An architect known for creating unique hospitality experiences has acquired a massive 10-foot-tall snake statue and other themed decorative items from the final auction of a closed Fry's Electronics store in Phoenix. Wesley James, who designs immersive spaces including the popular ship-style tiki bar UnderTow, successfully bid $1,400 for the impressive serpent sculpture during the auction that concluded this week.

The former Fry's Electronics location off Interstate 17 and Thunderbird Road had featured an elaborate Aztec temple theme throughout the store, which resulted in some truly unique auction items beyond typical retail fixtures. While most items up for bid included standard retail equipment like shelving and shopping carts, the themed decorations drew special attention from buyers willing to tackle the logistics of removing oversized pieces. The auction featured 25-foot fake palm trees, ancient-looking stone chandeliers, and the centerpiece snake statue that caught James's eye.

"I saw the snake on [the website] and I was like we've gotta find a place to put that," James explained, though he admitted the statue proved much larger than his memories of shopping at the store suggested. "It's incredibly heavy" and "about 20% larger than he remembered," making the removal process a significant challenge. The building lacks high bay doors, which complicates the extraction of such massive decorative pieces.

Fortunately, James discovered the snake statue can be disassembled to make transportation feasible. "There's a seam at like the second joint up on the neck," he noted, explaining his removal strategy. "It has a loop hook on the top. So we got a forklift here and we're gonna pull the head off because I can rotate it and then we're gonna get it all up on wheels and wheel it out to the truck [Friday]." This engineering approach will allow his team to navigate the statue through standard doorways and load it onto transportation vehicles.

James didn't limit his purchases to just the snake statue, acquiring a substantial collection of the store's themed decorations. He successfully bid on three of the towering palm trees and eight of the large stone chandeliers that had adorned the Aztec-themed retail space. These pieces represent a significant investment in decorative elements that could enhance multiple hospitality projects he has in development.

The architect has specific plans for incorporating these unique pieces into upcoming projects that align with his specialty in immersive hospitality design. He's currently developing a psychobilly tiki bar in downtown Phoenix and a jungle-themed bar in Tempe, both of which could potentially showcase elements from his Fry's Electronics acquisition. "I've got a couple clients we're talking to who may or may not want to integrate pieces into what they're doing," James said, indicating ongoing negotiations about placement.

Regarding the snake statue specifically, James expressed a preference for keeping the decorative elements together as a cohesive collection rather than separating them across multiple venues. "We could bring several of the components into that one space [in Tempe] as long as it matches their vibe and if it doesn't, we do this kind of stuff all the time and I know we'll find a good home for them," he explained. His approach prioritizes maintaining the artistic integrity of the pieces while ensuring they enhance rather than clash with his clients' intended atmospheres.

James emphasized his commitment to preserving the snake statue's original design, stating he doesn't plan to modify the sculpture to fit specific spaces. This approach reflects his professional philosophy of working with unique architectural and decorative elements as they were originally conceived, finding appropriate settings rather than altering the pieces themselves. The Fry's Electronics store, which has remained closed since 2021, represented the end of an era for Valley residents who had shopped there for years, making these themed decorations a nostalgic piece of local retail history.