Industry-Insiders See Changing Market Trends ![]() New York - Mid-century modern décor (MCM), known for its clean lines, simple shapes, and sleek materials, has often been credited with not only reviving the antique and vintage business over the past twenty years, but has also (according to many in the industry), singlehandedly been responsible for driving the direction of today's general decorative arts scene towards a more modern motif. However, recent market shifts suggest that this timeless aesthetic may have begun to lose some of its charm and appeal among those in the market for vintage and antique furnishings. All of which raises the question of why this staple of early 21st century décor suddenly seems to be falling out of favor? One plausible reason for this shift in consumer preferences is the saturation of the mid-century market, at least according to Trevor Watson, who works for a leading online research firm that studies evolving commercial buying trends amongst consumers. With the increasing prevalence of mid-century-inspired furniture and décor in mainstream commercial outlets, Watson says that the once exclusive and unique items often associated with the mid-century motif have now become more commonplace. "From big-box stores to online retailers, affordable replicas of iconic mid-century pieces have flooded the market, diluting the desirability of the genuine vintage pieces," says Watson, "If it's easily available to everyone, then demand across the board is bound to eventually drop." However, on the flipside of the coin, Watson says that you can also look at aggregated past sales results and see that as the trend for MCM escalated, demand outweighed supply, leading to inflated prices for original mid-century items. Vintage pieces by renowned designers, like Charles and Ray Eames or Eero Saarinen, fetched exorbitant sums, making them less accessible to the average buyer. Watson believes that this hyperinflation also created a barrier that restricted many enthusiasts from engaging in the mid-century market. "For some it just became too pricey after a while, so they ended up moving on to something else." Natasha Stevens, who works as a consultant for a top design and decorating firm in New York, says that another factor contributing to the general decline in MCM's popularity is likely related to changing interior design trends and the emergence of new styles. "Décor preferences are cyclical," says Stevens, "with different decades and aesthetics experiencing periodic resurgences." Steven's notes that in recent years, traditional designs, rustic and early American plain-and-pine minimalism, along with bohemian styles, have all gained prominence within the decorative arts community, captivating the attention of buyers who are seeking a departure from just the mid-century look. "It's somewhat of a balancing act," says Stevens, "it's not a complete withdrawal of the mid-century theme, but it's definitely a retreat." ![]() For many, the question of MCM's ongoing popularity has always been related to geography, at least according to veteran California antique dealer Derek Tanner, who says that over time he's begun to see a reduction in interest at his California shop, as well as at many of the booths in the state's largest antique mall. "Three years ago the 57th Street Antique Mall was jammed with MCM," says Tanner, "but today, I'd say that number is half." Tanner acknowledges the mid-century vibe was always more popular on the west coast than the east, but says that even west-coasters are now beginning to see a diminished demand for many of these pieces. "A lot of the shoppers who hit my store often have unique and personalized spaces that reflect their individuality," he says. "While mid-century décor has a distinct identity, its extensive popularity and replication have made it less exclusive." As a consequence, Tanner thinks buyers who desire distinctive surroundings are exploring alternative styles that are less saturated and more reflective of their personal taste. ![]() Alongside changing trends, societal and environmental concerns have also likely played a role in the shift away from mid-century décor. Janet Holloway, a millennial who operates three Etsy stores, thinks that her generation, who form a significant portion of today's buyers' market, tend to prioritize sustainability and ethical consumerism over just outright style. In contrast, mid-century décor, with its heavy use of plastics, synthetics, and a certain degree of non-sustainable materials, does not necessarily align with their eco-conscious values. "It's not that millennials don't dig MCM," says Holloway, "I think they do, but it can be hard to reconcile promoting a trend that's currently remaking items en masse from an era that used environmentally questionable materials - at least by today's standards." Holloway also thinks that an increased focus on locally sourced and handmade items which are often absent in mass-produced mid-century designs, adds to this deviation in consumer behavior. "It's certainly not all millennials who feel this way," she says, "but there has definitely been a perceptible shift from my clients away from the MCM only mantra." Dara Marcheski, who's been selling vintage décor, both online and off, for over twenty years, thinks that it's not only a new environmental consciousness that's gripping today's buyers, but also the availability and access to new styles and periods. "When I first stated out in 2000," says Marcheski, "Mid-century was just becoming the rage. The Internet wasn't at full steam yet, so it took longer for trends to take hold or change." However, Marcheski says that with the rise of online platforms and the ease of virtual shopping, buyers have now gained access to a broader range of vintage and antique styles than they ever had before. Consequently, their preferences have diversified and expanded beyond just mid-century modern. "From Victorian furniture to industrial salvage, the options available to vintage enthusiasts today are far more plentiful," says Marcheski, "which of course encourages them to explore other eras and aesthetics." From this, it would appear then that several leading factors may be contributing to the decline in popularity of mid-century décor among antique and vintage buyers. The saturation of the market, inflated prices, changing design trends, a desire for uniqueness, sustainability concerns, and increased access to alternative styles have likely all had some form of influence on this shift. As antique and vintage markets continue to evolve however, new aesthetics will come to the forefront, and while mid-century modern décor might currently be experiencing a decline, it will only be a matter of time before it makes a comeback - especially when consumers once again begin seeking a return to a nostalgic and retro-inspired future. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508.NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Industry Insiders Chime-In On What To Collect For Future Gains ![]() New York - In the ever-evolving world of collecting, certain antique and vintage items often fly under the radar, only to later skyrocket in popularity and value. Savvy collectors know that identifying these hidden gems early on can often lead to rewarding and profitable endeavors. However, it wasn’t that long ago that antiques and many collectibles had fallen from favor among those in certain design circles. But these days, antique and vintage shows are often labeled as one of the hottest selling tickets in town, with shows like the Winter Show in New York, London's Decorative Antiques & Textile Fair in Battersea Park, the Washington Winter Show, and the Nashville Antiques & Garden Show all generating huge attendance numbers. So, if you're looking to stand out from the crowd and want to invest in collectibles that could have the potential to become super popular (read valuable) in the near-term, you might want to consider adding a few of these items to your future collection. ![]() The 1950's Returns While many baby-boomers still have fond memories of Happy Days reruns and Grease flashbacks, it's another generation that seems to be spinning the wheel forward, at least according to David Kirk, who runs a 1950's vintage themed store in Nevada. "It's all about the kids" says Kirk. "I've been doing this for almost forty years, when boomers were my only customers, but today it's like a third-generation removed." Kirk says that many of his 'younger' clients love the vintage leather jackets, sunglasses, retro-converted car seats, and sock-hop poster memorabilia that adorns his store walls. "It's not Mid-Century stuff per se," says Kirk, "but more like the chrome and vinyl soda-shop bar stools - or what I like to call juke-box décor." Kirk, who also runs an online version of his 50s store, says that sales really began to take-off last year. "I have absolutely no idea why," he mused, but thinks that some of the newfound interest in his 50s-themed Americana items may just be part of a younger generations desire to harken back to what was often perceived as a simpler and less strenuous time in life to grow up in. "I've sold more bobby socks and saddle-shoe combos to kids in their 20s over the last ten months, than over the last five years," says Kirk, "There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to it, other than perhaps a possible breaking trend." ![]() American Folk Art - Portraits According to some of the top auction houses, sales of Early American antiques are beginning their rise back to prominence within the decorative arts scene, however, a number of auction researchers are also reporting that one particular genre within this field is showing stronger than expected sales. Included in this group is Christie’s Sallie Glover, a specialist in Early American Folk Art who has been predicting the rise in art portraiture for a number of years now. “American folk portraiture appeals to many different types of collectors,” says Glover. “These works can go just as well with traditional American furniture as they do with a modern interior.” Glover's sentiments seem to match other results for online auction reports that also indicate a noticeable rise in popularity for this type of art form. Doris Henley, an Early American themed online dealer who also aggregates realized auction prices for her business, says that sales of her folk art portraits have ballooned over the past ten months. "I could see it coming," says Henley, "at first it was just a dribble, but then it really opened up about a year ago and the prices started to climb." Henley says she doesn't expect the popularity of folk art to wane anytime soon. "Brown wood and history are just coming back into vogue," she says, "this run has a long way to go yet." ![]() Decorated Chests Inaya Abbas, who runs a specialty themed bricks-and-clicks business devoted to antique blanket boxes and chests, says that while numbers ramped-up after the pandemic and remained constant for the next year, it wasn't until the start of 2023 that she really began to notice an uptick in requests for items and sales of some of her more ornate inventory. "Shaker stuff was selling," says Abbas, "but the more exotic chests that I'd had shipped back from Asia and the Middle East really started to move," she notes, "It's as if a light went off and everyone suddenly decided they had to have a blanket box - it's been crazy busy," she says. Abbas, who's been selling within the decorative arts scene for almost fifteen-years, believes that we're just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg now as people move further away from today's modern motif as a core decorating principle. "I think it's just time for a change, people seem to want more warmth and color now." ![]() "Some" Georgian Furniture Backing up Abbas's claim, Noel Fahden, the vice president of merchandising at the online antiques and vintage juggernaut Chairish, also indicated that sales of blanket chests and antique boxes had been on the rise recently, particularly those with original decorative painted finishes. "They can be Swedish or Pennsylvania German, but the more ornamentation the better,” she said. Fahden also went on to note that it wasn't just blanket boxes that had become popular, as she'd also witnessed a pronounced resurgence in traditional furniture over the last year as well. “This ran the gamut from Chippendale to Federal and included both American Colonial Revival pieces and original English and Continental antiques,” said Fahden. Overall, Chairish has recently reported strong upward sales related to almost all aspects of the brown furniture genre. ![]() Rotary Phones While it may be hard for some to fathom, since it might only seem like yesteryear that we were all on landlines (we were), Jin Chang says that sales from his retro collection of last century's rotary phones has been on a skyward trajectory since he opened his private collection website to the public and online sales in 2022. "Most of my buyers are Asian kids who love tech stuff." says Chang, "but it's slowly beginning to change." Chang thinks that most of his clients just want that connection to early past tech, and they're willing to pay for it. When he first started out, Chang claims that finding inventory was easy - it was plentiful and cheap - but no longer. "You can still buy some cool hole-dialers at good prices," he notes, but admits that much has changed over the last year or two. "I now have to compete for inventory in some places," he says, "it's not like the old days where you could literally find examples that had been thrown out with the trash." Chang believes that on average, prices for many of his better quality rotary's have probably doubled in price over the last year, and he doesn't see that slowing down anytime soon. "I've got more demand than supply," he says, "so until that changes, I think the market will continue to remain strong." ![]() Vintage Studio Ceramics Once lacking in the doldrums, vintage studio ceramics finally look to be making a comeback as well, at least according to many auction-house insiders and industry dealers. Benjamin Walker, Bonham's head of global decorative arts and design department, says that the auction house is seeing a comeback in interest for clay. “The international market for contemporary British ceramics is well established and has been growing in strength,” says Walker, “We’re now seeing a growing trend in American studio ceramics that is following this interest. Over the past five to ten years the category has gained more public interest and climbed in value.” Recent sales would seem to back-up Walker's claim, as examples from auction results showing a 1968 Hans Coper vase (with top) being sold for a record-setting $790,000 last year. Pam Newley, a New York artist who works in clay, and who also runs an established online gallery devoted to early twentieth-century American ceramics, says that she's also seen a marked increase in interest by consumers for quality ceramic pieces as well - and not just those from studios. "Ten years ago there just wasn't that much of a market for clay anymore," she says, "but in the last two or three years it's all started to come back." Newley, who's been in business for almost thirty-years knows it's cyclical, "of course," but that it's just starting up again, so for those looking to get in on the ground-floor as collectors or re-sellers, "now would probably be a good time." For most though, trying to ascertain the vagaries and movement patterns of in-demand objects within the field of the decorative arts can often make one feel like you've got a better chance of nailing water to the wall, rather than getting a reliable market prognostication of things to come. However, as David Kirk is fond of reminding people who visit his store's 1950s-inspired website, "Figuring out what's going to be hot and collectible is easy; it's all just a matter of heading back to the future... again!" - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Have The Glory Days Of The 1980s Returned? ![]() New York - It's not everyday that you hear longtime decorative arts dealers exclaiming the virtues of the antique and vintage business, but that's exactly what happened recently at one of the country's largest antique shows in Round Top, Texas, this past April. With over eleven miles of vendors, Round Top has grown to become one of the most important national antique venues for serious collectors and buyers alike - rivaling even the famous thrice-yearly Brimfield shows for marketplace dominance. For those who took to the backroads of Texas to visit the festival, business was brisk. Very brisk, according to many of the well-established dealers who participated in the show. Robert Phillips, who's worked as a longtime industry reporter for a number of antique and decorative arts publications, wrote that he intended to spend most of the show interviewing dealers about what was selling best, but instead, came away surprised to find out that it was pretty much everything in their inventory that seemed to be moving. "Most dealers I spoke with were just stunned at the cross-section of buyers," said Phillips. "They were literally snapping up Mid-Century to Victorian and anything else in between." Phillips says that some of the older dealers whom he spoke with at the festival's close, had even begun drawing parallels to the golden-years of the industry back in the 1980s, when prices were at an all-time high. "It wasn't everyone, to be sure," said Philipps, "but you could just tell from many of the old-timers that it was like a cresting point - something they hadn't seen in almost forty years." ![]() However, for those on the 'other side' of the table, like Andy Shelton, an avid collector of vintage and Mid-century lighting, who's been collecting for over three decades, it's become much more of a slog recently to score a deal. "I used to be able pick up good vintage pieces for peanuts," say Shelton, "but it's becoming increasingly difficult with more and more younger collectors entering the market." Shelton remembers a time not too long ago when there was virtually no one under thirty at Round Top, or almost any antique and vintage show for that matter. "Finding quality items at cheap prices was easy-peasy," he says. "Nowadays you're literally jostling with every beanie-capped, bearded hipster for standing-room only at the sales tables." Shelton admits that while it's getting harder to buy at reasonable prices, the flipside is that his own long-term collection has also soared in value. "A lot of the dealers are making good money now," says Shelton, "which is great in one way I suppose, because it'll allow them to sus out and offer up even better finds in the future." It's not that Shelton wants to pay more for his collecting habit he says, "It's just that I have to recognize current market conditions for what they are; not what I want them to be." For others though, it's not just the 'larger' shows that are witnessing the price increases, but many of the smaller venues as well. Becky Carlin, an east-coast dealer who shows at events from New York to Miami, says that prices for many items she used to discount have risen sharply in the last couple of years. "It's not every single piece," says Carlin, "but it definitely started with the Mid-Century craze and has gradually expanded into other areas." Carlin wasn't around during the heyday of the 1980's, but says she's heard plenty of other antique dealers talk about the "glory days," and thinks there's a pretty good chance we might be headed that direction shortly. "Most of my buyers are now young twenty and thirty-somethings," she says. "They've got the collecting bug and they're just starting to move into their maximum earning potential." Carlin says that five years ago rustic pine washstands and harvest tables wouldn't move for months, but that now she has a wait-list for some of these items. "It's a different buying aesthetic than what it used to be," says Carlin, "today's younger buyers are not just interested in price anymore, but also in the history behind the pieces." Taking that one step further, Don Holtz, a young entrepreneur who sells vintage furniture and retro-style decorative pieces on sites such as OfferUp and LetGo, says that it's no surprise that antique and vintage prices are rising. "The trend of going vintage has stormed onto the scene for a number of reasons," says Holtz. "Firstly, people are becoming more conscious about sustainable living and promoting the value of old items rather than buying new, and secondly, because of the uniqueness and rarity that many of these products afford." Holtz says that most of the queries he gets online related to his listings are from people in their twenties and thirties who want something different to decorate with, other than just the local flat-pack selection at their big-box store. "When I started selling, just before Covid began," says Holtz, "my prices were all negotiable - they had to be - I was selling stuff from the 1970s and 80s." Today, Holtz says he gets multiple bids on most pieces that he lists. "Prices have definitely gone way up," he notes, "especially for some of the older 70s white plastic modular stuff like tables and chairs." Working with a small budget at first, and not wanting to leave anything to chance, Holtz also formed a membership of online sellers into a group that were able to share information amongst themselves about market trends and sales when first starting out. "It's been a real eye-opener for us to see where things have gone," he said, "especially when comparing sales figures - which have jumped dramatically for all of us in the past three years." Holtz doesn't know exactly what to attribute the increase to, but like many others, feels that it's probably a combination of new buyers, who are also likely to have a new (and more sustainable) outlook when it comes to investing in the decorative arts. There are probably a multitude of yet-to-be discovered reasons for the recent resurgence in popularity (and rise in price) related to today's antique and vintage marketplace. While this increase may not be reflected in absolutely every geographic region or area just yet, there can be absolutely no doubt that just like a rising tide, it will be coming. Or, as Mr. Phillips so succinctly summarized from his