Car in Show from the National Corvette Restorers Society.

Four year after they sold the Corvettes, in 2014, Bonnie had to “tap the breaks on her life.” What should have been a fairly simple surgery to remove a benign tumor on her pituitary gland instead revealed a shocker for Bonnie. In the work up leading to the procedure, a scan showed a spot on her thyroid and another on her right lung. First stunned to find out they were cancerous, she says the outcome was much better. “Fortunately, the tumors were so small that they were surgically removed and I didn’t need chemo or radiation. But, an ordeal like that definitely makes you step back and reevaluate your life – and future. It’s a reminder that we never know what tomorrow brings or how long we are here. Simple things you take for granted, like growing old with your husband and seeing your grandkids grow up, become uncertain and scary.” No doubt from hearing her talk, Bonnie’s most valued treasures are her two children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Now starting a new chapter of her life without her beloved antiquing (and life) partner, Bonnie turns to the one distraction that brings happy memories. She is tentatively planning a road trip to the East Coast next spring, where she has relatives. It was an area she and Walter had on their travel list. “There are beautiful antiques in the Carolinas, Maine, and New Hampshire – many from Europe,” she says.

We look forward to what she might bring back for the shop!

A One-of-a-Kind Find

Favorite Place for Antiquing: West Texas and the Mississippi Gulf Coast (pre-hurricanes)

Cruisin’ Music: Songs of the 60s and 70s

Handy Work: Smocking and custom children’s clothing for 10 years

Dream Car: New models of C6 or C7 Corvette

Collections: German half dolls, McCoy pottery, Chestee Harrington artwork

The Old Bicycle Shop is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m-5 p.m.