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Second Chances

Erin and Roger E Quast
4877 Northbrook Blvd. N
Stillwater, MN 55082
715-492-8914

4th August 2016, Updated February 15, 2021

LOGLINE

A couple, show their ability to take used, abused, unusual or otherwise throw away items and re-purpose them. From remodeling and decorating homes, to building Rat Rods and saving all kinds of old things; these two make vintage junk cool.

SYNOPSIS

Roger and Erin could be considered an unlikely couple to some, but the rough construction working father of 3 boys with a passion for building Rat Rods; and the tech savvy, corporate mother of 2 girls with a knack for turning unusual items into vintage chic decor, met unexpectedly and are making a life together collecting, rebuilding, re-purposing, and giving everything they can a ‘second chance’, including love!

BACKSTORY

Roger and Erin met on April 12, 2013 and have been inseparable ever since. Roger, a divorced father of 3 adult boys has been a lifetime resident of the Stillwater, MN area. He is a heavy equipment operator focusing on excavating and demolition. Earlier in his career, he had been a truck driver, a snowplow driver, and worked laying sod. He owned and operated his own landscape company Dark 2 Dark for many years.

He has had a passion for cars since he and his father rebuilt a 66 and ½ Dodge Charger when he was just 12. He found that mechanics and welding came very easy to him and has rebuilt or built numerous vehicles since. All of them a little on the Fast and Loud side. His primary car of choice these days are Rat Rod trucks, currently owning 3 that run and drive with many more in the queue.

Sadly Roger’s dad passed away from melanoma January 1, 2015 which spawned the creation of a non-profit charity car cruise formed with another car buddy who’s father passed from cancer 2 weeks prior. The eRATicate Cancer Cruise has had years of successful car cruises throughout the nation with many more to come.

Roger’s passions don’t end with old rusty vehicles. He is an avid collector of all things old, mostly items from pre-WWII. He finds many items while demoing old farms and houses in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Not happy about having to tear down history, he tries to salvage what he can and will incorporate these items into the home, a Rat Rod, car show trophies he builds, or projects for other people. Saving the items is of utmost importance.

Erin is a widowed mother of 2 adult girls, and a grandmother of one special little boy. Erin grew up in the Chicago suburbs and relocated with her young family in 1993 to Hayward, WI, a vacation destination for many Midwesterner’s. There she built a life making ends meet through several small businesses she started and helped operate. With her technical and marketing ability she helped many other area businesses by creating their websites when the Internet was very new. She and her late husband along with her parents built an upscale miniature golf course that brought many seasons of enjoyment to the people visiting the area. After Erin moved to Stillwater to be with her guy, Roger, the ‘Ratical BF’ turned Rat Rod Hubby, she took a job with a bank in a technical capacity and is currently their Business Continuity Coordinator.

Erin also has always had an affinity for older things most likely inherited from her late father who was a collector of antique planes and wood working tools. She likes to decorate the home with vintage items and re-purpose things like furniture, barn wood, old tin, and pallet wood. Erin likes a bit of the steam punk look utilizing black steel pipe and fittings for curtain rods, light fixtures, tables, shelves and anything that will work. Her motto about old things is “make real items from unrealistic things” and on her blog ‘Archaic Notions’ she says that it is a forum for the perception-ally challenged. Things aren’t always as they seem and you can’t judge a book by its cover. Erin wants people to look at seemingly throw away items and figure out how to give them a second chance, keeping them out of the landfills and giving them new life and purpose.

Erin and Roger never expected to meet, but on that fateful night they both took a leap of faith and didn’t stereotype each other….they didn’t ‘judge the book by the cover’ and they found beneith the surface that their interests were very similar. The focus they both put on their children and family an ethical likeness; entrepreneurial spirit and enjoying the fruits of their labor; the want for adventure; and a partner to enjoy life with were all very good reasons to give love a second chance.

They spend free time mostly with family, searching for old vehicles; renovating the old resort from 1937 they bought up north; going to car shows and on cruises in the 1946 Chevy Fuel Oil truck; and of course searching flea markets, second-hand shops, and antique stores for cool old junk.