visit to the Round Top festival in Texas last month, "The allure of historical pasts is compelling, and antique items possess that aura of elegance that is very seldom found in modern-day products, making them not only extremely desirable, but available... for the right price!" - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Quality Items Hit Marketplace As Boomers Purge Collections ![]() New York - Thrift stores, flea markets, second-hand stores, and garage sales have long been known as treasure troves for those seeking valuable and unique items. Despite the perception from many that these places only offer worn-out and past-their-prime goods, they often contain hidden gems that can hold considerable value, especially as baby boomers continue to divest themselves of goods and chattels in larger and larger numbers. For those in the antique and vintage business, many of these locations have long been a staple of supply when it comes to stocking up on their inventory. However, for an increasing number of dealers, 'recent finds' have made the trek to many of these venues all the more worthwhile, with some claiming multiple once-in-a-lifetime scores now happening on a far more frequent basis than in the past. For Karen Dowd, who works as a realtor in an upmarket rural area just outside of Boston, part of her business involves estate liquidations that can be required in order to finalize sale conditions for a home. Dowd says that over the past few years she's seen an incredible uptick in the number of baby-boomers who want to downsize quickly, with as little 'muss-and-fuss' as possible. "They're often in a rush to get into something smaller," she says, "and that can sometimes lead to them disposing of items en mass without a lot of consideration for what they're letting go of..." Dowd says that she helps as many of her clients as possible to keep family heirlooms from her exit-sales, but laments that many of them just want to be rid of the extraneous baggage, while others are simply 'okay' with whatever she can get for the goods. While Dowd acknowledges that she's no expert in antique and vintage items, and that her sales are just an added feature she offers her clients to help expedite their move, she also knows that plenty of undervalued items have slipped through the cracks. "I've sold numerous jewelry box-lots at sales that I'm sure probably had some legitimate gems in them, but like anything else, it just comes down to time," she says, "especially with so many boomers now listing and selling their homes." Dowd believes that for every sale she conducts today, almost half are probably not vetted as thoroughly as she'd like. "Five years ago we would have labelled and priced every single item, today, I'm lucky to do three-quarters of that - people are getting deals, there's no question about it." In order to understand why many in the decorative arts industry are claiming witness to the rising prevalence of undiscovered treasures in second-hand locales, you need look no further than the current data and history behind it, says Terry Wolmack, a leading analyst for online Estate Sale Listing companies. "It's important to understand the demographics behind the boomer phenomenon," he says, "this generation still constitutes a significant portion of the population, and as they enter their retirement years or downsize their homes, many are finding themselves overwhelmed with the task of decluttering and divesting possessions accumulated over their lifetime. This process often leads them to donate or sell items that may hold hidden value." As a result, says Wolmack, second-hand stores, flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales have once again become prime hunting grounds for dealers not only seeking out more common inventory, but also for those rare and unique items that may have gone unnoticed by those presenting the sale. Wolmack noted that the main complaint he now gets most frequently on his quarterly survey-questionnaire to estate sale liquidators, is that they simply can't cope with the volume of goods they're having to divest, and the sorting process that goes along with it - especially when it's a boomer sale. Wolmack says that a lot of clients who use estate sale service websites as part of their business are acutely aware of the fact that it's also not just a capacity issue when it comes to understanding the fine print, but a knowledge issue as well. "If you don't have a good working background in antique and vintage items, then steals-and-deals are going to happen," says Wolmack, "it's just a function of how the marketplace works." ![]() Carla Neal, a dealer and reseller on Etsy and OfferUp, believes that technological advancements are also playing a crucial role in the increasing prevalence of hitting the jackpot at many of these venues. "The advent of online platforms, such as eBay, Craigslist, and other online marketplaces, has revolutionized the way people buy and sell used goods," says Neal. "Baby-boomers, who are typically less tech-savvy than younger generations, often rely on more traditional methods of selling their belongings. Consequently, valuable items that could find a massive market online may end up at local thrift stores or garage sales instead." Neal says this creates an opportunity for astute buyers to uncover significant treasures that may have gone unnoticed by other sellers or enthusiasts. "I tend to scour the older boomer neighborhoods for garage and estate liquidation sales," she confides, "it's where I've made some truly outstanding finds." Neal says that on one particular outing recently, she came across a mid-century home that was heading to market, with the owners wanting to dispose of the chattels in a rushed curbside sale. "It was all the original furnishings and decorations from the mid-50s," she says, "I literally bought them out of house-and-home." However, Neal also believes that another factor influencing the greater number of 'super-finds' now occurring within the market is simply related to age. "The older people get, the less concerned they seem to be with possessions - it's of less value to them than time - and consequently they're often willing to let things go for far less than market value," she says. Sometimes it's just first-hand experience that leads to this conclusion, as Darla Hendricks discovered, when visiting her parents while helping them transition into a retirement home across the pond in England. "I'm actually in the antique business," said Hendricks, "so finding out that my parents, who were both prolific collectors of Art Nouveau throughout their lifetimes, were going to just give away most of their collection to charity stores came as a bit of a surprise to me." Hendricks says that she arrived just in time to stop the pick-up, and that while she couldn't afford the cost to ship the entire collection back to the States for herself, she was able to wrangle a deal with a number of local antique dealers for many of the better pieces. "They weren't being taken advantage of," she says, "it's just that they couldn't be bothered at their age with a complicated disposal process." Hendricks also recounted that many of the English antique dealers that she spoke with were also of the mind that a lot of good examples from long-held collections were starting to come onto the market. "I'm not sure if it's just the last generation of baby-boomers relinquishing their collections, or something else," said Hendricks, "but you definitely had the sense that many of these dealers were looking to buy entire collections, and were willing to pay top-dollar (or Pound) for them." For many in the industry, the baby-boomer generation is often seen as possessing items from periods that are considered retro or vintage by younger individuals. These items not only carry historical value but also represent a cultural and sentimental connection to the past. Younger generations, seeking to decorate their living spaces with unique and distinctive pieces, are drawn to these venues in the hopes of stumbling upon hidden gems that hold not only a personal nostalgia, but that can also lead to a substantial collectors value. Terry Wolmack perhaps best summarizes the theory by noting that, "It's understood that remaining boomer's are likely to have the choicest decorative arts collections in the world, so it's only natural that in those attic spaces and garage-wall storage shelves, you're also likely going to come across some of the best 'finds' in the world as well." - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. M-Gen Reveals Hottest Must-Have Summer Buys ![]() New York - It's no secret that over the past decade the antique and vintage industry has experienced a resurgence in popularity, with millennials being a significant factor in driving this trend. While some may argue that younger generations are more interested in digital experiences than actual possessions, numerous studies and sales reports from those in the decorative arts world would seem to contradict this assessment, suggesting instead, that millennials have now become the industry's single biggest purchaser of antique and vintage goods, and are well on their way to becoming the largest attending demographic group at many of today's antique and vintage fairs in both North America and Europe. With that information in-hand, we decided to reach out to a number of top millennial dealers for some insight on expected antique and vintage trends that might turn hot at sales-booths and display-tables across the nation this summer. ![]() Jennifer Harper - Dealer, Curator and Online Sales Platforms "As a millennial, I've always had a deep appreciation for authenticity and a yearning for nostalgia. Growing up in a digital age, where everything was mass-produced and easily accessible, I tended to crave unique and meaningful experiences. Over time, I began to find that antique and vintage items offered a connection to the past, embodying a sense of history and craftsmanship that I found resonated with my generation as we got a little bit older. These past few years, I've noticed that more and more buyers are my age, and they're not just interested in MCM (Mid-Century Modern), but other collectible areas as well" Harper's choice for this summer's top picks are Art Deco and Costume jewelry. "The glamour and sophistication of art deco jewelry remains highly sought after," says Harper. "Search out bold geometric designs and the use of precious stones that evoke the opulence of the 1920s and 1930s. Be on the lookout for necklaces, bracelets, and rings featuring stones set in platinum, gold or silver." While Harper acknowledges that not every millennial can afford such pieces, she thinks Costume jewelry can be an attractive alternative for younger buyers. "It's selling hot right now," she says, "especially at shows and fairs." ![]() Larry Cousins - Etsy, TIAS and Brick & Mortar Dealer "Even though I grew up in a throwaway culture, concerns about environmental sustainability and ethical production practices were always issues I was interested in, which is probably why I gravitated towards the antiques and vintage business. As someone who is conscious of the impact of my consumption on the planet, opting for a decorative arts business simply aligned with my values of reusing, recycling, and reducing waste. By embracing many of these timeless pieces and putting them back into the marketplace, I think it contributes to a more sustainable and circular economy." Cousin's top picks for summer buys are vintage vinyl records and cameras. "Vinyl records have experienced a resurgence in recent years," says Cousins, "from classic rock to jazz and blues, original pressings and limited editions from iconic artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Miles Davis are commanding high prices among enthusiasts." Cousins says that millennials also seem to appreciate the charm and craftsmanship of vintage cameras. Classic models from brands like Leica, Nikon, and Hasselblad are highly coveted. Cousins recommends seeking out cameras with iconic designs, quality lenses, and working mechanisms, as these types of cameras offer both functional and aesthetic value to collectors. ![]() Donna Perkins - Dealer Cooperative Manager, Online Sales Platforms and Antique Shows "Part of what initially motivated me to get into the decorative arts business was the sense of personal expression. I think as a group, millennials value self-expression and individuality, seeking to differentiate themselves from mass consumerism. Antique and vintage items provide a way for us to express our unique style and personality. Whether it's through clothing, furniture, or accessories, these items allow us to curate our spaces and wardrobes with one-of-a-kind pieces that stand out from mainstream trends." Prekin's top picks for summer buys are textiles and Victorian oil paintings "Vintage textiles, such as quilts, tapestries, and embroidered fabrics, offer a glimpse into the craftsmanship and artistry of past eras," says Perkins, "and have been a hot seller recently." According to Perkins, buyers should be looking for textiles made from luxurious materials like silk or velvet, featuring intricate patterns or representing some form of historical significance. Additionally, Perkins says that while MCM furniture décor may still be popular among many of her cotemporaries, she notes that tastes in wall-art are beginning to change. "Many of our co-operative dealers are selling out of Victorian oils faster than they can replace them," she says, "even portraits and ornately framed examples are moving well." Perkins says that while you typically don't think of Victorian 'anything' as being in the wheelhouse of her generations interests, she's noticed that things are definitely beginning to move in a different direction, as older millennials like herself are reaching further and further back into the past for more interesting and unique pieces. "I think it's a bit of a desire to mix and match some 'contemporary' antique stylings like Art Deco, with slightly older pieces that are perhaps a bit more formal in nature," she says. ![]() David Halston - Dealer, Picker, Estate Sales Agent and Online Sales Platforms "I grew up hearing wonderful tales from my Grandfather about his past, and I think it was that great storytelling that probably piqued my interest in the decorative arts world. I've always found that antique and vintage items tend to carry stories and evoke a sense of nostalgia that often sparks conversation and connection. As a millennial, I'm drawn to the narratives behind these objects, it's something I can appreciate - especially the historical context and the human stories they represent. Sharing these stories with friends and family becomes a way to forge connections and foster a sense of community." Halston's top pick for summer buys are antique maps and globes. Halston believes that old maps and globes from bygone eras can not only be a captivating addition to someone's collection, but they also tend to be great conversation starters about the past. "Look for antique maps that showcase historical regions, discoveries, or cartographic advancements," he says. "Globes that reflect the geopolitical landscape of the past can be particularly intriguing. These pieces serve as windows into how the world was once perceived." Halston says that while maps and old globes were at one time relatively easy to find, it's become increasingly harder to source decently priced inventory. "Younger folks are into it now," he says, "which has obviously driven up prices." For the best deals, Halston says he frequents garage sales in predominately senior neighborhoods, and then resells online. "Most of my buyers are probably in their early to mid-thirties," says Halston, "but they seem to be interested in almost all eras and genres related to map collecting and globes." ![]() Suzanne Olsen - Online Sales Platforms, Antique Shows & Fairs "Part of my introduction into the antique and vintage world came about as a result of my desire for experiences rather than mere transactions. Antique and vintage stores provide an immersive and nostalgic shopping experience that appeals to many from my generation. For millennials, exploring these unique spaces, browsing through curated collections, and interacting with knowledgeable sellers seems to add an extra layer of enjoyment and engagement to the buying process." Olsen's top picks for summer buys are old movie posters and textured ceramics. "Our generation loves streaming - whether it's a new series or old films - we're all about the experience," says Olsen. Which is why she thinks millennial film buffs and collectors often seek out classic movie posters as both nostalgic décor and as a valuable investment. Original posters from iconic movies like Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, or Star Wars are all highly sought after. Olsen says to make sure to look for posters in good condition and with desirable artwork or promotional designs. On the more practical side, Olsen says she's also seen a marked uptick in intertest recently related to textured ceramics. "Look for handmade ceramic vases and sculptures with attractive glazes and colors. The natural material and unique shapes and textures can add a warm and personal accent to tables, cabinets, counters, and shelves." As millennials continue to drive interest in the antique and vintage industry through their desire for unique, authentic, and sustainable products, there's probably never been a better time (nor reason) for keeping tabs on this socially active generation than now. With their emphasis on individuality, environmentalism, and quality, these younger consumers are not only contributing to the rising popularity within today's antique and vintage marketplace, but will also likely have a say in shaping its direction for years to come. - AIA Staff Writer's ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. The sustainable eco-generation wants you to know they're in it for the long-haul ![]() New York - For Janie Roan, the 4 a.m. start time was all part of the bargain as she trundled out of her Brooklyn based apartment in the hopes of making it to Maine by opening time for one of the state's annual fall antique and vintage fairs. "There's a beautiful butternut chest of drawers being offered by a dealer up there," said Roan, "that's hopefully still going to be there when I arrive." Roan certainly isn't unusual in her early morning quest for that perfect piece of furniture, but what is unusual about this particular scenario is her age and previous interests as they relate to the decorative arts. Growing up in Brooklyn, the 28 year old says that in the past her primary source for decorating often involved a trip to Ikea or Crate & Barrel. "Flat-pack furniture was just part of my generation," says Roan, "but somewhere along the way, it just started to shift and align with my ideas about sustainability and creating a living space that felt warm and cozy rather than austere and cold." Prioritizing her belief in a balanced socio-economic future, Roan says that her discovery of buying 'old and used' items came to be somewhat revelatory. "I simply had no idea there were so many unique designs and pieces from the past that were out there and still available for purchase," she says, "it was almost like the lifting of a veil." While Roan's personal collection has grown over the past few years, she also acknowledges that many of the items that are of interest to her today are becoming harder and harder to afford. "Five years ago when I first started searching for antique three-drawer chests, they were cheap, very cheap," she says. "Today, that butternut chest I was chasing would have likely been gone before noon if I hadn't gotten there early." Roan adds that with many of her friends now accompanying her on the early morning upcycling adventures, it's become both a boon and a bane for her collecting passion. "It's great that we can all share a ride together," she says, "but my friends are also the one's helping to drive up the prices." Many dealers in major urban centers are likely to concur with Roan, as prices have been escalating quickly on almost everything from Early American rustic to even semi-ornate Victorian pieces. Jonathon DeVries a long-time dealer from Newport, Rhode Island, who frequents and displays at antique shows up and down the Atlantic coast, says that he's witnessed an explosion in interest and prices over the last three or four years that he attributes directly to a younger generation. "It's even younger than the millennials," he says, "we're getting kids in their early twenties who are becoming primary buyers." DeVries thinks that while millennials may have started the trend, it's definitely Gen-Z's who are moving the ball forward today. "Things like Pyrex and Corning Ware dishes, that we used to give away, have recently jumped up in value so quickly that we're not even sure what to price it at anymore," he says. However, it's not a straight across-the-board value increase for everyone acknowledges DeVries, with some of his dealer friends inventory still languishing at the end of shows. "If you're trying to sell giant over-sized Victorian pieces to the younger generation living in apartments or condos, then you're going to be missing the boat," he says, "but if you stick to the smaller items like washstands and side tables, they'll move quickly." Henry McDavid, a young dealer from New Hampshire who now specializes in antique spool furniture, says that he started in business as a 'picker' when just out of college in his early twenties. "Heading out of 2010 probably wasn't the best of decades for antiques, that's for sure," he says, "but one thing that was great about that time was the price." McDavid quipped that he could literally buy out-of-favor items like Victorian and early spool furniture for pennies on the dollar, and in many cases for free as long as he agreed to haul it away. "It's astounding to think," he says, "because today, I can't keep these pieces in stock." McDavid acknowledges that even items like odd sized spindle beds that require specially sized mattresses are usually spoken for long before hitting the showroom floor. "I'm lucky that I had sufficient storage to keep these pieces for a later day," he says, "but in reality, it was also just good