Grandpa’s Story
About the Collector: Wilmer B. Rogers
If you ever asked my grandpa, Wilmer B. Rogers (lovingly called Grandpa Jack although we don’t know why), what he did for a living, he’d probably show you his official NASA commendation for engineering the communication networks that put a man on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
...But if you looked at his top-secret looking briefcases and the way he closely guarded his massive stash of vintage space items, you’d swear he was a Cold War spy moonlighting at a desk job. (We can neither confirm nor deny the espionage, but the vibe was definitely there.)
What we can officially confirm is that Grandpa Jack had two great loves: outer space, and absolutely never throwing a single thing away.
The Ultimate Space-Age Hoarder
While most people came home from work with a paycheck, Grandpa Jack came home with pieces of history. Thanks to his beautifully chaotic refusal to ever declutter, our family inherited a literal time capsule of the Apollo era. He saved everything…from authentic NASA documents and photos and rare space-race memorabilia.
For decades, this incredible collection sat preserved in his estate. Now, we are opening up Grandpa’s legendary vault to the world. Every piece you see here is 100% authentic, historical, and personally hoarded by a man who helped make the "almost impossible task" of lunar landings look like a routine Tuesday.
By taking a piece of Grandpa Jack's collection home, you aren't just buying a vintage collectible…you're helping us clear out his garage, honoring a genuine space-age pioneer, and keeping a piece of cosmic history alive.
Meet the Curator: Sam
To most of the world, he was Wilmer B. Rogers. To me, he was Grandpa. And depending on the day, I was Sam, Sammie, or…if I was in trouble-Samantha.
Our relationship wasn't perfect. We weren't incredibly close, and after my grandma passed away, he had a really rough time showing love. We didn’t talk toward the end of his life, and I’ve stepped into this collection with a lot of questions that will simply never be answered.
But human relationships are complicated, and love shows up in unexpected ways. For us, it showed up in the things we shared: a deep reverence for history, a fascination with space, and an absolute obsession with photography.
Capturing History Through the Lens
My grandpa was rarely seen without a camera. Alongside his NASA gear, he left behind an incredible camera collection and boxes upon boxes of film negatives. He was the man behind the lens for the vintage NASA photos of Mission Control during the Apollo 11 mission that you see scattered across this website. Looking through his viewfinder was his way of documenting a world moving at lightning speed.
As a photographer myself and an avid collector of antiques and vintage goods, I inherited that exact same drive to preserve the past. I love the hunt, the stories behind old objects, and the feeling of holding a tangible piece of time in your hands.
Keeping the Story Alive
This shop is where our worlds finally align. It’s my way of processing the silence, honoring his massive legacy, and doing what I love most: sharing authentic pieces of history with the world.
Every time you buy a piece from this collection, you’re not just taking home a fragment of the space race…you’re helping me honor a complicated, brilliant man who hoarded it all, but really, was just trying to hold onto all the memories. Thank you for being a part of the journey.
