The new owners of the Pink Elephant Antique Mall along Route 66 in Livingston, Illinois, plan a number of changes, including converting the Future UFO into an overnight Airbnb site.
Roy Wayne Pickerell announced on Facebook he and Tonia recently closed on their deal with previous owners Dave and Bernice Hammond to purchase the mall.
He said they don’t plan to make changes to the current operations but are thinking of several improvements, including:
— Finishing restoration on the Futuro UFO and converting it into an Airbnb site for overnight stays. Futuro houses, of which fewer than 100 were built, were created in the 1960s and ’70s.
— Adding a campground so more Route 66 travelers can stay overnight there.
— Changing the Twistee Treat ice cream cone building and enlarging its kitchen so it can serve ice cream.
— Enlarging and improving the mall’s parking lot.
The Pink Elephant Antique Mall, housed in the town’s former high school, has been operating since 2005. It sits along the west frontage road (aka Route 66) of Interstate 55.
In addition to its big pink elephant and ice cream cone building, it has a Uniroyal Gal model of Muffler Men and other fiberglass oddities.
(Image of the Futuro UFO and Twistee Treat at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall by yooperann; image of the pink elephant at the Pink Elephant Antique Mall by Thank You (23 Millions+), both via Flickr)