timing that a younger generation came along and were interested in this kind of stuff." McDavid says he's long been trumpeting the news that buyers are much younger now than before, and seem to be more aggressive when it comes to getting what they want. "Five years ago people were making lowball offers or asking for a markdown, today it's a bidding war, and they're usually under the age of thirty." While McDavid's listing prices on his spool-themed website have risen sharply in recent months, he's also quick to point out that that it won't take long for source sellers to start raising their 'asking' price. "I was ahead of the curve," he says, "but I doubt those same folks will be letting me haul it away for free again." ![]() Nostalgia is in says Emily Harris of the collectors co-op, a loosely knit group of store owners on Etsy that come together to share tales of buy-and-sell stories with the intent of targeting specific offerings to prospective clients. "It just keeps getting younger," says Harris, "we're almost solely concentrating on online buyers in their mid-thirties and below now because that's who's driving our sales." Items like wall, chandelier, and furniture-top lighting are all seeing steep price increases due to demand says Harris. "We're buying from salvage yards, home-reno companies and more, and we still can't keep pace." While Harris says she's happy to ride the skyrocketing values, she wonders when the rising price-point on vintage home décor is going to peak. "It's not really sustainable," she says. "I'm seeing young people paying upwards of four times for an item that I had listed for a quarter of that price only a year ago." Harris believes the post-pandemic need for a world that's more comforting and inviting, rather than minimalist and modern is at the root of the younger generations 'buy-old' craze. "I think the pandemic maybe showed just how vulnerable our modern world was," she said, "and why those ties to the past can be so enticing." ![]() If anyone has need to question who the new demographic is when it comes to the decorative arts, then look no further than the world famous antique and vintage market at Brimfield, says Don Smith, a semi-retired dealer who notes that in his estimation, the attending crowds at Brimfield have turned from mostly blue-hairs and hats in recent years, to inked and ear-budded. "I've been attending, and sometimes showing for over thirty-years," says Smith, "and I've never seen so many youngsters clogging the aisles and booths." Smith isn't alone in his estimation either; David Orr, who's also a regular at Brimfield, and writer at large for a number of decorative arts publications, says that you can see the influence of this generation in the offerings. "Things that weren't even thought of as being collectible just a few short years ago, like 1980s homewares, are suddenly demanding exorbitant prices now - even by show standards." Orr says that he's interviewed numerous 'progressive' dealers from this year's show recently, and they all tend to tell a similar story, "Prices are good, very good." Adding to this, many young dealers are also reporting that hot and in-fashion used furniture websites such as Chairish and Kaiyo, are also helping to up the price-points on antique and vintage goods by making it easier for people to see that their mother's old Formica kitchen table from the 70's, might actually be worth more than a simple donation-receipt from the local thrift store. Sites like Craigslist are even showing higher priced comparative examples from other websites, when you search their site for a similar item. When all of this is combined say dealers, it's going to push up prices. Scott McAdams, who works for one of the largest flea markets on the west coast, says that most of his dealers are young and extremely tech savvy. "They'll show prospective customers what something is worth on their phone or laptop so they can compare prices to online sites instantly." McAdams notes that it's not just the dealers who've become younger at his venue, but also the attendees. "What's funny," he says, "is that despite the technology use, the prices aren't going down, but up, way up." For many in the business though, rising prices (even inflated ones), are a welcome relief, and hopefully a portent of a return to a long and secured stretch of interest and pricing in the world of antique and vintage decorative arts. While some may lament the uncertainty that comes with such price hikes, if Janie Roan's passion for her butternut chest-of-drawers is any indication of that generation's long-term interest, then there's also a decent chance the rest of us in this industry are going to be in good hands for some time to come. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Don't Throw Shade On That 70s Dorm Room Décor Just Yet ![]() New York - For years, either fairly or unfairly, Ikea has been the butt of many a jokes from those in the world of the decorative arts - especially from those in the antique and vintage business. Comments ranging from flat-pack junk to disposable-décor have been common motifs promoted by dealers and collectors alike, often in an attempt to differentiate their own seemingly 'professionally-curated' vintage inventory from that of the Swedish conglomerates catalog of mass produced items. However, in some respects the distaste for the highly profitable Nordic retailer has gone beyond just general dislike, and has instead crossed over into a special kind of disdain that other corporate furniture retailers have often been spared from. While many would argue that giants like Ashely Home Store Furniture, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and even the faltering Pier 1 Imports have all been subject to some form of ridicule over the years, it hasn't gone unnoticed that there appears to be a particularly strong and directed feeling of condescension from decorative arts enthusiasts when it comes to Ikea's standing in the world of home décor. ![]() For many though, including Jeffery Blumefeld, a vintage enthusiast, who owns and represents a group of resale shops throughout New Jersey, this is not only an outdated notion, but one that's well past its prime. "We've been selling vintage 80s Ikea for about fifteen years now," says Blumefeld. "We started off with just a few items like some of their early Skojig Mushroom and Fackla lamps, but recently it's exploded across all design facets, including furniture and outdoor items like wicker chaise lounges, some of which we're now selling for well into the thousands," he says. According to Blumefeld, sales have been so strong is this area that he recently converted one of his stores almost entirely into what he refers to as a 'retro-Ikea' space. "We got in on it early, and that helped" he says, "but if you look at a lot of the Ikea stuff from the 80's and 90s, it's held up surprisingly well over the years." Blumefled believes that solid construction techniques and designs, along with nostalgic buyers from the era are likely responsible for creating the surging market, and while he acknowledges that there's always been collectors out there for Ikea goods (it even has its own museum), he's not really sure yet about its long-term viability "I can't really say if the trend is going to go beyond the hard-core clients to a broader buying base, but if price is any indicator of growing popularity, then there's likely some good growth potential to come." ![]() Charles Hanley, who works as a decorative arts aggregator for completed auction sales, says that what's funny about the whole 'upturned-nose' towards Ikea pieces from the late twentieth century, is that most people don't realize just how big of an effect the company had on some of the major design trends from that time. While humble in origin, Hanley says products like the Billy & Tema Bookshelves from the 1950s, designed by Ikea company-man Gillis Lundgren, were standout items that had a lasting effect years later on pieces created in the 1970s. In addition to this, Hanley says that Ikea was also responsible for hiring some of the top designers towards the end of the century, including the famous Danish artist and designer Verner Panton, whose iconic Vilbert chairs that sold poorly in the 90's for less than a hundred dollars a piece, but which are now considered collectors items, easily bringing in over $3,000 a pair at auction. Going to sites such as Barnebys.com shows just how much prices have climbed recently says Hanley. "There are 70s-era Amiralen armchairs selling for well over a $1,000 each," he notes, "and some early examples of the Billy & Tema Bookshelves hammering-out for upwards of four-grand - that's starting to rival some Mid-Century prices," he says. Beyond that, Hanley thinks that the junky flat-pack moniker is simply undeserved. "Ikea created well designed furniture at an affordable price," he says, "it's just that you had to put the pieces together yourself." ![]() For those dealers who managed to get ahead of the curve and bought stock and inventory early, the rewards have been plentiful. Alison Hardy, who curates most of her Ikea pieces on 1stDibs, says that knowing what to buy has been key to her success. "Not all Ikea pieces are collectible," says Hardy. "You have to do your research and sometimes it's just a gut feeling that you're buying something that will accrue in popularity and value a little later on down the road." Hardy cites her recent sale of Vilbert chairs which she bought years ago for less then they retailed new. "They just weren't that popular back then," she says, "but over time I suspected they might become a bit of a classic." Hardy says she literally stumbled across six at a garage sale and bought them on sight to go with her dinning table. "They just looked cool in my apartment," she said, "and I've always bought what I liked rather than what was popular at the time." Today, Hardy says her sales of Ikea items range from Duett hanging lights and glassware to funky seating pieces like 70s Skopa lounge chairs, which can bring in bids in excess of $1,000. "I really liked a lot of the design elements that Ikea brought to the market when compared to most other manufacturers from that time," she says, "it was just something different and new that most people hadn't seen before." ![]() While design choices are obviously subjective, it would appear that Hardy isn't alone in her 'like of Ikea,' at least according to the editorial director of 1stDibs marketplace, Anthony Barzilay Freund, who was quoted as saying in an interview with the Financial Times that, "Over the last three years prices for Ikea collectibles had increased by more than fifty-percent." Brazilay went on to add that the average listing price of vintage Ikea seating models is now above $3,000. While it's clear that Ikea, and its clearly Scandinavian design may not be fan favorites with absolutely everyone, there can also be no denying its long-term appeal to a broad range of people. Aside from it's purely aesthetic qualities, there's also a certain degree of nostalgia involved when considering it's recent rise in popularity amongst those of a particular age and collecting group. People who grew up in the 1980s have now reached that disposable income stage, and can decorate their homes with items that remind them of their youth. In fact, the growing nostalgia and popularity for all things Ikea has also not gone unnoticed by the company itself. In recent years, they have reintroduced a few classic pieces from the 70s, such as the Gratulera collection (items from the 50s and 60s), as a celebration of the company's heritage. This move has further fueled interest in vintage Ikea pieces, with many looking to add some of the 'reissued' retro flair to their collections. However, it's not just the designs themselves that make Ikea pieces collectible, but also the stories behind them. The fact that Ikea pioneered a new approach to furniture production makes the company and its furniture designs historically significant and relevant. Marketplace enthusiasts appreciate this kind of context - especially when these pieces can tell a story to not only collectors and dealers, but to their customers as well. - AIA Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. WARM AND FUZZY SETS THE STAGE, BUT MODERN ISN'T DONE QUITE YET ![]() New York - Ushering in the new year for many in the antique and vintage business often brings thoughts of “what’s going to be hot,” and “what’s not,” for the upcoming selling season. Contemplating adding newfound pizzazz to your concern with a host of overflowing boho-themed inventory should probably be tempered before stacking one’s store to the rafters with the latest perceived trends. But how exactly does one draw the line between what’s actually hot, and what’s merely pretending to be? How do dealers and collectors suss out what’s truly in demand, versus what’s simply demanding attention. With these thoughts in mind, school staff and writers went back to some of the designers and industry professionals we spoke to last year to see how their prognostications for future trends held up, and where they think the decorative arts are heading for the rest of 2023. While we probably shouldn’t over indulge in boho, there’s no question this style has some serious traction, says Tracy Shea, who we spoke to last year about sourcing out what the younger generation wants when it comes to decorating. Shea who operates a number of vintage themed booths along the west coast, and a storefront operation in San Francisco, says that more than ever, young people are making environmentally based decorating decisions, and that it's changing the nature of her business. "It’s not just that they want something sustainable," says Shea, "but also things that have a sense of history and quality to them which are going to last.” Buying up early stock of boho themed items like 1960s and 70s rattan, carved wood dressers, hanging chairs, and upholstered furniture with flowered motifs have all been big sellers she says. “Younger buyers are continuing the re-use and up-cycle trend, so for the time being, I don’t really see any end in sight to warmer tones, natural wood, and a lot of the colorful floral-print type fabrics,” she says. ![]() For international fine arts dealer and interior designer, Tamara Holt, many of her predictions from last year have also borne fruit. Holt, who credits much of her buying success to keeping a careful eye on what the younger generation is purchasing, says that over the last twelve months she’s seen a reinforcement of trend movements from the same group of buyers. "Young people are definitely where it’s at," she noted, "and are continuing to buy heavily influenced Victorian style upholstered chairs and sofas, French country tables, lamps, and even a few ornate pieces." Holt acknowledges that while most of her first-hand experience is based on attending antique and vintage fairs in Europe, where half of her business is conducted, she still feels that it's translatable to east coast trends in the US. Holt says that while the majority of her design clients frequenting her New York studio were requesting the farm-house gray look just a few years ago, that’s changed. “Even the older generation of buyers I’m getting now seem to be returning to more earth friendly tones, and natural woods as a choice for furniture decoration,” she says. ”It may not be a bona-fida trend everywhere just yet, but I think we’ve just about rounded the modernist corner.” ![]() While almost all industry insiders are likely to agree that vintage furniture and going-green will continue to be one of the most popular decorative arts trends for the foreseeable future, it’s not just going to be about full-on boho, or floral-prints and the cluttered style, says Tom Rogers, whose Portland based Scandinavian retro-store lies in stark contrast to those proponing the return to a Neo-Victorian (slash) Boho-Revival look. When contacted last year, Rogers recounted how sales of his Mid-century modern (MCM) inventory had plateaued for the first time in almost twenty years. “It was a bit of an eye-opener,” says Rogers, “but we managed to counter with the other half of our inventory, which was based on simple Scandinavian themed pieces from the seventies and eighties.” Rogers feels that some styles and trends are still geographically based. “Winters in Portland can be a bit drab and gray,” he says, “but much of the Nordic design motif is meant to counteract this with light woods, such as spruce and pine, and splashes of bright color.” When the MCM revival first came along, Rogers says they tipped their inventory in favor of the mid-century trend, but that recently they’ve swung back to what’s always worked in the past. “I think there will always be a modernist design element that remains popular with collectors and buyers,” he claims, “but especially so for clean lines that aren’t necessarily overly futuristic, but that are simple and practical enough to convey a slightly modern message, while still emanating a warm and cozy feel. Rogers says items like slatted pine eighties-style futon sofas, three-legged coffee tables, stools, and wood wrapped low-slung beds are all moving extremely well across virtually every age group and demographic. “It’s hard to believe,” says Rogers, “but some of our best selling items of the past year have been vintage Ikea pieces.” ![]() When we last spoke to Tom Wheeler, who specializes in outdoor wrought iron and vintage garden furniture from his shop on a coastal tourist route in Prince Edward County, Ontario, he'd noticed a small drop in interest related to modern-metal themed pieces, and an uptick in requests for rattan, wicker, and old wrought iron items. Eighteen months on, and Wheeler says that there's been a dramatic shift away from the vintage style metal chairs of the fifties and early sixties, to a more traditional look of the heavy wrought iron and wicker again. "People are still buying outside plastic rattan and wicker sofa sets from Home Depot and Lowes," he says, "but the shift away from the MCM feel has been even more palatable." Wheeler says that the faux wicker craze currently in vogue, has also fueled interest again in other retro wicker pieces from the 1970s and 80s. "Last year, I started to pull some of my old wicker out to get a feeling for how it might sell," he says, "and before the end of summer I was cleaned out." Wheeler thinks that it's likely the rage for fifties style metal tulip garden chairs has probably run it's course. "Two years ago I couldn't keep tulips in stock - now they're probably half the value of an authentic wicker example." ![]() Janet Headley, who runs an antique and vintage jewelry store in Los Angeles, says that even she's begun to notice a strong shift away from the purely MCM aesthetic, which she feels has been so dominant over the last decade. "Five years ago, that's pretty much all I was hunting down at estate and garage sales," she notes, "but over the last little while, vintage-ey, and what my younger clients call the Y2K style, have popped." Headley says that late 90s, to the early ought's style of gold Omega and Herringbone chains are all the rage again, as are 80s and 90s Italian influenced Bulgari-like pieces that she simply can't get enough of... "I used to find box-lots of this stuff just a couple years ago, but today, it's being scooped up by kids thrifting garage and estate sales faster than I can attend them." Headley says that 'recent' vintage is definitely the craze right now. Almost all of the dealers we spoke to agreed (to a greater or lesser extent), that the clock had probably turned for the modern motif. Not left the building, but merely dropped a position or two in the overall popularity contest for decorative arts supremacy. For many of the dealers, their assessments of how market winds were in the process of changing, also proved to be remarkably accurate. Of course, caressing the crystal ball always comes with risks, but if one were able to look down at some of today's top antique and vintage shows from on high, there's a good chance, at least according to some of these dealers, that you might just find a trending sea of brown begining to form below. