Recycling history: Antiques add uniqueness, style to homes, events and more
Combine a love of history and design with an active imagination and a passion for solving puzzles, and you have a fairly accurate profile of an antique enthusiast.
These treasure seekers have plenty of territory to cover in the Triad, particularly in downtown Greensboro, where 10 stores from South Elm to Bellemeade streets take shoppers around the globe — without leaving the center city — in their search for antiques, vintage items and collectibles.
These businesses, some for decades, have helped customers find unique pieces for their homes, guided designers and Realtors to various items for home-staging, and led party planners and photographers to interesting architectural elements for entertainment venues and photo shoots.
The requisite puzzle-solving skills antique lovers share come in handy not only for tracing the history of an item, but also for figuring out how to repurpose a unique piece. Doors can be fashioned as headboards, bookcases redesigned as stair railings and wrought-iron railing incorporated into artwork.
“Whatever it is, it may have had a previous life, but it’s got to earn its keep right now,” says Phil Pickett of Farmer’s Wife Antiques and Collectibles.
Pickett is a strong believer in the value antiques add to a home’s décor. It’s “just the feeling of something decent,” he says, adding, “there’s definitely a market for new furniture, and if everybody was into antiques there wouldn’t be enough to go around. But (antiques) just add a warmth that you can’t find in the new stuff. ... You can feel the history of what they’ve been through.”
Antiques also help people mix old and new elements to create a unique statement in their home.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have homes full of antiques, but they do like one interesting old item to put above the fireplace or on the outside of their house, or as a coffee table,” says Mary Wells, owner of Mary’s Antiques. Some find “it’s a conversation starter for people who come to visit them.”
Not everything in an antique store is necessarily an antique, however.
Antiques are defined as being at least 100 years old. Furniture, artwork, jewelry, dishes, glassware and other items that are decades old, but haven’t yet reached the century mark, are generally considered vintage. Then there are popular items that may have been mass produced, such as toys or albums, that are considered collectibles.
All of the above can be found at the stores in downtown Greensboro, where customers could spend hours combing through the offerings available in the stores.
Those who like a more targeted approach will find that the antique world has joined the 21st century.
Rhyne’s Corner Cupboard Antiques is in the midst of an ambitious online project to showcase inventory online. Erik Rhyne is working on a Web site (www.rhynesantiques.com) for his father, owner Dick Rhyne, that will eventually include details and pictures of the inventory available in the store and warehouses, divided into categories. “It’s the best way to show the full range of what you have to offer,” he says.
Jules Antiques & Fine Art co-owner Gary Brame also maintains a Web site (www.julesantiques.com), which he says has been a more effective sales platform for the store’s more expensive furniture and artwork because of the wider audience of buyers. He also maintains mailing lists and e-mail blasts to keep customers up to date on events and merchandise.
The efforts reflect the business owners’ own passion for their trade.
For Dick Rhyne, the stories are what make antiques interesting. “I really appreciate not the piece as much as the history and the people (who designed it),” Rhyne says.
“Antiques are a great way to connect with history,” he adds, “and they tend to retain more consistent values compared to other investments.”
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: Jules Antiques & Fine Art offers an eclectic mix of fine art and European, Asian and African antiques. The rugs displayed on the second-floor walls and railing, from Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, were recently added.
Downtown treasure hunt
■ Antiques & Accessories on Elm, 323 S. Elm St.
About: Mix of vintage and antique items, with merchandise arriving weekly.
■ Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, 300 Bellemeade St.
About: A nonprofit, ASG carries furniture and fixtures recycled from historic homes and buildings.
■ The Browsery Used and Rare Books, 516 S. Elm St.
About: American pattern glass, collectibles and some jewelry and furniture, in addition to old and contemporary books.
■ Farmer’s Wife Antiques and Collectibles, 339 S. Davie St.
About: Focus on Americana and North Carolina primitive antiques and vintage pieces, with merchandise arriving weekly.
■ Jules Antiques & Fine Art, 530 S. Elm St., and JULES Too!, 524 S. Elm St.
About: European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian furniture, antiques, accessories and artwork, as well as some vintage and costume jewelry, with items arriving weekly.
■ Lewis Street Antique Market, 123 W. Lewis St.
About: A mix of mainly American collectibles, vintage items and antiques in three showrooms, with new inventory arriving daily.
■ Lion’s Crown Antiques, 104 Barnhardt St.
About: “Boutique-antique” store carries Italian, English and French furniture and accessories, as well as vintage and costume jewelry, with new inventory arriving regularly.
■ Mary’s Antiques, 607 S. Elm St.
About: Primarily American antiques and vintage furniture, accessories and architectural pieces, with new inventory arriving weekly. Off-site warehouse available by appointment.
■ Rhyne’s Corner Cupboard Antiques, 603 S. Elm St.
About: International mix of antiques, furniture, accessories and architectural pieces, as well as some vintage and collectibles, with new inventory arriving weekly. Off-site warehouses available by appointment.
Looking for resources?
■ Kovels.com, from the publisher of Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles newsletter and the annual Kovels Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide
■ Miller’s Antiques Price Guide, an annual published guide
■ www.davidmaloney.com, from the author of Maloney’s Antiques & Collectibles Resource Directory, a compilation of more than 20,000 resources
■ Antiques.about.com, information on topics from decorating to appraising
■ www.appraisers.org, American Society of Appraisers site, which helps the public and professionals find accredited appraisers
■ isa-appraisers.org, International Society of Appraisers site, which helps the public and professionals find accredited appraisers
Shopping tips
■ Pick a dealer you can trust.
“Make sure you’re dealing with a reputable dealer, someone who will be honest with you,” advises Eddie House, owner of Antiques & Accessories on Elm. Customers can evaluate a business by looking at its standing in the community, such as the number of years it’s been in operation, and referrals from customers.
■ Do your homework.
“If you’re interested in an expensive piece, or you’re interested in buying a real nice piece of furniture, go online. Look and see what things cost,” says Gary Brame, co-owner of Jules Antiques & Fine Art and Metamorphosis Interior Design. Online searches can give you a better idea of an item’s value, and put you in a better position to negotiate if there’s a significant difference in price.
In addition to online sources, House suggests customers check out reference books in bookstores’ collectibles sections for details on the items and price guidelines. “It can give a good idea of what things are going for,” he says.
■ Consider quality.
“Decide by the pound, not by the look,” Joyce McNeil of Mary’s Antiques advises. The weight of a piece of furniture is generally an indication of quality building materials, according to McNeil and owner Mary Wells. “You know that it’s something good when it’s solid wood, and not solidly compressed sawdust,” Wells adds.
■ Use magazines wisely and think green.
Agnes Preston-Brame, co-owner of Metamorphosis Interior Design and Jules Antiques & Fine Art, advises people to balance the features they admire in expertly styled, but not necessarily occupied, rooms in interior design magazines with how they actually live. Instead, use the magazines as sources for color scheme and general style.
Want a green theme? “It’s the most eco-friendly way to shop,” she says of buying antiques, which are essentially recycled items. And “there is nothing better than having a piece of history.”
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