Shuttered roadside attraction launches auction. Want a 7-foot Santa?

A virtual auction is underway for nostalgia pieces once used at the now-closed Shell Factory & Nature Park, a Fort Myers roadside attraction. 

Hosted by Fort Myers Auction, the goal is to liquidate remaining inventory from the 86-year-old entertainment destination that closed in September. The owners, in shutting down the facility and listing the property for sale, said “ongoing maintenance and necessary repairs are costly” and while “significant investments to sustain the Shell Factory’s continued operations (have been made), the sad reality is that the park is no longer viable in its current form.”

Courtesy image

The first of two online auctions, this one will conclude at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, according to a statement. More than 500 lots will be available with items spanning a variety of toys, T-shirts, postcards, gemstones, personalized gifts and decor, plus an expansive collection of holiday decor, including a 7-foot-high Santa Claus statue that greeted visitors, Christmas villages, trees, figurines, Fontanini nativity sets and more, the release adds. Retailer glass display cases and metal display racks are also up for bid.

Bidders must register an account to view and bid on available items online at ShellFactoryAuction.com. Items will be sold as-is and buyers must pick up items by appointment.

Lots include a complete point-of-sale system with a cash drawer, barcode scanner that starts at $20; a lot of coffee mugs with a tagline of “buyer must remove, bring totes) that starts at $40 and had six bids as of Nov. 29; and a lot of 145 stuffed animal TY bears, in brown and white, that starts at $155 and had 12 bids as of Nov. 29. 

A second virtual auction will be held in January to sell restaurant equipment and furnishings, larger fixtures and pieces of iconic Shell Factory memorabilia, statues and signage, including the World’s Largest Shell Factory sign and the Tommy’s Outdoor Café sign. Further details, dates and registration for the second online auction will be announced in the coming weeks, the release states.

“While the decision to close was incredibly hard, in the process, we have had many moments of joy with residents and visitors to this beloved attraction,” owner Pam Cronin says in the statement. “We are confident this last sale of remaining items will result in some Shell Factory assets being used in restaurants and attractions that will continue to delight others as they have at the Shell Factory.”

The Shell Factory & Nature Park was founded in 1938.