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. Inflation Is Rising But You Wouldn't Know It According To Most Auction Houses ![]() New York - It's probably not that much of a surprise to many of the industry's heavy-hitters, but for those working in the day-to-day milieu of the more pedestrian aspect of the decorative arts world (the rest of us), the news of just how far and high some of last year's auction sales figures have risen, is likely to be nothing short of stunning - especially when one considers the overall state of the antique and decorative arts market just a few short years ago. For top auction house players like Sotheby's and Christie's, the numbers were impressive. Christie's tallied up $7.2 billion in auctions, and recorded another $1.2 billion in private sales, easily outperforming its sales figures of $7.1 billion it made in 2021. Of that total, just under a billion was derived from the sale of antiques and collectibles. "In 2022, despite a challenging macro-environment, Christie's has achieved our highest ever global sales," chief executive officer Guillaume Cerutti said, referring to post-pandemic economic challenges brought about by inflation and the global strife in eastern Europe. According to Christie's, buyers from North and South America accounted for the lion's share of total sales, with Asian buyers on the decline. However, what was most startling to some was the fact that the auction house said its banner year was fueled not by its trusted client-based list, but by a "new generation of collectors" - thirty-five percent who were first-time clients, and who also happened to qualify as millennials. ![]() Pete Benning, an auction-watch analyst, who tracks more mainstream sales results for some of the larger auction houses, says that it's not just the big-players who are witnessing the entry into today's market by millennials. "It's everywhere," says Benning. "Younger collectors are really starting to take over the mantle left by boomers and are driving up prices across the board." According to Benning, aggregated sales results from almost all the major online auction sites (and smaller ones too), have shown steep increases in overall sales figures over the past year. "It's been a banner year for just about everyone," he said. Benning's research also indicated that while major art sales led the way to soaring profits, sales of high-end antiques and collectibles weren't far behind. Not to be outdone, Sotheby's also posted some chart-topping numbers with an estimated haul of just over $8 billion in combined art, land, and decorative art sales, with a substantial increase in tallies related to the sale of rare antique and vintage collector cars. While some of Sotheby's numbers were down in a few sectors, others rose, especially it's online auction sales of antiques and collectibles, which continued to post double-digit market gains. As with Christie's, the new younger collector has now also become a staple at Sotheby's, with most of its expanding client base over the last year coming from younger buyers in Asia. Bonham's auction house, though not as large as either Christie's or Sotheby's, took several steps this year towards changing that scenario through its acquisition of both New England-based Skinner and Copenhagen’s Bruun Rasmussen within a two-week period. The auction house buyouts are part of Bonham's broader strategy to expand its online presence and to re-connect to European markets after Brexit. Many who work within the company say the auction house has also seen strong sales results over the past twelve-months, especially in areas related to Chinese antiques, which is helping to propel its international growth strategy forward. However, it's not just larger global auction properties that are experiencing the jump in sales numbers, even smaller niche auction houses seem to be getting in on the record setting prices. Richmond Auctions out of Greenville, South Carolina, recently set a new world record this past September for the most expensive antique advertising sign sold at auction - a forty-eight inch double-sided porcelain Musgo Gasoline sign. The selling price of $1.5 million (including buyer's premium) shattered the previous record of $400,000, and proved to be the most profitable sale ever for the fledging auction house that had its first sale in 2020. Heritage Auctions out of Dallas, Texas, also hit new highs with its sale celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s 213th birthday. The two-day event drew a large crowd and brought in $4.3 million while setting a new world record for Americana sales at the auction house. For Pete Benning, results like this are simply further proof of just how far the antique and decorative arts markets have come over the past few years. Benning says that while online auction sales steadily up-ticked throughout Covids heyday, it wasn't until after the pandemic "officially" ended that the numbers for realized auction prices really started to escalate. "People were buying at online auctions during Covid, no question," says Benning, "but once everything dropped and we went back to normal, they exploded - not just at the larger auction houses - but on the smaller selling platforms too." Benning says he doesn't see much changing in the near future despite inflationary pressures and interest rate hikes, and says that if anything can curb the prodigious spending currently occurring at these auctions, he hasn't seen it yet. - AIA Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - As today's digital warriors of the decorative arts update their monikers from being influential, to the more current influencer, it would seem that no descriptor with this amount of clout has undergone a more profound change in context and application over the last few years. Online platforms brim with those claiming to be 'influencers of style,' or having the capacity to effect 'the character, development, or behavior of specific trends.' But do they? Is this new generation of tech-savvy influencers actually transforming the antique and vintage market in a way that hasn't been seen before, or is this just the rehashing of an old familiar story? For many, the answer may simply lie in the uptick of numbers. As the recent worldwide pandemic revealed, people headed indoors for two years and started looking for something to do - including, creating new online profiles - with some estimating a thousand-fold increase in accounts related to the resale trade alone. For Instagram, this amounted to a whole new development of community based platforms predicated on interests like antiques and vintage goods. Major auction houses began to utilize Instagram 'stories' as a means of promotion through the creation of digital galleries. For other relative new-comers like TIk-Tok, the effects were even more pronounced, as hashtags like #antiques and #antiqustorefinds drew in over a hundred million views with dealers and collectors sharing video expertise of how to buy and sell. The Art Basel survey of "Global Collecting For 2022," also estimated that purchases of antiques and collectibles online accounted for over twenty-percent of total decorative arts sales - an increase of almost double since 2019. As online platforms grew, they also become more targeted in their approach with directed social media content and online viewing rooms becoming common selling tools that not only increased sales, but also brought in a new generation of young collectors to the market. While most dealers have welcomed the arrival of these new antique and vintage collectors, their initial reasoning for entering into the market in the first place appears to have been based on a somewhat altruistic desire to help support the artistic community; at least according to a 2022 Hiscox Online Trade Report, that found almost seventy-five percent of collectors under thirty-five wanted to assist artists and resellers who were part of the social upcycling and reuse movement. Eve Oliver, a top marketing representative for major antique fairs across the UK and Europe, says that young people simply want to buy furniture they won’t throw away tomorrow. "For nine out of ten younger customers that I’ve spoken to, the biggest drive is the environmental factor,” she says. Tom Holland, who's also a marketer, but who works with antique shows on this side of the pond, says that a number of older dealers have quietly acquiesced recently to the fact that using the latest Instagram presentation techniques and conducting business directly through DM's (Direct Messaging), has become a necessity, not an option. "If you want to attract the youthful buyers," says Holland, "you need to be playing their game with one click buys and offering creative ways of paying." ![]() Former marketing analyst at Meta (Facebook/Instagram), John Chapman, who now runs his own decorative arts consulting and ad-placement firm for online entrepreneurs, says there's been a massive change in how people are conducting business today. Chapman says that during the pandemic he noticed younger profiles and accounts coming online that were specifically geared towards the antique and vintage industry. "It was something to do," he says, "they were locked in, but could buy and sell vintage and second-hand items while sitting behind their desk from home." This became transformational says Chapman, because as time progressed, these accounts became larger and more sophisticated in their appearance and in their approach to selling. Chapman says that before he left Meta for his own start-up, some of the biggest account growth he witnessed came from within the decorative arts community. "Some of these young vintage sellers really started to attract a following," he says, "I was literally stunned at how they had morphed from selling items on the kitchen counter, to complete professional grade photographic set-ups with tens-of-thousands of followers." In his current role, Chapman says he sees antique and vintage Insta-accounts all the time that have massive followings. "It's not just a few big names," says Chapman, "it's across-the-board interest by a huge number of people." Bridget Van Wart is a perfect example of what Chapman is talking about. In less than three years, her Halifax based vintage-themed Instagram account has gone from zero to over fifteen-thousand followers. "It's just blossomed into this community," says Van Wart. Using her own apartment as a backdrop, Van Wart has managed to refine the process of selling her vintage housewares by concentrating on presentation, and using her own décor to tastefully accentuate the items she's marketing. While she acknowledges that it's still "selling," Van Wart says that venues like Instagram provide her with the ability to be creative about the process. "The visual aspect of it is huge," says Van Wart. Other popular antique influencers such as the UK's, Jack Laver Brister (@tradchap), have also figured out that creative designs and helping people to envision those items within a home atmosphere are not just good for sales, but for brand exposure too. With over sixty-two thousand followers, Brister has become a prime influencer in one of the most competitive antique and decorative arts markets in the world. For many who do attain influencer status within the industry, it usually never comes about as a stand-alone effort. At least according to Tina Humphries, who's company specifically promotes growth-and-development strategies for accounts on sites like Instagram, Etsy and Tik-Tok. Humphries believes that popular success comes down to a lot of networking which helps spread the word. In her considerable experience, many of the younger players she's seen come to her with dreams of expanding their reach have already done a lot of the important work - namely - they've managed to get others to promote them by sharing. Humphries remembers one dealer in particular who came to her with a list of interior design influencers that supported her client by sharing the purchases they made with their followers. "Her growth was literally exponential," says Humphries, "in the end, there wasn't much for me to do since she'd already figured out that one of the biggest secrets to sustained online growth and influence was simply to get everyone else to act as an influencer for you." Humphries, who's company straddles the world of online promotion and the decorative arts, believes it's not really a question of whether or not these young upstarts are having any influence in the antique and vintage world, but more so a question of how much influence. "All I can do is look back at my own generation," she says with a smile, "when I was young, Martha Stewart was everywhere." - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - For industry insiders, the wait is finally over. Now in its fourteenth year, the Asheford Institute's annual survey of top decorative arts buying trends from the past twelve months has just made its way onto both digital and paper newsstands across the country. The international survey/poll of past students and graduates from the Institute has become a staple to many in the antique and vintage industry for its unique ability to look into the current state of today's decorative arts marketplace, as it relates to overall sales trends for dealers working within the collecting community. Anthony Harper, the school's lead researcher, says the key to getting meaningful survey results that businesses and people can actually use to help plan their inventory buying strategies for the upcoming year is based on receiving actual sales data, alongside item-specific requests from buyers, which can then be used to indicate interest within a particular collecting genre. (*Note: The link to the "complete survey listings" can be found at the end of this article) As with virtually all business this past year, Harper says ongoing supply-chain issues continued to have an effect on almost every segment of the economy - including certain genres within the decorative arts field. "In 2021 we were all still recovering from Covid, but this past year, buyers, dealers, and collectors were out en masse, in-person, and were literally snapping up everything in sight." Harper says that by the end of summer many dealers were complaining about a lack of available and affordable inventory. "It wasn't just one category of collectible," says Harper, "it was virtually anything, from folk art to baseball cards." Similar tales have surfaced in previous years, but Harper says those scenarios were not even close to the severe shortage of available stock that many antique and vintage dealers faced in 2022. Harper believes that some collecting categories in this years poll may have risen or fallen not necessarily because of a lack of popularity, but because of a lack of stable inventory. However, he does acknowledge one upside to all the market uncertainty - for most dealers, sale prices rose sharply. For Amber Shole, who's been compiling survey statistics for over eleven years now, the most striking change in poll results this year was also related to price. "Item listing values skyrocketed in virtually every area," she said, "and dealers took advantage by holding firm on prices." Fan favorites like Art Deco and Textiles continued to boom says Shole, while other perennial favorites such as Mid-century modern began to show signs of weakening. "There's definitely a shift," she says, "it's just a matter of being able to pick up on those markers before they become full-fledge trends." In other areas of the survey there were also some pleasant surprises, as once again an unexpected (but familiar) era of collecting shot back up the charts to a respectable placement for the first time in over twenty-five years. The cause? Well, according to Shole, it's all about a younger generation that's turned frugal-collector. "Young people are looking for inexpensive eco-friendly choices and sustainability," says Shole, "and the antique and vintage market is giving them that." Shole believes that the creation of new trends in the decorative arts market is more of a symbiotic relationship than anything else. "Millennials and Gen-Zer's need something, and we're able to supply it to them," she says, "and it's that practical aspect that's driving the creation of some of these new trends." For readers seeking the complete 2022 listing of all the best-selling antique and vintage genres and categories contained within the school's yearly poll and survey, you can find the full results (including this year's winner), by simply clicking on the link below... Link To 2022 Survey/Poll: **TOP SELLING ANTIQUE & VINTAGE CATEGORIES FOR 2022** ![]() Emily Watkins is a freelance decorative arts writer, and an honors graduate of the Institute. She splits her time between New York and London as a contributing columnist to all things MCM and is also a recognized specialist in the field of Asian & European ceramics. ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - A number of years ago, a somewhat famous antique dealer in New England once remarked that he had a much better chance of selling his high-end Georgian furniture at flea markets than he did online. While this may have been an exaggeration to some degree, and times have certainly changed since then, it still makes the point that what sells in the decorative arts market can often be determined not only by what's currently trending as popular, but also by the location or venue from where it's being sold. In theory, the Internet should have leveled this playing field long ago, but ask virtually any antique dealer with a couple of decades under their belt, and they'll tell you that by evening-up the playing process, the Internet also ironed-out some of the competitive wrinkles and strategies often only found in real-world markets. Sure, one can have a better website, a larger digital marketing budget, and perhaps greater online technical proficiency as to how things work, but in the end, online sales and corresponding e-storefronts on behemoth websites like Etsy, 1stdibs, and Ruby Lane, all tend to have a sameness about them that can make it hard for dealers and vendors to truly establish and differentiate themselves competitively from one another. This isn't to say that online retail outlets don't work, or don't provide their clients with options for distinguishing their businesses from each other, but only that in the past few years many antique and vintage dealers appear to be returning to a tried-and-true method for successful entrepreneurship that allows them a greater degree of competitive experimentation, and which is based on an in-person experience. ![]() For Jeff Howard, who runs an estate sale business and mid-twentieth century themed vintage goods store in Southern California, the decision to pop-a-table and tent and return to meet-and-greet sales was one borne out of necessity rather than anything else. "I've bought and sold plenty of things online," says Howard, "but recently I decided to return to where I first started, after noticing a flatline in some of my online sales." Howard says he set-up a weekend booth at one of the state's largest flea markets where he used to vend prior to his current bricks-and-clicks business. "It's been great," he says, "the crowds are back, and I'm able to bring specific stock from my store like metal signs and automobilia that I know will sell in my booth." Howard believes he's able to get far more eyes-on his inventory at the flea market than in his store due to its location, and the fact that the people walking by are mostly committed buyers. "I have to pay for space," he says, "but even with that, my total weekend sales are up by about 200% over normal." For others in the industry, it's the "committed" sentiment expressed by Howard that seems to resonate the most. Stan Darling, who's taken over the family run auctioneering and antique business in Texas, says he thinks people might have a bit of Internet fatigue after the pandemic and are simply hankering to get out. "Our in-person sales have been fantastic this year," says Darling. "We're exceeding our pre-pandemic levels by a long-shot, and the people attending the auction sales tend to be buyers, not looky-loos." Darling says that while they've had the digital live-bid option for a number of years at most of his sales, what he's really noticed recently is the uptick in people wanting to get the hands-on experience before they purchase. "I've also got other antique dealers from around the area who are coming to me with their inventory," says Darling, "just so they can add it to one of our sales." Hector Diaz, a local dealer from Galveston, who uses Darling's company, says he's almost getting retail-prices at auction for the furniture he's trucking in from his storage site, which he normally uses as a base for his online shipping and distribution. "Five years ago - no way," says Diaz, "but today I'm moving more case pieces and heavy Victorian stock at a better overall price than I've ever done before." Most dealers are quick to point out that while the hybrid online/offline version definitely still works, it's become increasingly clear that the public's interest in attending live sales events has spiked dramatically over the past year. "I just think the whole Covid thing re-set a lot of peoples priorities," says Shelly Hoffman, who manages a large antique and vintage mall on the outskirts of Kansas City. "It's crazy that we were locked down only a a year or two ago, and now we're literally having to set counter-limits on the number of people who can enter the mall." According to Hoffman, her booth dealers are also reporting some of their strongest numbers ever, with many admitting that their online sales have been overtaken by customers who arrive on foot. "People are literally getting into bidding wars right in front of vendors booths," explained Hoffman. "I've never seen this kind of frenzied buying before except maybe at online auctions." David Harvey, who's had a booth at the mall for more than ten years, says that in the past there were always spaces opening up with vendors coming and going, but that today the wait-list for a booth can be anywhere from twelve to twenty-four months. "I've had to hire someone to man my space just so I can go and pick inventory," says Harvey. "I'm not complaining, but it can be a bit stressful trying to keep up with the demand sometimes." ![]() Harvey isn't alone in his dilemma, as a group of vintage enthusiasts with shops on Etsy decided to try out their own form of a Farmers (slash Vintage) Market, in one of Ohio's historic eastern towns. Spearheaded by Helen Olsen, the group who all live within a relatively short radius of each other, decided to take their online retail shops into the real world after noticing the success of agricultural vendors at many of their local farmers markets. "We were stunned by the response," said Olsen. "We tried to pick inventory that could be set-up and broken-down quickly, and it literally sold out by days end." Olsen said she and her cohorts have refined the selling process over the last few months by concentrating on offering what's popular online, and then adding those items to their tents on the weekend. "It's been a great success," said Olsen, "we've had tremendous sales this year, and are hoping it continues well into the coming months." Olsen however, did acknowledge that she probably couldn't have managed on her own if it wasn't for her friends and colleagues help. "Without the other girls from our Etsy group scouring the countryside for additional inventory during the week, none of this would have been possible," she said. As for her online sales, Olsen says they're still holding strong and believes they'll continue to do so, but now thinks there's no question that a retail outlet is going to be part of her groups immediate future, especially as the cost of shipping for online sales continues to rise. "We already have someone out looking for space for us," she says, "It's no longer a matter of if we're going to add a full-time face-to-face business, but just a question of when." For many of the older dealers out there, the return to in-person sales is a welcome sight. "Part of the reason I got into this businesses was the social aspect," says Jeff Howard. "I've always enjoyed chatting with, and meeting new people." For Howard and others in the industry, it would appear that it's not just the ethereal concept of fads, trends, and online imagery that's moving the antique and vintage markets forward today, but rather a real-world visceral connection that may finally be returning to the decorative arts landscape after a long and somewhat unprecedented absence. ![]() Emily Watkins is a freelance decorative arts writer, and an honors graduate of the Asheford Institute. She splits her time between New York and London as a contributing columnist to all things MCM and is a recognized specialist in the field of Asian & European ceramics. ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - As was noted earlier this year in the most recent Global Home Furnishings report, produced by ResearchandMarkets.com, antique and vintage furniture has officially become the hottest selling trend in today's decorative arts marketplace. While the ride to the summit's top has been great for most of those in the industry, it's also raised a rather important follow-up question related to its current popularity. Namely, has the industry's newfound fame been a result of the public's seemingly sudden interest in second-hand and vintage items, or has a younger generation of style mavens and vintage curators been responsible for putting the antique and vintage scene back on top of the decorative arts podium? For some, it's likely to have been a natural convergence of events, or perhaps even a timely combination of both. However, what many in the antique and vintage community really want to know - beyond just the who or why behind the industry's recent upswing in popularity - is the what. Or more precisely; the type of items dealers and sellers are now looking to purchase when it comes to stocking their businesses with today's latest home décor trends. ![]() Carla Leland and her son Trey believe that today's current crop of young dealers have never been more influential when it comes to setting style trends - and she should know - as someone who not only runs a ten-thousand square-foot vintage business along with her tech-savvy son, Carla also keeps her finger on the pulse of en-vogue movements as a managing partner at one of Manhattan's hippest Upper East Side interior design firms. Leland says that curating their businesses based on what they see younger dealers stocking has become almost standard fare. "Last year we started to see a lot of vintage items in the Deco style," she said, "but Trey noticed that it was more of a Miami-based Deco style from the 80s, not the 1930's." Leland says that her son's friends from South Florida had been buying up anything from estate and garage sales that was vintage 1980s (think Sony Crockett and Miami Vice), because of the cool factor. "I really wasn't even aware there was a particularly attributable South-Deco furniture style," she claims, "but Trey had all these modular tables with Art Deco influences that were done in gold and mirrors shipped up to our shop, and we literally sold them out in five days." Leland says that black-lacquer bar and bedroom cabinets from this era have also been big sellers. "I've put my son's friends on retainers - hunt down as many of these cabinets as you can - and I'll pay handsomely," she quipped. As for where most of the pieces are going, Leland acknowledges that the majority are probably headed to condos or modern apartments. "It's definitely a young persons game," she says, "they're buying them, selling them, and in so doing, setting the trend." While the notion of a picker being a moderator of changing tastes and styles may seem like a bit of an incongruity when paired against the accepted image of the shambolic loner hoisting leftovers onto a passed-its-prime truck, nothing could in fact be further from the truth when it comes to today's finders of the past. At least according to Art Hanson, who's ability to see the beautiful (and desirable) from the banal, are all part of what he believes makes his approach to business such a success. "At one point in time, dealers would give pickers a list of what they wanted," says Hanson, "but today, many of the younger pickers like myself are actually helping older dealers by suggesting the inventory they should be stocking, rather than what they want to be stocking." Hanson believes that his travels to literally thousands of shows, fairs, flea markets and estate sales across the country are what make him an excellent arbiter for what's popular, and more importantly, for what's selling. "I've seen first-hand what people are buying," says Hanson, "so finding that common denominator isn't that hard when you see it over and over again." Hanson's knack for understanding what's hot in a current market isn't based on mystique, but practiced experience. "I'm probably that first wheel in the home décor cycle," he says, "I buy what I see selling, and in turn resell that to dealers, who in turn do the same to the public." According to Hanson, Mid-Century still does well at most locations, but he says he's noticed a distinct move towards Boho and softer lines with younger buyers at larger urban events. "They're modded out," he chuckles, "like someone who's sat for too long on one of those uncomfortable MCM sofas." Hanson says he can still find decently priced wicker and rattan pieces, but the tides are beginning to shift. "Two years ago, I could literally pick that stuff for free," he says, "now I'm getting the side-eye from sellers at estate sales who are tweaking to it's growing popularity." ![]() For the rest of us, it's mostly just a matter of turning online to see what's really hot, and by extension, who's promoting it. Checking the latest posts on DIY blogs and Instagram groups related to the decorative arts, reveals in relatively short order what's selling simply by the number of private DM (Direct Message) requests that will often appear under an item listed for sale. Pam Harris, a twenty-something, who's digital exposure includes, Instagram, Etsy, and a host of other sites, lists herself as a 'vintage influencer,' and a 'purveyor of up-and-coming styles.' Harris says that although she's only been in the business a few years, she thinks she has a pretty good bead on her generations style and the things they want. "I started out buying vintage clothes," she says, "but soon added all sorts of old textiles from the the 60s, 70s and 80s - especially bolts of fabric with crazy design patterns that reflected the decade." Harris says that led to a number of interior designers contacting her about what was selling. "They'd ask all sorts of questions about who was buying what, and how long it had been selling it for," she says. For Harris, it soon became apparent that the information she was giving out freely, could instead be monetized through a number of different online ventures. "After a while, these same people started to not only follow me, but became some of my best customers." Today, Harris says she fields questions about rising trends, and takes orders from all over the world, and has grown to such an extent that she's purchased a small building to store all her vintage materials. "Warm fabrics, oversized floral prints, and dramatic heavy-draped curtain fabric from the 1980s are all making a comeback," she says, "especially with younger clients who are reupholstering chairs and sofas they're often inheriting from parents or relatives." Jason Hodge believes it's more of a symbiotic relationship when it comes to the chicken and egg theory about who's responsible for initiating trends. Hodge, who's been a west-coast dealer for the last twenty years, thinks that it's definitely young people who generally set the trend-table. "When Mid-Century started," says Hodge, "most of my customers were in their mid-thirties. Today, I'm getting kids in their mid-twenties who are coming to me with very specific requests." Hodge also notes that when he used to frequent some of his favorite west coast flea markets (back-in-the-day), the vendors were generally much older than him. Not so today he says. "I'm forty, but most of the kids I see selling and buying to each other now are pretty much the same age." Hodge believes that makes it a bit easier to figure out what to stock up on, since there's a good chance that today's young folks will likely become his long-term customers in the near future. In the past, trends were usually slow to move from flea market popularity to widespread consumer acceptance because of the age disparity that often existed between buyer and seller, but that simply isn't the case anymore says Hodge. "I think there's enough young people now in the business that they're no longer just an anomaly, but have in fact become the new core of today's antique and vintage community. Do I think they're setting today's style trends? I'm not sure," he says, "trendspotting can be a tricky business for any demographic, but I certainly wouldn't bet against them." - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - While supply-chain snarls, Amazon delivery delays, and partially empty shelves at big box stores may be today's norm, this certainly isn't the case when it comes to the availability of antique and vintage items. After two years of being inside, along with a restrained pandemic fueled economy that encouraged purchases online rather than face-to-face, the doors have finally opened wide and people are once again outside this summer scouring their local decorative arts markets, antique shops, and vintage fairs in search of their favorite items. Whether you're a collector, a dealer, or just a buyer hoping to score that perfect house-find, hunting through the countryside and nether-regions of the antique and vintage world can sometimes seem like a daunting endeavor - especially when it comes to discerning the true from the fake, the great from the pretenders, and the popular from the passé. As antique and vintage themed décor has soared in popularity recently, finding those top-tier treasures has become more difficult than ever. ![]() However, with a little help from some of the school's top appraisers and a few industry experts, we've managed to precis down a list of items we think you'll definitely want to be on the lookout for when out treasure-hunting those hot summer finds. Ozark Roadside Tourist Pottery This is hot, very hot right now. Perhaps it's just the summer season, but Ozark Roadside Tourist Pottery is continuing to see a staggering rise in popularity and price. Most commonly found at roadside tourist shops and gas stations throughout the Ozarks and American South in the 1940s, these pieces were made of molded cement pots placed on a potters wheel with a swirl drip glaze and then decorated with oil paint. Availability at "senior" garage and estate sales is still good with prices ranging from $35 to $450. Look for examples from makers like Camark, Niloak and Ouachita pottery. ![]() Costume Jewelry As the school's annual survey pointed out earlier this year, there seems to be no end in sight with the public's fascination for this popular collectible. Great deals can still be found in most of the usual haunts (thrifts, second-hand stores, flea-markets, etc.), and jewels don't have to be real. Look for well known makers like Eisenberg, Trifari, Weiss, Sarah Coventry and Hobe - all can command top dollar. A boxlot investment of $20 at an estate sale can easily return $300 to $500 online if you know what you're looking for. ![]() Old Radios - Particularly RCA Victor Models Electronics are currently experiencing a boom in the collectible world as young tech enthusiasts and collectors are now moving beyond vintage game-consoles and into some of the earliest mass produced electrical gear out there. RCA which helped launch mainstream radio, and was considered one of the main pioneers of the industry, became the dominate producer of radios during the 1930s and 40s. Today, these Art Deco-style console and wooden radios, along with post-war Bakelite units, can come with a steep price, providing everything is in working condition. Prices range from $30 for poor non-functioning examples, to over $650 for those in pristine shape, with no chips or cracks and with all "tubes" in full working order. Yard-side road sales and estate sales are probably going to be your best bet during the summer months, as those donated to indoor thrifts and charities will likely be snapped up quickly. ![]() Vintage Luggage As post-pandemic travel ramps up again this summer, so has the public's desire for some cool one-of-a kind vintage luggage. After being shut-in for so long it would seem that the current explosive interest in classic luggage should have been expected - but apparently (much like today's airports) - it wasn't. Dealers report that pre-pandemic examples that lined showroom floors have all but disappeared, and that finding replacement stock is becoming increasingly difficult. Old Pullman cases, American Overnighter's, 1970s and mid-century modern themed cases are all in high-demand with prices rising quickly. Expect to pay more for vintage than new in many instances. As with all practical items, condition is king. Look for original leather straps, perfect linings on the inside, and if it comes with authentic travel stickers, so much the better. Vintage Vuitton and American Oshkosh pieces can bring very, very high prices. Look for accessories too, such as hat boxes. Range: $60 to over $4,000 depending on condition and maker. Again, senior estate sales are likely to reap the most rewards when it comes to sourcing inventory at a reasonable price. ![]() Vintage Clothing & Accessories We probably don't have to say this, but vintage clothing and fashion accessories (think purses), are going to be one of the top summer finds this year (if you can find any!) Garage and estate sales take the first and second spot for sourcing, but second-hand and thrift stores shouldn't be overlooked either (just get there early and try to get wind of the stores weekly or daily "stocking" schedule). Look for vintage Boho sling-style handbags, MCM lucite purses, chainmail style clutches from the twenties and thirties, and anything that comes with bangles. As always, condition is paramount. Buy at $30 and sell online for $450. ![]() Christmas Memorabilia & Decorations While Christmas might not be on the mind of most at the moment, this is certainly one of the best times of the year for scooping up all those old unused vintage Christmas cards and ornaments from garage and estate sales. Susan Close, one of the longtime appraisers and educators at the Institute, says she's witnessed an incredible spike in value for Christmas cards with specific themes or timelines. An authentic MCM pack of five cards can sell in the range of between $25 to $55 to the right buyer. Classic tree ornaments with motifs that date the item to a specific period can also prove highly desirable just before Christmas. As always, condition speaks volumes. Curled corners, pen marks, along with scuffs and tears will all affect value. While there are many reproductions available, sticking to garage and estate sale finds can often provide buyers with a reasonable expectation of authenticity. ![]() Cast Iron Doorstops Cast from pig and scarp iron poured into a sand mold, authentic doorstops from the turn of the twentieth century have become extremely popular recently - especially those with their original paint. Perhaps the most famous of makers, Hubley Manufacturing Company out of Lancaster, LA are considered by many to be the best of the best. Known for initially making piggy banks and door knockers, the company added hand-painted doorstops to its repertoire in 1909. The doorstops were offered in a wide range of subjects that included flower baskets, depictions of homes, dogs, fictional characters, and exotic animals such as giraffes (one of which sold for almost $11,000). Even modest examples of more common themes with their original paint can still generate substantial sums. Asking prices of $500 to $800 would not be out of the question. Just be sure to look for the three-digit number or the word HUBLEY on the back to ensure authenticity. Other makers include, Bradley & Hubbard, Albany Foundry, and Wilton Products. Reproductions do exist, but the casting process is often more basic, leaving surfaces with more of a sandpaper feel than a smooth surface. ![]() Marvel Comic Books While it's probably obvious to most that comic books have been a hot commodity for years now, what many may not realize is that there is a world-within-a-world when it comes to stratifying their value and popularity. Clearly, a first edition Superman is not likely to come along anytime soon this summer, no matter how many garage sales you attend, however, a more recent first-edition Marvel comic just may. Add to this the overwhelming popularity of the Marvel film universe and franchise and you could be sitting on easy street with the right amount of sleuthing. As baby boomers continue to downsize and relocate, often dumping off unwanted goods and chattels at the driveways edge, finding a first issue, number 1 condition Thor is still a possibility, and could potentially put $10,000 in your pocket. Again, condition is key to realized value, and garage sale clear-outs and boxlot offerings are probably going to give you the best shot at finding that gem-of-a-box hidden somewhere amongst the baby clothes. Normal finds for other titles, and subsequent issues with minimal wear, can still see price mark-ups in the $20 to $200 range. ![]() Old Books (First Edition Preferably) Finally, to round out our top nine summer antique and vintage picks not to be missed, we're going to close with an often overlooked collectible that has recently begun to shine again on the heels of the antique and vintage décor comeback. Once the outcast and antitheses of the austere Mid-century modern movement, old books have suddenly resurfaced as one of today's more popular decorating elements, due in large part to the rise of the Bohemian decorative theme. Sources will be plentiful, from garage sales to Goodwill stores, as books have been undervalued and over represented for years now. First editions don't have to be ancient to be valuable. The Agatha Christie novel, They Do It With Mirrors, published in 1952 by Collins in London, is worth approximately $200. Large leather-bound books, regardless of edition, are also gaining value purely as decorative objects. Either way you can't lose with this collectible, as prices are still low, while values are set to rise. Plus, you'll also get something new to read without having to turn anything on... ![]() D. Harman (AIA), is a former Asheford Institute honors graduate and a freelance writer who has a knack for picking trends when it comes to the decorative arts world. When away from his keyboard, Mr. Harman is also a top "picker" for some of New York's finest antique & art establishments. ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - There's no question that there's been some rumblings for years from antique and vintage dealers about the quiet rise of the new-bohemian influence within the current decorative arts marketplace. However, for many in the industry this apparent subtle changing of the guard from one style period to another not only makes sense, but in some ways should have been expected. Especially when one considers that the movement from minimalist design to maximalist décor is also representative of the chronological progression from Mid-Century modern to Bohemian chic as it actually occurred during the late 1950's into the swinging 60's. ![]() For the uninitiated, the Bohemian design aesthetic (Boho), represents the virtual polar opposite of the Mid-Century movement. It's all about earthy colors and fabrics, wood tones, old rugs, along with mix-and-match patterns. "It's what I like to call warm and inviting, rather than cold and austere," says dealer Sheila Durst from her downtown New York showroom, which features exclusively handcrafted items from the 1960's and early seventies. Durst says she dabbled in the Mid-century movement when it was hot a few years ago, but always felt more comfortable with warmer tones and hues from the design period that came after it. "I think the world had been on a modernist trend since the early 1930's," says Durst. "First it was Art Deco, which kind of seamlessly transitioned into the Mid-century movement, until the chain was finally broken by the arrival of the back-to-earth and natural feel of the 1960's." Durst claims that sales of her authentic quality rattan and macramé pieces have really taken off in the last year or so, and thinks this movement to a more natural decorative arts feel is just the beginning of a much bigger trend. Many industry experts agree that there's certainly been a perceptible shift away from the modern motif in recent years, but that doesn't preclude it from still being popular in a number of design circles. In fact, according to Dorren Sorell's New York interior design firm, modernism has simply adapted its focus to embrace new style elements that are currently moving up the popularity pole. "The industrial design style may bring to mind cold concrete and metal, but it also consists of natural looks of brick, wood, and other earth elements, says Sorell." So, while the streamlined look of Mid-Century modern may be fading, Sorell thinks that its modernist offshoot - the industrial look - will continue to be popular and will likely blend well with the new Boho aesthetic. Some of the more common design cues to watch for include, unfinished furniture, functional metal-and-wood chairs, along with metallic accent pieces in silver and bronze. ![]() For design consultant Tom Hanson, detecting major seismic shifts in decorative arts trends can be difficult to predict. "They usually come on slowly," says Hanson, "and sometimes end up morphing into one another until there's enough steam to really push one particular style to the top." Hansson says he thinks the Boho style has all the markings of a trend that's likely here to stay. "A few years ago Cottagecore became a thing," says Hanson, "It was very closely associated with the rise of Boho at the time, but quickly became consumed by it." Hanson believes that while Cottagecore embraces many of the ideas of Boho with items such as original antique and vintage pottery, rustic furniture and cast iron decorative pieces, he says it simply wasn't a strong enough trend on its own to sustain itself - despite plugs from celebs like Taylor Swift. In the end says Hanson, it got absorbed by the larger