Housed in a century-old building, a nostalgia store in Birmingham, Alabama, draws in shoppers for ho

(7 May 2015) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus030812 VOICE-OVER: OFF THE BEATEN PATH nats creak UP THE CREAKY STEPS, COUNTLESS TREASURES TRAP TOURISTS ON THREE FLOORS. SOUNDBITE: Lana Whisenant/Shopper: "All day. We've spent all day (laughter)." WHO KNEW SWEET HOME ALABAMA INCLUDED A PACK RAT'S PARADISE. SOUNDBITE Ian Philips/Co-owner: "We are at What's on 2nd in beautiful downtown Birmingham." A STEP BACK IN TIME.... WHERE THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL STILL LIVES. SOUNDBITE: Steve Gilmer/Co-owner: "This is our Elvis shrine. We had bought an Elvis collection at one time and I was kind of at a loss with what to do with it, and I decided I would decorate the bathroom. " A PLACE WHERE VINYLS �ARE STACKED BY THE HUNDREDS AND WHERE TREKKIES AND CHEWBACCA FANS ALIKE CAN HANG WITH LUKE'S DAD ON THE DARKSIDE. SOUNDBITE: Ian Philips, Co-owner "If it's tacky tasteless or irreverent, we probably like it." THAT INCLUDES LITTLE GREEN MEN AND CHOCHKEES OF ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND SPARKLE. SOUNDBITE Ian Philips, Co-owner: "I call us a nostalgia shop. We are antiques, collectibles, etc." THE OWNERS SAY TOURISTS COME FROM AROUND THE WORLD... A GEM NOT SO HIDDEN ANYMORE. SOUNDBITE Ian Philips, Co-owner: "We've had people from Australia, Austria, New Zealand, London. We've had France, Belgium, Germany. And that's probably within the last six months." SOUNDBITE Jenn Horton: Shopper "The problem is deciding what you're not going to buy. Yeah (laughter)." THE COLLECTION SO VAST- THE OWNERS DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW HOW MANY PIECES ARE FOR SALE. EVEN IF YOU LEAVE EMPTY HANDED - <NATS DOOR OPEN> THE BUILDING - OFFERING A GLIMPSE OF THE PAST. JOSHUA REPLOGLE, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...