'American Pickers' Star Pays Visit to Galena, IL

The star of an eminently popular, long-running reality TV series stopped by a town he adores; one he's be coming to for decades.

Mike Wolfe paid a visit to our community's lovely town of Galena. He had nothing but praise for the town that has been close to his heart for years. He praised the restaurants, small businesses, and took it upon himself to plug a bevy of shops and organizations via his social media post.

Photo Credit: Jason Kempin, Getty Images

What Did Mike Wolfe Have to Say About Galena?:

From the architecture to the businesses and the great local spots that are surely familiar to the personality, Mike Wolfe had nothing but praise for Galena as a whole:

Good morning from @visitgalena Illinois I’ve been coming to this town since I was 10 years old. The architecture The restaurants the people the independent retailers SPOT ON! Come explore the Mississippi River corridor.. On the @greatriverroad Start in the ultra cool @visitleclaire At @antiquearchaeology Then head north on the Illinois side to this little gem Galena! So many plugs going on here your going to spend some quality time absorbing all of these badass instagrams [sic] Haha any Who dig in Hold on and come see us - per Mike Wolfe's Instagram

Mike Wolfe Has Been in the Headlines a Lot Lately:

Since the passing of his longtime friend and TV partner Frank Fritz, Mike Wolfe has been in the news quite a bit. Wolfe and Fritz had a publicized falling-out around the time Frank Fritz stepped away from the show in 2020. However, they were able to repair their friendship prior to Fritz's death. Wolfe stated that he rushed to be his longtime friend's side when he heard his time was limited:

I got the call that he wasn't doing well. I just feel blessed that I was able to get there [....] I was there for about an hour before he passed, and I was holding his hand and rubbing his chest when he took his last breath. I took my fingers and I closed his eyes. - Mike Wolfe, per People

Photo Credit: Screen Central, YouTube

Wolfe Also Recently Closed One of His Stores:

Back in April, in a social media post from Wolfe himself, it was revealed that Antique Archaeology would be closing its Nashville location. That is the only other location besides the shop's home base in LeClaire. In the aforementioned post, Wolfe said goodbye to the Music City:

After nearly 15 amazing years, we’ve made the tough decision to close the doors of our Antique Archaeology store here in Music City. This place has meant the world to me — not just the brick and mortar, but the people,” Wolfe writes in the post. “The community. The visitors from all over the world who came through those doors, shared their stories, and reminded me every day why I started this journey in the first place - per Mike Wolfe's Instagram post