Boho movement, which he feels now dominates the softer side of the decorative arts spectrum. ![]() Hector Ramirez, who co-manages one of southern California's largest antique and vintage malls says it's like déjà vu... all over again. "When the Mid-century craze really started rolling back in the early 2000's, you could still find the odd 50's credenza as a sidewalk-giveaway in some of the older suburban areas around here, but within five years that supply was locked up tight." Ramirez says that the same sort of conditions are now starting to apply to certain Boho pieces. "A year ago I could count on one hand how many of our vendors had patterned foot-stools and ottomans, or big floral print couches," he says, "but today it seems like they're arriving off the delivery trucks on an hourly basis." Despite the recent uptick in popularity, most antique and vintage dealers should still be able to find plenty of opportunities for sourcing out some great Boho-buys at garage and estate sales across the country. And, while it's certainly possible that the left-and-right hand coasts may have already begun to tweak to the Boho movement, it will likely be a considerable amount of time before this type of inventory becomes scarce in any meaningful way. Most dealers are only currently beginning to take notice of the trend, and consumers who are still disposing of such items at Goodwill, thrift stores, and yard sales, are likely to continue doing so until the rising price-point becomes all too obvious (even to those who are not in the know). However, until that time comes, it would appear that the field is now wide open for those willing to put 'bank' on a rising trend. - Senior A.I.A. Staff ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - Over the last ten years the options for antique dealers and vintage enthusiasts on where best to sell their wares online has become an increasingly refined process that has resulted in not only more precise and exact decorative arts listings, but has also created a wealth of new topic-specific industry websites specifically geared to such sales. Gone are the days when dealers were stuck with a broad spectrum two-choice listing on either eBay or Craigslist, or the sometimes unreliable and confusing categories of Facebook's Marketplace. Today, antique and vintage dealers can choose from a myriad of site-specific options when it comes to marketing their inventory online. To find out what sites worked best, staff writers at the school spoke to a number of industry insiders to get their take on how some online sales platforms have created or developed new approaches related to the marketing of decorative arts items, in order to offer dealers more choice and options when it comes to promoting their goods. Below, we've tabled some of those results. Offerup is one of Janet Cowers favorite selling sites. Cowers, who operates her own antique and vintage business in Portland, Oregon, says one of the sites best features is the integrated ability for buyers and sellers to negotiate out a price (hence the name). She's also fond of the regional approach whereby sellers and buyers can meetup to avoid any shipping fees. While some service fees can apply, they're not huge she says. As with many of today's best sites, you’ll need to download the app, provide some good quality photos, a well-written description, and a listing of your general geographic location. Cowers says she takes inventory that hasn't moved in a month and places it on Offerup at a discount. "So far the results have been outstanding," says Cowers, "I've really been able to save on the shipping of big items by loading-up multiple orders and delivering them in a single day to different local customers at one prearranged location." According to Cowers, she uses a large parking lot at a nearby conservancy hiking trial as a drop-spot, since it's highly visible, free, and offers lots of room for unpacking and packing-up for her clients. Going one step further on the regional purchasing and selling scale is Bookoo - a site that claims its legacy comes as a result of yard sale fans who decided to create a site for other yard sale fans (minus the actual going to yard sales part). Wendy Dalton who runs two vintage Etsy shops from New Jersey, says she's a believer. "I buy almost as much stock as I sell," she notes. "However, the great thing about Bookoo is how local it is - sometimes I'm literally only a block away from picking-up or selling some of my inventory." Dalton says she's used Offerup as well, but thinks prices are better on Bookoo. "They want everyone to know their site is garage sale sourced," she says, "which means you have to buy right in order to sell here and still make a profit." The registration process is straightforward though, and according to Dalton, once you're account has been setup, Bookoo lets you list an unlimited number of items. "I really like it because it has more of a community feel than some of the other sites," says Dalton, "It's almost like a chat-group!" Thomas Dryer is also a fan of regional buying and selling. Hailing from San Francisco with both an online presence and bricks & mortar shop, Dryer says he previously used eBay for his online sales but became tired of the escalating prices. Today, he says he's switched to eBid for listing and selling some of his finer vintage stereos from the 1970s and 80s using a local pick-up option. Aside from their very low commission rate of 3%, Dryer feels that eBid is a great alternative for those wanting to avoid rising fees associated with conducting business on eBay. "They have literally all the same features as eBay," says Dryer, "including the ability to import any of my items on eBay, directly over to my eBid account, which means I can get a lot more exposure for some of my items." Dryer says that his sales have been just as good on eBid, and that he's currently considering a lifetime membership for $50 that would drop his already low fees even more. "It's a win-win," says Dryer, "I'm saving money and selling more." ![]() Remoov has become a recent favorite for many antique and vintage dealers because of its full-service offerings. Maria Alcaraz, who operates a number of consignment and vintage shops around the Tempe area in Arizona, says that it's all about the ease of use. "When something hasn't moved, and I need it gone to create more space for fresh inventory," she says, "I can literally take a few pictures, and set-up an appointment for the folks at Remoov to come and get my stuff." Alcaraz acknowledges that sharing the 50/50 split with the company after the item sells means there's not much room for error on her part, but notes that they're paying for the pickup, listing, and resale of the items. "I think that's pretty fair," she says, "and it allows me to dispose of slow moving inventory while still getting paid." If you're in the Northeast, like Natalie Barber is, then you're in luck. Barber, who owns a higher-end mid-century modern and vintage business in the San Francisco Bay area, says she uses AptDeco almost exclusively as her online go-to when it comes to selling large furniture pieces. According to Barber, listing only takes a couple minutes and AptDeco handles all the moving and pick-up. "I'm tiny, so loading and unloading big pieces of furniture can be an issue for me, that's why I like AptDeco so much," she says. Aside from the convenience factor, Barber also likes the fact that rates are reasonable (23% on sales), but more importantly, she says she likes that the average time from pick-up to pay-out is around ten to fifteen days. "It means the money I spent on past inventory isn't just languishing around for months in a company's warehouse." Finally, for those in the business who deal almost exclusively in the top-end range of the decorative arts field, there's Sotheby's Home (Buy Now) option, which according to New York dealer Carl Franks, is one of the better online venues when it comes to selling Georgian furniture. "I've tried them all," says Franks, "including 1stdibs, Charish, Ruby Lane, and more, but for me, Sotheby's has been by far the best." Franks admits that the listing prices ($1000 minimum), and commissions can be quite high (around 50%), but says for that kind of money you get a team of experts to review your submissions and who'll be there to proactively sell your items to a selective audience. For many dealers over the last few years, the growing number of options available for online inventory sales has simply come down to a greater combination of choice and selectivity rather than just gross site viewership. No longer stuck with single all-encompassing listings on behemoth websites that have little relativity to local sales, dealers it would seem have now finally found their niche in decorative arts websites that seem more geared towards them, rather than everybody else. For those looking to enter into the current decorative arts field, this is certainly good news, as it should provide nascent dealers with additional streams of revenue sources aside from today's standard online and main street formats. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - Oh, what a difference a few years can make, especially when it comes to the world of the decorative arts. From proclamations of "It's over," to "people just don't want that old stuff anymore," the claims relating to the demise of the antique and vintage industry over the last twenty years have been about as plentiful and exaggerated as those levelled against the famed American satirist, Mark Twain. In fact, not only has the antique and vintage industry been thriving recently, but since the onset of the pandemic, the public's demand for decorative arts items from the past has literally exploded across every major sales platform to be had - from bricks and mortar shops, to pop-ups, and every conceivable type of online concern in between - the antique and vintage industry is now experiencing a wave of popularity and profitability that up until now, has never been seen before. Bolstering this claim, the most recent Global Home Furnishings report, produced by ResearchandMarkets.com, which tallies worldwide sales for this sector, indicated that while everyone had clearly spent more time at home during the last few years due to the pandemic, they also spent more money to furnish their homes, with worldwide decorative arts spending growing over twenty-eight billion dollars year-over-year. While e-commerce sites specifically related to decorative furnishings saw growth across the board, one market category from the report in particular stood out for the massive increase in sales volumes above all others; the antique, vintage, and consignment industry. As would be expected with reports of this ilk, theories abound as to why this particular area of the decorative arts segment is seeing such a strong resurgence in popular interest lately. However, for many industry insiders, the answer to that question may be more about a convergence of multiple market conditions and coincidental timing, rather than a single determining factor or theory. For Janet Cain, who runs three separate Instagram stores, it's all about the pandemic. "It really started there," she says, "from the moment Covid hit, sales literally blew-up and haven't stopped since." Cain believes that people got used to seeing and tracking items online from the comfort of their home, which made purchasing super easy, and by extension, created more opportunities for buying. "I have more repeat customers than ever," says Cain, "and their buying a lot more than before." Cain thinks that in some ways the pandemic created a new world-order when it came to making purchases online. "Before it was a choice, but during Covid it often became your only option," she says. "Now I think people have just gotten used to it and enjoy the convenience of not having to trek across the countryside in search of that perfect find." Others in the industry see a larger overall picture when it comes to understanding the recent surge in popularity for everything antique and vintage. Anna Brockway, the co-founder and president of Chairish, an international online antique and vintage furniture site, whose revenue has more than doubled in the past year, thinks that there is no question that vintage is hot right now. Brockway says, "Not only is vintage furniture beloved for its chic, one-of-a-kind style, it’s also increasingly appreciated for its immediate availability and sustainability. Right now, due to serious supply chain snarls, contemporary furniture manufacturing and delivery is moving at a glacial pace, while shoppers' expectations around speed and instant availability have never been higher." Posters who've listed items for sale on Chairish, say it's a clear example of buyers (especially younger ones), increasingly wanting sustainable and unique items with a little history to them instead of the sameness that often comes from big-box stores. Another piece of the puzzle, at least according to Christina Williams, who runs a number of high-end consignment shops in and around Atlanta and Savannah, thinks the explosive growth of interest in antique and vintage furnishings is also likely a direct result of price. Why? Because, for the most part, consignment pricing for quality items is almost always going to be cheaper than purchasing comparably newer items, which makes the consignment option an attractive proposition for savvy buyers, especially during uncertain economic times. Williams says her numbers over the last twelve months have been so strong that she now has a 'buy team' that scours high-end Atlanta neighborhoods with homes for sale in an attempt to beat out Estate Sale companies for the rights to sell the clients goods and chattels. "Demand is so strong," says Williams, "that if I didn't get to some of these houses first, and come out with a signed contract, I probably wouldn't have enough inventory at months end to stock my stores." Statista, an international company that specializes in market and consumer data for businesses, says that conservatively they expect the antique, vintage, and consignment furniture resale market to increase by over seventy-percent in the next few years. So what's fueling this current market growth? Well, for starters, many analysts point to the changing buying tastes of young Millennials and Gen Z consumers who started the "used" trend with vintage clothing, while seamlessly transitioning that into used furniture. Originally part of the Ikea mindset, many began to finally balk at the uniformity of design, and instead sought out uniqueness in not only their clothes but home furnishings as well. Now, with some discretionary income finally arriving, Millennials and Gen Z'ers are pursuing even more one-of-a-kind purchases that are in keeping with their collecting preferences, and which often come with a more expensive price tag. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Chairish, over thirty-one percent of Millennial and Gen Z respondents said that they had become much more interested in buying used, vintage, and antique furniture online over the last two years, than in the two years prior. Jason Stavros, a young engineer from San Diego, perhaps embodies this new generation of decorative arts enthusiasts best, as he seemingly identifies with many of the factors that appear to be connected to the popular themes currently attributed to the rise of interest in the antique and vintage marketplace. "I'm an engineer by trade," says Stavros, "but I started buying and selling second-hand stuff just before the pandemic struck as way to save after I graduated university." Today, Stavros says that his interest in the decorative arts is more about being unique, buying something with a sense of history, helping the environment by upcycling, and avoiding supply-chain issues where possible. "I list on Chairish and quite a few other sites in my spare time," says Stavros, "but business has been so good recently that I'm giving serious consideration to hanging my own shingle and hitting it full-time... Or, as I like to call it, time to bring in the old!" - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - Deborah Torres had always dreamed of operating her own antiques and vintage business. As an avid garage sale attendee while in her teens, Torres would scour the east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to St. Augustine in search of anything that caught her eye and collecting interest. "I didn't really have a ton of money to start out with" says Torres, "but I had an old mini-van that was gifted to me by my father, so I had some cheap transportation and room for a good sized haul." By the time Torres hit her mid-twenties, she'd run out of storage space for her collectibles at the family house, and her father was pushing her to either move, or move her "stuff" out. With her van and a trailer loaded up, Torres decided to take the plunge and rented a small booth at an antique mall down the road from her home. Fast-forward twenty years later, and Deborah Torres is still in business, and says she looks back fondly on those early years when she was just starting out, but wishes she'd known a little more about the antiques and vintage trade before fully committing to it as a lifelong career. "I love it, but having some training or guidance would've really helped me grow my business at the beginning," she says. ![]() Torres isn't alone in that sentiment, with many dealers claiming that it's an old refrain; "How best to jump start one's antique and vintage business while making as few costly mistakes as possible." Jenn Gould who successfully operates a number of online concerns from Etsy and eBay to Artfire and Bonanza, says that there are some simple rules for helping people run successful decorative arts businesses. Number one she says is understanding your inventory. "Don't buy what you don't know (or love). I've seen so many people try to be an expert on everything, and end up making bad buying decisions on stock that eventually costs them in the long run." Gould believes that if you stick to what you know and like, you'll end up learning about it organically because you'll truly want to know it's history and value together. "It may sound simple," says Gould, "but you'd be surprised how many people get off-track and end up over-paying for items they'll never be able to sell for a profit." Also on Gould's list for successful strategies is proper bookkeeping, which she says is paramount, and often overlooked, when it comes to tracking whether or not your business is actually growing. Lastly, knowing your customer base, especially if you're keeping a database of those who purchase from you online, as this can be one of the best tools for ensuring that you're matching your inventory to those who are interested in buying it. According to Gould, "Building up a profile for each customer, and trying to tailor your resale purchases towards that end is crucial." Gould attributes this process to return customers becoming the bread and butter of her business. For those running strictly online concerns, there are a number of considerations one must take into account when attempting to strategize a plan of action for antique and vintage sales that may not necessarily equate with a bricks & mortar store. Charles Caulfield, who operates a wide range of collectible businesses on numerous digital platforms says that reveals and drops (the unveiling of products), can be particularly important to overall sales based on how they're presented. "When I'm selling Christmas collectibles," says Caulfield, "I'll drop my entire collection at once to try and generate some buzz, rather than just trickling them out one by one." However, sometimes it's not seasonal says Caulfield, but simply based on a theme of collectible items that he might have in stock. Key to employing this successful strategy, is using Facebook and other online platforms to poll his followers and customers about what they're interested in. "I try to stick to a schedule as well," says Caulfield, "once my contacts have indicated their interest in a particular genre or item, I try to drop those sales on a regular basis." Caulfield says that since he's started doing consistent reveals based on polling his sales have risen dramatically. Like Gould, Caulfield also attributes a large degree of his success to keeping detailed records along with a strong customer database. ![]() For Deborah Torres the digital lesson came late. "After setting up my first booth in Florida, I concentrated on nearby locations and worked on adding additional spaces at new in-person venues, but my sales eventually began to flatten." Torres says her daughter finally convinced her of the benefit of having an online presence and since then she's gone all in. "It's not that I wasn't online," says Torres, "It's just I wasn't doing much with it until my daughter showed me how." Now she says that part of her work week is devoted solely to doing things like expanding her customer list by following and interacting with other sellers, doing live feeds and shows, and even hitting up Tik Tok. One area that Torres claims she's seen strong gains in are boosted posts of Facebook and carousel style ads on smaller venues like Pinterest. "It takes some time to figure out the process for placing the ads, and you have to be consistent and understand the feedback, but in the end my numbers jumped by over fifty percent," she says. Interior designers and vintage gallery owners David Smith and his partner Neal Brown, are also of the mind that a good customer database can be an excellent place to start when trying to supercharge your business, but thinks that dealers should also take note of the broader scale of what's trending in the current decorative arts marketplace if they want to increase sales. Smith says that while you don't need to jump on every trend that pops up, keeping tabs on those that have some longevity can really help your business grow in the long run. "I've watched American Pickers for years," says Smith, "but what's really interesting for me is not so much the finding part, but what they end up bringing back to the store." Smith says that in all the years watching the show he's noted that they tend to pick a few genres in particular, from petrolina to toys, that always remain in relative favor with buyers and