The owner of Old Times Kafe prefers décor straight off the farm.
Over the last 25 years, Evangelos Vassious has collected plows and other farming equipment to display outside his restaurant at 1485 W. Prince Road.
About a dozen or so of the rusty pieces sit outside Old Times Kafe.
Vassious opened the restaurant 25 years ago when he moved to Arizona from Greece to live in his wife's hometown of Tucson. He grew up in Athens but has lived in Canada, Vera Cruz, Mexico, and other European countries.
The farming equipment has been around as long as the restaurant has.
"Somebody brought a load of stuff from Missouri and we bought it all and put it around for décor," Vassious' wife, Ina, said.
Vassious has also picked up equipment at auctions and from his customers.
His collection started because he wanted Old Times Kafe to have an antique look.
"I thought with the name of the restaurant it was perfect," he said.
The inside of the restaurant also is decorated with antiques.
The purple trim on his restaurant isn't a tribute to ancient times. Purple is simply his favorite color, he said.
Vassious' collection of farming equipment was once five times what it is today.
"I've had lots of them stolen," he said.
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Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
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