The Accidental World of Antiques
The
very short stories below were provided by two dealers in the Miami
Beach Antique Show. Long time collectors are always curious as to how
others have come to make a hobby into business. Here's a couple of
stories we were told.
Breaking into the Industry
Do
you love old items or furniture? Do you find yourself attending antique
shows, flea markets, and thrift stores for unique treasures? Have you
ever wondered how people get into the antique business? Being an
antiques dealer is a career that is accessible to anyone with a love of
history and antiques. Enjoy reading about how a few exhibitors started
out into the antique business.
START SELLING OR STOP BUYING
Mimi
Levin , with Mimi & Steve Levine, simply said, "My husband said,
'start selling or stop buying!" One day, when we were at an auction
that ended with the selling of whole cases of items. He bought the case
and started to setup my business with that purchase. I participated in
my first show with some of the contents of that case. Now 40 years
later, I'm still selling with my son. I remember starting out. We would
take our four children shopping with us, but my son, Steve, was the
only one interested. When Steve was seven or eight years old, my
husband would take him to browse shops. When he finished college, he
announced that he wanted to join me in business." Now we work closely
together.
HONEY, I FOUND A STORE
| |
 |
| |
The Morning Glory Booth at the Original Miami Beach Antique Show |
Donna
Jefferson, with Don Quixote Antiques, shared a wonderful story from her
father, Jack Frank. "My mother, Dolly, and father, Jack, had been
together for six years and three months. On Sunday, October 5, 1969,
after shopping at a swap meet, a drive-in theatre turned into a place
for used items to swap or sold this doesn't make sense.. Items ranged
from food, clothes, jewelry, junk and expensive antiques. On any
Sunday, my mom would check the weather in the morning and if it was
going to be warm on the beach, that's where we would go, but if
overcast, we might go to one of several favorite swap meets.
My
mom would check out every single dealer's space and quickly scan almost
every single item that was for sale. She would move fast and have a
very good time. On this given Sunday, she bought a good sized cut glass
bottle at a good price because it was missing the top. She opened it to
look at it and proudly told my father what she had paid for it and how
much it was really worth.
Dolly
had worked with my father's company for many years. The newest venture
was to take portraits of ladies in hair salons, giving them a free file
photo of each photographed client and, of course, giving the ladies the
opportunity to buy the glamour portraits of themselves after their hair
was done. Dolly would have to travel great distances from the studio to
do her bookings and my father didn't want her to have to drive so many
miles every day. My father knew my mother wouldn't be happy doing
clerical work in the office or staying home, but she sure loved to shop!
Buying
a little antique store would be something to keep my mother busy, more
like a hobby than a job. My father looked at my mother and said,
'Dolly, what do you think about buying you a little antique store, not
far from home and you could spend a lot of time shopping for the
store?" She didn't answer right away and he thought that maybe she
wasn't interested. After about 30 seconds she said "I think that's a
great idea but I don't know anything about antiques."
"I'll
try to find an antiques store that will let me work for free a few
hours a week for about a year until I feel that I know enough about the
business." My father said, 'you're right, that would be a smart way to
do it.'
Less
than 24 hours later, my father was in his office and he got a phone
call from my mom. She said, 'Honey, I found a store!' My father thought
that was fast and he said, 'that's great when do you start working?'
Dolly said, 'No, I am not going to work here, the store is for sale and
I would like to buy it, can you come down to look at it?'
"My
mother had gone into this store and found a top that would fit the cut
glass decanter and when she was paying for it she had asked the lady
about working there but she was told that the store was for sale. That
was Monday, everything checked out and on Wednesday we completed the
sale. There were all kinds of pottery, cups and saucers, glassware,
bric-a-brac, and an old penny arcade claw machine.
"When
asked what name my mom would like to give to the store, she stated 'Don
Quixote Antiques." She was a big reader and appreciated the classic
writings by Cervantes, 'The Man of La Mancha.' They had a sign painter
make a sign that read "DOLLY'S DON QUIXOTE ANTIQUES".
We’ve
taken The Original Miami Beach Antique Show to Facebook and
Twitter! We’re excited to have these two new ways to keep our
exhibitors, attendees and supporters up to date on the latest news from
the Miami Beach Antique Jewelry and Watch Show November 13 – 15 this year and The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, now in its 48th year, to be held January 21 – 25, 2010.
Coming up May 28th – June 1st, 2009! The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show
returns to a new location! We’re bigger and better and now
located at Bally’s, in the center of the strip. Opens two days
before JCK. *Trade Only*
Please take some time to visit our supporters!
The
JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA, located on South Beach in two historic
synagogues that are connected with a skylighted bistro, collects,
preserves and interprets the Jewish experience in Florida since 1763.
The focal point of the Museum is MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida, its
core exhibit, as well as compelling changing art and history exhibits.
A Collections & Research Center, several films, Timeline Wall of
Jewish history, Museum Store and Bessie's Bistro - complete the
experience for visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA – Exhibit Schedule
CORE EXHIBITION: MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida
More
than 600 photos and artifacts depict 250 years of the Jewish experience
in Florida, reflecting Jewish history, art and culture providing an
opportunity for an engaging up close museum experience.
Florida Jews in Sports - THRU AUGUST 23, 2009
Highlights
100 years of involvement of 150 Floridian Jews on two dozens sports,
including players, coaches, owners and journalists, portrayed on
miniature playing fields.
JEWISH PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES by Gabriela Laudau - THRU MAY 10, 2009
Photographs
depicting the lives of Jews on the Lower East Side of New York in the
early 1950s evoke ethnic memories for all viewers and link you to the
20th century.
The Fourth Annual Conference on Jewelry & Related Arts:
"In its Time: Materials and Techniques throughout Jewelry History" will take place on Sunday, October 11, 2009 in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology
The
conference has just the right elements to make it enjoyable for anyone
involved in jewelry. Whether you are a collector, jewelry artist,
appraiser, antique jewelry dealer, gemolgist or historian this
conference has the speakers to deliver lectures that will increase your
knowledge of the jewelry world. And the conference gives you a chance
to intermingle with people from many different parts of the jewelry
community.
The
speakers are curators, historians and jewelry artists speaking about
subjects they are well-versed in and understand intimately. In
addition, all the excitement of a weekend in New York awaits you when
you attend the Columbus Day weekend conference.
Lowe Art Museum Events and Exhibitions
Friday, April 17, 7-10 PM
PREVIEW RECEPTION UM STUDENTS EXHIBITION (On view through May 7, 2009)
and UM FACULTY EXHIBITION- CARSTEN MEIER: NATURELL (On View April 18 – June 14, 2009)
Meier's work focuses on our perception of nature and how the act of
seeing a photograph establishes a transitory thread between the viewer
and the environment depicted.
ARTIST LECTURE: 7-8 PM Presented by Carsten Meier
RECEPTION: 8-10 PM, Light refreshments will be served. Event is free and open to the public.
Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 PM
Tribal Arts Society Lecture: Taffy Gould Lecture
Painted Walls, Pots, and Images and Stone in the Pueblo Rio Grande
Presented by Dr. Polly Schaafsma, Research Associate, University of New Mexico
$10 Admission; Free to students and T.A.S. Members
For more information contact Linda Chapin at l.chapin@miami.edu or 305.284.4246.
Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146
www.lowemuseum.org 305-284-3535 |