collectors alike. Smith believes that having a sense of where the market is in terms of popular trends can help both in minimizing costs for buying future inventory as trends ramp up, and also when it comes time to pricing an item before hitting the showroom floor. One thing Smith notes that he says might sound obvious, but is not, is offering customers and clients something for free. Smith says he works on a short monthly newsletter about trends, vintage items, interiors, etc. which is provided solely to his businesses social media followers and customer base. "It creates a feeling of exclusivity among our clients," says Smith, "and it also tends to keep them coming back as customers." There is of course no iron-clad panacea for being able to drive sales and clients to one's business, however, for a number of antique and vintage dealers these are some potential strategies that have done just that. For Deborah Torres, building new relationships by reaching out to her community, both online and in-person have payed off handsomely. For Jenn Gould, tailoring the buying experience to established customers has provided her business with plentiful dividends. However, quite possibly the most nuanced strategy for achieving an exceptionally profitable decorative arts business may have been summed up best by interior designer Neal Brown, who claimed that the biggest reason for his rising success in the industry was due to a real-world alignment between how much effort he thought he was putting into his business, versus what he was actually achieving on a day-to-day basis. "Taking honest stock of one's efforts on a daily basis is simply a great motivator," he says, "it helps keep your business strategies moving forward... and upward." - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - For Amy Hacker, starting her own antiques and vintage business prior to the great pandemic, seemed like a no-brainer, at least that's how Hacker describes her decision to leap first, and think later. Hacker, who grew up on Long Island in an artsy family - with a dad who played in an orchestra, and a mother who worked at the Met - had always been surrounded by people who appreciated things that were old, rare, and intrinsically beautiful. "My mother would come home with tales from the museum, and on the weekend, we'd try to recreate the experience with trips to antique stores and estate sales," she says. Hacker believes that by the time she was in her early twenties the dye had already been cast and starting her new decorative arts business became a matter of when, not if. "I think I simply lucked out," she says matter-of-factly. "I opened during the pandemic and my sales literally took off on day one." Hacker said she fully expected things to calm down once people returned to work and Covid hit the rearview mirror, but they didn't. "As soon as the first supply-chain issues started cropping up, I began to notice an almost immediate bump in furniture sales," says Hacker, "and since then, it's just been a steady stream of inventory flying out the door - I simply can't keep up." Hacker isn't alone in her dilemma. Antique store owners, thrifters, and vintage dealers are all reporting incredibly strong sales, especially in items related to furniture. But it's not just the smaller players who are seeing the love from consumers, but the bigger venues as well. Vintage and secondhand furniture retailer Chairish has seen a 70 percent increase in sales recently, while everyone's favorite high-end collectible site 1stDibs, whose biggest online category segment is furniture, popped with a 25 percent increase in numbers related to case goods and chairs. Over at Kaiyo, another relatively new-to-the-scene used furniture and vintage startup, the numbers were even more impressive, with representatives claiming blistering triple-digit growth month-over-month. Tom Claremore, who's been selling moderately priced furniture on 1stDibs for years, says that he's never experienced anything like it. "My stock is literally down to what I can find on weekends - getting it uploaded by Monday night - and it's gone by Friday." Claremore says he can draw a direct correlation to the news about furniture imports just sitting on docks or ships out in the ocean, and the spike in his business. "It's certainly not rocket science," says Claremore, who admits that seeing chain-furniture shops with vacant display windows was about the same time he began to notice a substantial uptick in sales. "Once I saw those empty stores, and pictures of piled-high containers with nowhere to go, I started putting the pieces together," he says. Claremore, doesn't believe the current situation will last forever, but is fairly confident that as long as supply chain hold-ups remain, in concert with inflationary pricing, he thinks the value in antique and vintage furniture is going to be an attractive option to a lot of consumers for quite some time. ![]() Aside from anecdotal evidence from those in the trade, recent articles in the New York Times and Washington Post are also backing up these claims, reporting similar stories, with supply chain issues being just one of a number of important factors that many in the decorative arts world are describing as the perfect storm of events leading to the resurgence of the antiques industry. Tracy Holland, a late twenty-something from New Jersey, who's hoping to get into the antiques and appraising business after she completes her college degree, says that her interest in buying used items springs from her generation's belief in upcycling and repurposing things to make them sustainably viable. "I used to see some of my friends walk out of Ikea with a complete living-room ensemble, only to landfill it, once they'd moved into new digs," she says, "but today, it's almost unheard of." Holland recognizes that price-points and the lack of availability due to supply constraints may have something to do with the shifting buying patterns of her generation, but believes it goes much deeper than that. "I think people are just far more conscious about the environment now, and if that happens to coincide with great prices on lasting furniture and antiques from the past, so much the better." Dayna Johnson, a trend expert from Etsy, takes it a step further and believes it's literally a win-win situation for everyone. “As people increasingly shop with their values, buying vintage furniture enables sustainability-minded shoppers to reduce their carbon footprint, all while supporting small, independent businesses,” she says. For others, it doesn't even necessarily have to translate into an interest in antique or vintage items at all. With so much money being spent on remodeling during the pandemic, there's a massive amount of pent-up frustration on the part of consumers who have been waiting months on end to finally furnish some of these empty spaces. With no end in sight to the supply chain shortages, many of these crestfallen consumers have turned to the antique and vintage industry as a means to fill the gap. Nathaniel Dixon who's been operating a number of high-end antique and vintage booths along the east coast for the past twenty years, says that it's an entirely different breed of customers frequenting the shows now. "In the past, we used to have clients who really knew what they were buying, but today, most of what I see is just folks looking to fill the spaces in between," he says. "I'm not complaining, but it's just interesting to see pieces being scooped up without an eye to style, fitment or even cost." Dixon believes that one positive takeaway however, is the fact that he's getting good quality furniture out in front of consumers who might not have otherwise ever considered antiques as an option. "I think when they see the difference, there's a good chance we'll have some converts," he says, "even after the supply chain issues are resolved." How long this will last is of course anybody's guess, but almost all those working within the industry agree that the current antiques and vintage markets are as strong as any they've seen in recent memory. Will the end of supply chain issues negatively impact this rising decorative arts tide, or have interest levels already risen to such a high degree that a quick retreat is unlikely? For most experts, the answer may lie in the numbers prior to the pandemic, when decorative arts sales were already surging well before there were any signs of a worldwide blight, or a lack of speedy ships to get goods to market. However, as with most blanket predictions... only time will tell. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - For many antique and vintage dealers it can be easy to lose sight of the proverbial what's-popular "ball" sometimes, especially when it's tossed across the field so frequently with little advance notice. While online behemoths like Etsy, eBay, and Wayfair are often considered the barometer for what's trending and popular in the marketplace at any given time, there are many industry insiders who actually take a contrarian view, believing that the Internet giants are more of a market laggard than they are a predictor when it comes to deciphering the current direction of decorative arts trends. ![]() For Tamara Holt, an interior designer and fine-arts dealer from Paris, who works both sides of the Atlantic, figuring out up-and-coming trends is more about who you're listening to, than what. Holt credits much of her business success as a dealer for having an open ear to younger collectors, who may not have the money for lavish purchases, but are often on-point when it comes to burgeoning marketplace moves. "Last year while attending local antique markets, I noticed that 20-somethings were beginning to take an interest in period pieces, like wingback chairs, rolled-arm sofas, and French country-style dining tables that had a little history attached to them. I even saw some velvet pieces moving," said Holt. According to her bio and business blog, much of what she puts in her storefront tends to be transitionary. "If I see changes happening within the collectible landscape, I'll also try to incorporate and reflect that change into my interior design motifs for the upcoming year," she said. Holt noted that many of her clients in New York also appeared to be retreating from the overly modernized design base that's been so prevalent for so long in the decorative arts community, and have instead begun moving back to more established styles of decorating. "I'm getting lots of requests for natural wood antiques, stone-topped pieces, and even pattern textiles and linens," says Holt, "All of which is a huge departure from what I've been seeing over the last eighteen-months." ![]() Of course, picking-up on the latest decorative arts trends can come from a variety of sources - including those whose job consists of recognizing such trends as they're just beginning to happen. Design Diva, Roxy Owens of Society Social, says that it's time to say goodbye to monochromatic neutrals and minimalist design features and welcome back more traditional themes of decorating. “Now more than ever we are seeing a return to cozy and warm interiors. Think beautifully layered spaces, a mix of prints, patterns, and colors, delicious wallpapers, textures, pleated and patterned lampshades as well as bespoke textiles.” While some are calling this trend the Minimalist-revolt, and the first true break from the Mid-century modern movement, others are simply referring to it as the rise of Maximalism. Whatever you choose to name it, the general consensus from many design professionals is that the return of warm wood tones in the form of antique furniture, and those elements associated with it, appear to have finally arrived back on the decorative arts scene after a rather lengthy sabbatical. Printed sofas, wall papers, leather chairs and even plaid and floral prints on upholstered antique and vintage chairs are all making a dramatic comeback. ![]() While some industry experts agree with the notion that 2022 may possibly be the first year of a noticeable retreat in minimalism and Mid-century modern influences, there's full agreement amongst most designers that vintage furniture and 'going-green' will continue to be one of the most popular decorative arts trends for the foreseeable future. Tracy Shea, who operates a number of vintage themed booths along the west coast, and a storefront operation in San Francisco, says that young people are making 'environmentally' based decorating choices, and that it's changing the way she does business. "They want something sustainable," says Shea, "things that will last a lifetime and not contribute to the landfills." It doesn't have to just be antique furniture though she says, "As long as it's good quality and something that will last, it's selling." Shea also notes that supply-chain issues for more traditional furniture stores might be having a net-positive effect on her business, "If you can't get a cheap chest-of-drawers because it's sitting on a boat somewhere, I'm probably going to benefit from that," she says. Solid wood tables, bookcases, glass-topped pieces from the 1960s, and heavy molded and modular pieces from the 1970s are all in high demand. "It's really all about timing," she says, "Vintage and the Boho look (Bohemian inspired design) are all in, and I just happen to have access to that type of inventory." Tom Wheeler who specializes in outdoor wrought iron and vintage furniture, along a coastal tourist route just east of Toronto on Lake Ontario, says that he noticed a small drop in interest last year related to modern-metal themed pieces, and an uptick in requests for rattan, wicker, and old wrought iron items towards the end of the summer. "I don't know if it's a move away from mid-century themes," says Wheeler, "but there's definitely been more requests for traditional types of garden and outdoor furniture like I used to sell." Wheeler who's been in business for almost half-a-century says that based on his experience over the last fifty years, he thinks we're probably due for a change. "I've sold more 50's style metal tulip chairs than I care to remember," says Wheeler, "I think I'll just be happy to see something different come along." Predicting and caressing the crystal ball always comes with risks, but for many dealers and collectors the writing on the wall has apparently become far more clear recently as a sizable consensus appears to be building for a move away from the modern design sensibility, and a return towards the softer lines of more organic shapes and earth-toned hues. Whether or not this growing interest in all things antique and vintage can truly and fully supplant the current retro-modern decorative arts theme remains to be seen, but with so many marketplace-experts and industry-insiders currently on board, now might not be the best time to bet against the house. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - Now in its thirteenth year, the Asheford Institute's annual survey of top decorative arts buying trends from the past twelve months has just made its way onto both digital and paper newsstands across the country. The survey and poll of past students and graduates has become a staple to many in the antique industry for its unique ability to look into the current state of today's decorative arts marketplace as it relates to overall sales trends for dealers within the collecting community as whole. Lead researcher for the school, Anthony Harper, says the key to getting print-worthy survey results that people can actually use to help plan their own buying strategies for the upcoming year is based on receiving actual sales data, alongside item-specific requests from buyers, which can then be used to indicate interest within a particular collecting genre. As with virtually everything this past year, Harper says the ongoing pandemic continued to have an effect on not only large scale supply-chain issues for new and freshly minted items, but also for older collectibles with a few more miles on them. "Last year categories like costume and period jewelry boomed," he said, "but this year, it was all about finding inventory." Harper believes that some categories in the poll rose or fell not necessarily because of a lack of popularity, but because of a lack of stable inventory. "When everyone is online doing stay-at-home on their computers it's going to have a net effect on available stock out there for dealers." However, not all things moved to the rhythm of the pandemic, at least according to Amber Shole, who's been compiling statistics for the survey for over ten years now. "Mid-century modern remained strong," said Shole, despite past survey indications that it may have peaked. "I think sometimes really strong trends can have mini-dips and valleys along the way and this is simply an example of that." Shole said that other perennial poll favorites like Art Deco and toys also continued fare well this year. For other areas of the survey there were some legitimate surprises, as once again an unexpected category literally rocketed to the top of the charts with seemingly little notice. What causes these apparent sudden swings in interest? Well, according to Shole, it's more than just about the age of the item, but also the age of the buyer that will often set the trend in motion. "Three years ago, there was a buying frenzy of baby boomers looking to collect anything related to the Apollo Moon missions 50th anniversary," said Shole. "But a year later interest peaked, and sales were relatively flat." End of story, right? Not according to Shole, who says that last year's roll out of a Chinese space station, SpaceX rocket launches, and the deployment of a ground-breaking celestial telescope, has reinvigorated the space genre with an entirely new group of younger collectors. "It just goes to show that sometimes a popular collecting category can literally come from nowhere and take the collecting world by storm," says Shole, "it's kind of exciting to see." For readers seeking the complete 2021 listing of all the best-selling antique and vintage genres and categories contained within the school's yearly poll and survey, you can find the full results (including this year's winner), by simply clicking on the link below... Link To Survey/Poll: **TOP SELLING ANTIQUE & VINTAGE CATEGORIES FOR 2021** ![]() Emily Watkins is a freelance decorative arts writer, and an honors graduate of the Institute. She splits her time between New York and London as a contributing columnist to all things MCM and is also a recognized specialist in the field of Asian & European ceramics. ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - For those in the antique and vintage business, hitting thrift stores to stock up on inventory can often feel like a bit of a treasure hunt. The lure of the hidden find is always there in the back of one's mind, but in reality, how practical is it to expect a walk-in win at many of these second-hand venues, especially considering the public's current interest and craze for scouring out anything old, vintage, and retro themselves? Well, according to some dealers in-the-know, the chances of scoring are still pretty good - providing you're aware of what's selling in today's decorative arts marketplace. ![]() Christa Blanchard, a longtime textile seller in upstate New York, says location can mean everything when it comes to the art of buying at thrift stores (aka, thrifting). "For me, the wealthy neighborhoods definitely have a lot more inventory to offer, but it usually comes with a higher price," says Blanchard. “Stores in these areas tend to have employees who know what's valuable and what's not." Blanchard feels that while she may pay more for certain items such as name brands like Armani denim, or middling couture items from Michael Kors, the final return on investment is usually always going to be better. "I'm buying from rich neighborhoods, but selling in middleclass ones," says Blanchard, "It's a good way to turnover inventory from one geographic location to another, while making some money in the process." Although there's now more competition from everyday buyers, Blanchard believes that many of the best deals can still go unclaimed. "I once forgot a vintage Chanel scarf that I'd seen in a bin at one of my favorite thrifts," says Blanchard, "but when I came back two weeks later, it was still there." While noting that not all of her outings are outright wins, Blanchard attributes the majority of her thrifting success to simply being prepared. "It really helps to know what you're looking for if you want to profit from it," she says. ![]() However, not all dealers believe you have to move upmarket to find the best deals. Donny Walsh, a purveyor of fine Pyrex products, and other collectibles, says that his inventory comes almost exclusively from thrifting in lower-rent neighborhoods in Los Angeles and outlying suburban areas. "I've always had good luck finding stock in rundown areas of big cities rather than the affluent parts of town," says Walsh, who chalks up the diversity of his finds to the multicultural aspect of the neighborhoods he visits. "Some of the thrifts I attend are in predominantly Latino communities, so many of the items being sold tend to reflect this heritage." Walsh says aside from his Pyrex collecting he's purchased a number of Barro Negro ceramic pieces over the years, as well as other pottery originally sourced from Mexico. "There aren't a tremendous amount of dealers scouring these neighborhoods, because most of these thrift stores are providing essential goods to people rather than merely decorative arts items for one to look at," says Walsh. But that doesn't mean deals can't be found. According to Walsh some of the best pieces he's picked up, including some Atzompa green-glazed ceramics, were literally in plain sight, while a patterned Pyrex bowl, which he later sold for just under a thousand dollars, was laying in a box next to the door with some pastry tins and mismatched cutlery. "I know my market," says Walsh, "so it's not a total surprise when some of these things just happen to pop up." ![]() While most dealers agree that location can play a major factor in helping to determine what constitutes a top-notch thrift store find, for others it's often more about the history of the neighborhood, rather than its exact location on a map. For Jessica