Bad postcard of the week: Taking a Time Out at Galesburg, near Kalamazoo

Taking a Time Out at Galesburg, near Kalamazoo
From:  The Grand Rapids Press

This is one of those “good news, bad news” kinds of bad postcard stories.

I stumbled across this scene of Galesburg, Mich. while poking through my favorite postcard bins and recognized immediately that I stumbled across bad postcard gold.

We’re headed to the outskirts of Kalamazoo for today’s card and the mystery it presents.

I know we usually poke fun at photographers for standing not just across the street, but practically in the next state.

But today we’re standing just a wee bit too close to the Time Out Lounge to take in all of its grandeur. At least I would have liked to have seen the rest of the car. Is that an AMC of some kind?

On the plus side, I see that the Time Out served sandwiches, cocktails, breakfast and pizza, covering the four food groups for some folks. And Coca-Cola, too!

It looks like there was a sale on shaker shingles at some point. And the collection of wires tell us there are operating telephones. Always a plus.

I needed to know more. Why the Time Out? Is there a pinball machine inside? Is it the classic Kiss pinball machine that I always wanted to play, but was always in places were I was never allowed?

The back doesn’t reveal much: “Scene from Galesburg, Michigan.” There might be more enticing views of the town of about 2,000 people. But that’s only an assumption.

I had to know. And I learned that the Time Out is very much in business and placed a call.

I spoke to a nice woman named Jan Yingling, who co-owns the eatery with her step-mother, Marilyn Nelson. They had not seen the postcard, though I promised to mail it down there.

Yingling said her step-parents bought the eatery in the early 1990's, long after this photographer stopped by for a visit.

The bad news: This version of the Time Out is no more. It was located downtown and met with an unfortunate fire in 2007.

The good news: There's a new Time Out. The new version is located outside of town a bit near the Kalamazoo River. Lots of parking.

The new place is nice, I’m told, and I’m invited to stop by for a visit. Yingling also said the Galesburg Historical Museum is worth a visit.