Treasure hunters flock to brothers’ antique shop in Lynn

LYNN – Passersby aren’t likely to miss the bright yellow bubble gum machine shaped like a gas pump in the front entrance.Those who stop to look may also find their eyes pulled toward the plate glass, behind which an Egyptian porcelain table with glass top creates a colorful window display.Brothers Bill and Mack McKechnie opened B & M Treasure Chest four months ago at 512 Boston St. Since then, they’ve attracted a steady flow of customers interested in the eclectic collection.”My brother and I did the flea market outside Building 19 for over 20 years, but we thought it was time to get our own store,” said Bill McKechnie of Peabody, explaining that the quality of goods in the store is higher than what is typically found at flea markets.The McKechnies are leasing the storefront from the Loomos Brothers, who run the liquor and grocery store a few doors away.”My brother, who lives in Lynn, used to rent this space for storage. Since then, we redid the electric and made a lot of improvements to the place,” said McKechnie. “I’m a neat freak. I don’t like clutter. With a store, we can bring in the items we want and display them properly.”The store is filled with antique and used furniture, jewelry, prints and paintings, glassware, oddities and collectables. Most of the goods come from auctions and estate sales. The brothers also buy gold and silver.”We take things on consignment, but it has to be quality merchandise because we do it on a 50/50 basis. If somebody has treasures, we’ll buy them.”Authentic glass milk bottles with metal pressure valves on the lip share space with the Egyptian table in the front window. According to McKechnie, the bottles are about 60 years old and once commonly used for home milk delivery. The gumball machine in the doorway is from the 1960s, purchased by the brothers at an estate sale.Inside the shop, the shelves are laden with African carvings, wooden canes, reproduction swords, vases, ashtrays, ornate mailboxes and metal antique toys. Bracelets, watches, rings and pendants fill the counter.A woman recently walked into the store as McKechnie tidied the front window display. She was eager to purchase two paintings and dismayed to learn they had been sold a day earlier.”We get a lot of repeat customers,” said McKechnie. “The things in the store change all the time.”