Reynolds, who's been dealing in early Americana and primitives since her father first introduced her to the antiques trade as a teenager, the Great Lakes region of Pennsylvania and New York have always been verdant picking grounds for thrift stores that were ripe with goods and chattels from local area farms. "I can remember a time when the entire contents of an old farmhouse that was being sold-off or liquidated would end up in the back-half of the town's local Salvation Army building," says Reynolds. "You could literally have your pick of untouched pieces in their original state - worn paint and all." Most of what Reynolds encounters today is still the same, but just on a different scale. "I recently came across an original pine dry sink - from the 1870s or 80s - that was lumped in with a few old bed-springs which had been hauled into our local thrift store from a residence just outside of town." While Reynolds acknowledges that the chances of finding high-demand pieces like this are now more rare, they do still exist she says. "We live in a region inundated with farms and early Americana furniture" says Reynolds, "in some ways, it's exactly what you'd expect to find." Other items that Reynolds says are still relatively common in her area thrift stores include, old blanket boxes, washstands and even the occasional 'authentic' harvest table. "Most of my thrifting comes from the stores in the smaller towns," says Reynolds, "because that's where I can usually find the best examples of old country furniture." ![]() For Susan Haskin, and a number of other online dealers, it's often more about the type of store you're attempting to scout, and the relative timing of your purchases, that will determine whether or not your thrifting venture proves successful or not. Haskin, who's been running an Etsy business devoted to mid-century kitchenware and decorative objects from the same era, says that her favorite thrifts are often those managed by smaller religious ministries. "Goodwill and the Sally Anne are usually picked-over in my area of Seattle," says Haskin, "but the smaller one's, often formed by local churches, can be a great source for smalls, especially old kitchen items." Haskin acknowledges that living in an area with so many mid-century homes and apartment buildings is probably beneficial to her business, but also thinks that differentiating the types of thrift stores out there can help dealers make wiser choices. "I especially like to hit the little thrifters in spring, when everyone is doing their clean-outs," says Haskin. "I'll purposefully steer away from the big [corporate] players, because I know they'll either be busy, or over-priced." Haskin says she's witnessed a huge discrepancy in what thrifts charge over the last ten years as some of the more well known charitable organizations have raised their in-store prices considerably. "I understand their reasoning," says Haskin, "but I'm also running a business, so I have to go where I can get the best deal on buying stock." Haskin revealed that on average, she's still been able to get about 50% of her yearly inventory from thrift stores alone. "I'm still able to buy things like Anchor Hocking's, Fire King dishes for pennies on the dollar," she says, "but now it's mostly sourced from the smaller hole-in-the-wall thrifts rather than the corporate juggernauts." As with anything, there are of course going to be exceptions to any rule - including the value/time proposition one needs to consider when buying from thrifts. However, according to most dealers, the pitfalls of plying through old baby clothes and boxes of unwanted junk, are generally far outweighed by the potential opportunity to score a bountiful selection of reasonably priced inventory that can yield a handsome pay-off in the future. Providing of course you have some prior knowledge on the subject at hand - and can tell your Picasso from your Pollack. - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. These young dealers are shaking-up and dramatically changing the decorative arts community in new and unexpected ways ![]() New York - For many in the business this day has always been a little bit like smoke on the water - something that often appears - but with no guarantee of arrival. However, in this particular instance there's no question that the recent prevailing winds of the decorative arts have quite literally blown in a generational change that's shaken up the antique and vintage industry's genetic make-up on a global scale. Even as Gen-X'ers gave way to Millennial's, and then to Gen-Z, it has always been apparent that Baby-boomers were the one's wielding the lion's share of power in the decorative arts world, while simultaneously controlling the markets forward direction, at least until now. Whether due to natural attrition, a renewed interest in our shared past, or perhaps a simple break from flat-pack and Ikea inspired furniture, it now appears that the industry's latest up-and-comers have finally wrestled the antique mantle away from not only the older boomer-generation, but also from a business model rooted in another century. With many of these new-age dealers reporting in well under the age of forty, and sporting such professional and diverse training resumes from the tech, media, restaurant and fashion fields, it's no surprise that their methods for achieving success would also be entirely different than that of their predecessors. ![]() For Heather Vieira, the trip has always been about a connection to the past. When she was young, she would wake her father in the very early mornings to attend New Jersey flea markets to experience the sites and sounds of the carnival-like atmosphere. After managing a fast-paced restaurant for years, she finally packed it up and moved to New York where she began dealing in old picture frames, eventually setting up a full-fledged business flipping antiques to other dealers. Unlike traditional business models in this industry, Vieira changed the mark-up formula and focused solely on things that would turnover quickly; chairs, lamps, artwork and tables. "I'm only tacking on 20 or 25 percent so I can move it along and buy the next piece to sell.” Vieira says that by pricing with low mark-ups, she's been able to move her stock quickly to not only the general public, but dealers as well. Being net savvy and keeping a solid email list going out to her dealer contacts has also helped her business flourish. “Everything is relative to the thing you’re selling. I always want to give people a super good value because I want them coming back to me," says Vieira. While acknowledging that her business model is a bit unorthodox, Vieira's the first to admit that in order for this to work other people have to make money off the process as well. ![]() On the other side of the pond, a fresh batch of diverse and under-forty dealers has also begun to take hold of the industry. However, what's remarkable about these young guns is that not only have they been able to bring along the antique traditionalists, but they've also been able to inspire a new generation of collectors and buyers to follow them through the use of detailed and age-pertinent item descriptions on social media. For British dealer Adam Calvert Bentley, his start came as a result of a single stint at an antiques show, and a helping-hand from a friend who encouraged the launch of an Instagram account for his wares. "My first post was a photo of me setting up," said Bentley. After some initial online success, he continued to develop and work the branding of his IG presence, which eventually led him to become a full-time dealer. Today, Bentley is recognized as one of the top up-and-comers in London when it comes to items from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. His inventory is eclectic, with items ranging from Louis XVI lanterns, to Chinese export pieces, and oversized eighteenth-century armchairs. ![]() While many of these young dealers are leading the generational charge when it comes to the antique market, there are also those cutting a successful path into the world of upscale vintage items as well. Maggie Holladay, who started out in the fashion world, but who currently sells high-end vintage pieces and contemporary art on her Claude website is another example of a young gun inspired to do business differently. Her early interest and substantial collection of apartment-cluttering onyx coasters and ashtrays (which she purchased on eBay in 2018), eventually led to the downsizing of her collection when living space became an issue. However, in the process of liquidation, she also created an online venue for selling her wares. “I started out with little marketplace finds, but then found one amazing item and made a huge profit off it,” she says. “I repeated this process of saving up to buy one really great item and reselling it.” As of 2021 her Instagram account for her vintage design shop currently boasts over 145-thousand followers - an impressive figure for anyone - especially in a span of just three short years. ![]() Of course there are also a few young and knowledgeable upstart collectors who are in fact almost preordained to become celebrity's within the decorative arts field - especially if their name happens to be Tom Hurst - and their father (Edward), is known as one of the greatest UK antique dealers of all time. However, even with pressures such as this, it was no surprise that the young Tom would take to the family business with a certain amount of gusto, honing his passion for collecting at an early age with digs for fossils and china, then moving onto medals and militaria, before deciding on tribal art as a young teenager. Over the years Hurst built up his core knowledge through museum visits, selling some of his artifacts while at boarding school (in order to buy more), and by attending major tribal art sales at auction houses. Today, Hurst's tribal art and 'country-house' objects can be found on his website and Instagram page, which has grown to almost three-thousand followers recently. In addition to sales, the young 19 year-old has also been hired as a top-tier consultant for a number of major auction houses in the UK as a specialist in the field of tribal arts. While much of the Next-gens use of growth tactics within the decorative arts industry may appear somewhat benign at first glance, the devil is in the details. From encouraging quick sales by reducing mark-ups to both the public and dealers alike, to focusing on limited but popular 'types' of inventory that results in high turnover ratios and a more fluid cashflow for businesses. For other young upstarts, it's been the very selective and targeted use of social media. Crafting followers from different veins of the Internet ether that aren't just click-and-forget friends, but individuals that are actively engaged in one's brand on an almost daily basis. For those who've patiently waited for the new millennium to break out with fresh-faced collectors and buyers, it's been a generational revolution that's been a long time coming. And, while some boomers in the industry may be sad to see the days of 'cash-registers' and 'sales-tickets' depart the standard business-coil, most of today's antique dealers would likely agree that it's more than a fair trade if we can finally entice an entirely new generation of collectors and buyers into the world of the decorative arts, for the price of doing business on the "Gram." - A.I.A. Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - In a recent article by Megan Slack, found in the prestigious Homes & Gardens Magazine, the claim is made that, "Interest in antique shops has recently risen by approximately 50 per cent, antique auctions have increased by 80 per cent, and antique markets have jumped by 129 per cent." While we're certainly not going to disagree with these figures, as our own in-house numbers have also shown a dramatic industry-wide bump in antique and vintage sales over the last year, the question many dealers and buyers seem most interested in, is exactly what type of antique and vintage items are spurring these impressive sales figures. To get a better grasp of what's been selling so far in 2021, we decided to speak to a number of experts, industry-insiders, and decorative arts dealers from around the globe in order to get a more complete understanding of what's been pushing the antique and vintage markets to such highs over the past nine months. Below, is the list complied by our experts with their take on this seasons hottest selling items so far. ![]() For Bridget Shaw, a veteran vintage dealer who retails from her barn in upstate New York, the infatuation with anything marble or stone continues. "Over the past couple of years we started to move to outdoor vintage and garden antiques," says Shaw "but this year has been absolutely crazy. I can't keep any travertine or marble topped wrought iron items in stock." Shaw says she really began to notice the uptick in outdoor garden and vintage furniture last year, but since then the demand has far exceeded her ability to keep pace. "We're literally selling 2-to-1 when it comes to outdoor furniture versus inside," she said, "I think I'll probably still be selling this stuff when the snow starts to fly." As far as pricing, Shaw acknowledged that her mark-ups since the spring have been steadily increasing. "I'm guessing that I've tacked on a twenty-percent premium over the last few months," she says, "but it hasn't effected sales." ![]() While big ticket items may be getting the lion's share of attention this fall, that doesn't mean that certain smaller collectibles aren't pulling their own weight when it comes to big sales. Don Badger, who runs a number of online concerns that were once devoted exclusively to sports memorabilia, has converted one of his websites over to a "board game only" presence, after discovering a vault of them (some in their original unopened packaging), at a garage sale. "I started to put a few of the Risk and Milton Bradley games on my auction sites, and they were gone in hours - usually over asking," says Badger. While he realizes that he's in an enviable position of having a massive amount of pristine stock, he's still amazed at the fact that some of the games he sold earlier in the Spring for $200 and $300 are now selling for double that in less than six months. "I have duplicates for many of the games, but the one's from the 1980's and earlier seem to be the most popular with collectors." ![]() Riding a similar trajectory to board games, the public's seemingly endless fascination with almost anything "Deco" appears to be continuing with no end in sight, at least according Donna Sorvino, who blends a vintage boutique shop with an interior design business in Atlanta's Buckhead. "Most of what I'm seeing is younger people who are using Art Deco items as accent or occasional pieces in urban environments." Sorvino thinks that many of the city's buildings simply lend themselves better to Art Deco furniture than they do Mid-Century Modern. "It's really a choice I suppose, but over the last year, sales of Deco pieces have far outstripped my MCM inventory by a wide margin." Although she thinks her mid-century stock will still sell, she's now much more inclined to search out AD pieces than MCM. "The items I sold in the spring, I'd probably markup another thirty-percent today." For Sorvino, the sky's the limit, from small chests-of-drawers and sofas, to Deco influenced sculptures and smalls. "You name it," she says, "If you can attach Art Deco to the tag, it'll sell." ![]() While noted earlier last year in Asia, the rise in the popularly of antique jewelry has apparently also made itself known to dealers on North American shores as well, with prices rising uniformly across the board throughout the year. Nigel Hill, a gems specialist from New York, who often represents major auction houses both here and abroad, says that while the buying frenzy for period correct antique jewelry probably started in the high-end Hong Kong auction houses a couple of years ago, the trend has now trickled down to everyday dealers. "We're getting far more collections from people wanting to sell, because they've suddenly become aware of the price increases due to the realized auction results," he says. Sandra Cooke, who owns an Etsy store and walk-in business in downtown Toronto, concurs with Hill's assessment. "Two years ago it was all about costume jewelry," she says, "Today, I'm only sourcing mid to late Victorian pieces like broaches, pendants and necklaces." Cooke says sales began to rise last year online, and by the end of summer, once Covid restrictions had eased, her store literally became full of urban hipsters on the search for older authentic pieces. "I'm as shocked as anybody," says Cooke, "but it's certainly nice to see some of these lovely antique pieces return to prominence." ![]() Electronics from the 70's and 80's are continuing to surprise collectors and dealers alike. Paul Talbot, who's been specializing in old Apple computers and vintage video games for more than twenty-five years, says that there's a strong market for full computer systems to vintage console games and even some magazines. Talbot says that it's not just the products themselves, but sometimes the components too. "I bought an auction-lot of semiconductor chips years ago that turned out to be the same ones used on the Apollo missions," says Talbot. "Today, those chips are selling for thousands of dollars." While Talbot is quick to point out that most stuff that was mass-produced during the latter half of the twentieth century is not collectible, items from the 1970s and 80s are. "Apple ll and Commodore computers are increasing in value rapidly," says Talbot, "Even the ones with later serial numbers are now fetching five-figures at auction." Talbot, who markets his wares online only, says that sales have been brisk since the pandemic, with prices rising commensurately throughout the year. "It's the best fall I've ever had, "said Talbot, "I'm just hoping it keeps up through the winter... and beyond." - A.I.A. Staff Writer's ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. ![]() New York - Buying a new home, especially an older one, can come with a variety of pitfalls. However, for one lucky New Yorker it also came with a surprise win - behind ceiling-panel number three - which led straight to the attic. For David Whitcomb, who bought the old century-home in Geneva, New York, last year with plans to convert the dilapidated building into a law firm and upper floor rental unit, the find came as nothing short of a huge surprise. Whitcomb related that while he was giving a friend a tour of his new purchase, he noticed a drop-down ceiling had deteriorated and was showing floorboards and rafters above it. He said he had no idea that there was a room above it, "It wasn’t in the paperwork," he said, "and we didn’t do an inspection because we knew the building needed to be renovated." ![]() After some initial scrambling onto chairs, he and his friend managed to locate the entrance to the attic overhead (which they later determined had been sealed off for more than a hundred years), and discovered a virtual treasure trove of antiques, photographs and paintings that appeared to be the private collection of noted photographer James Ellery Hale. Whitcomb believes the attic was used by Hale as a studio, and says that so far he's uncovered more than a thousand antiques dating back over a hundred years, including an original print of the early feminist icon Susan B. Anthony, which is the same as that currently hanging in the Library of Congress. Other finds included furniture, photography equipment, decorative arts items, and a number of early twentieth-century portraits. ![]() Whitcomb, an avid antique hunter himself said, "Everyone hopes to find treasure someday, and we actually did... it's incredible to think about." After realizing what he'd come across, Whitcomb brought in photography and history experts to examine and confirm many of the items. An adjacent building had caught fire during the 1980s, and according to Whitcomb, the attic was not only full of dust, but ash as well from the neighboring blaze, which made cleaning the pieces and bringing them back to their former glory painstaking work. Finally, after conferring with experts and authenticating the historical items, Whitcomb decided it was time to sell, and reached out to One Source Auctions to conduct the online sale. A representative from the auction house has indicated that the sale is anticipated to take place later this fall, with final tallies for the collection expected to reach well into the low six-figures. For the rest of us, it's just another reminder of why every nook-and-cranny probably deserves a second look! - AIA Staff Writers ![]() NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: info@asheford.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508. |
AIA StaffWe're providing our students and reader's with the latest breaking news on events and happenings that we think might be of interest to both collectors and dealers alike. Including changes within the world of antiques, vintage, collectibles and appraising that might just have an effect on your bottom line. We're also interested in hearing from you - so if you've got a great newsworthy story, let us know, and you just might find it here! Archives
September 2023
CategoriesLegal Disclaimer: Extraneous opinions, statements and comments made by individuals represented within these posts do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. The publication naming of specific business entities, organizations, and concerns, contained herein, in no way represents an endorsement or recommendation of services or products by the Institute. Publicly identifiable information contained herein (including, but not limited to contact information), has been intentionally limited where possible, due to privacy and legal concerns related to the digital dissemination of information through online means. All views expressed herein are those of their respective owners. The Institute is in no way responsible, financially or otherwise, for the accuracy or validity of statements contained within published posts from sources that originate and appear outside of the written and expressed views of those submitted by the Institute.
|