Expert Advice: 7 Practical Tips for the Antique Shopper
My great grandmother ran a renowned antiques shop out of her barn in the 1940s and ’50s, and my mom still remembers playing on a wooden swing that hung from the rafters. So maybe it’s in my blood that my mother—and grandmother, who lived with us when I was six—would often start a Saturday by saying, Let’s get in the car and go antiquing.
If you’re on the hunt—making a day of it or sourcing finds online—here are some practical tips we’ve picked up over the years from experts with a shrewd eye.
1. Shop vintage first.
Above: Photograph courtesy of Amanda Pays (@amandapays) and The Lillie K. Team at Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Reality from On the Market: Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen’s Latest Estate Flip in Upstate New York.
“Never buy new unless you really have to,” says Amanda Pays who, together with her partner Corbin Bernsen, is the consummate house flipper. “When I first work on a project…I start by pulling out things I already own and making new use of them. Then I shop at flea markets and swap meets–I like the monthly Long Beach Antique Market–and Habitat for Humanity ReStores. Old things, in addition to being better made and more affordable than new, have more to say–they have soul.” Read more of the couple’s tips in 11 Money-Saving Remodeling Strategies from a Hollywood House Flipper.
2. Train your eye.
Above: Justine’s Cape cottage. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista, from The Soulful Side of Old Cape Cod: Justine’s Family Cottage.
Remodelista contributing editor and expert vintage sleuth Justine Hand recommends perusing well-curated shops to train your eye before looking online. “For example, everything at the Red Chair in Hudson is guaranteed to be fabulous. So if you’re a bit unsure of what’s good, stores like this can be the perfect place to start your education,” she says. Read more in Expert Advice: 12 Insider Tips for Snagging Antiques and Vintage Finds Online.
3. Don’t sleep on moving sales.
“Craigslist is a great source for estate and moving sale listings and you can target them by town,” says JP Frenza, who outfitted a circa-1939 motel this way. “Under Garage Sale, sellers also list apartment and house clear-outs with photos of the items that have to go. A guy who was leaving the country gave us a roll of kilims for free because he didn’t want his landlord to have them. Photograph courtesy of the Red Rose Motel, Read more in Expert Advice: 10 Tips for the Discerning Craigslist Bargain Hunter.
4. Bring cash…
Above: A glimpse from House Call: 50 Shades of Weathered White in Hudson, NY, from Zio & Sons. Photography by Martyn Thompson courtesy of Zio & Sons.
“A lot of places don’t accept credit cards,” say ceramicist Hanako Nakazato and writer/photographer Prairie Stuart-Wolff, who together frequent antique shops in Maine (tour their home here). “A spare check in your wallet means you’ll never have to walk away from a great find.” Or cash.
5. …and a tape measure.
“Most places will have one you can borrow, but it’s much more efficient to carry your own,” add Hanako and Prairie. Also, if you’re buying furniture: Measure your doorways.
6. Think form, not just function.
Above: A vintage mix in A 1700s Stone Farmhouse in the Hudson Valley, Discovered via Google. Photograph by Marili Forastieri; produced and styled by Zio & Sons.
“Don’t think of the pieces as only having their original purposes; think of them as works of art instead,” says Anthony D’Argenzio of Zio & Sons. “Maybe a wood column can be used as a focal piece in the corner of a room. What you choose doesn’t have to make one hundred percent sense, it’s about fun too; think about the feeling you want to convey, and not just the perfect cubic-inch fit.” (You can see more of Anthony’s tips in Expert Advice: 9 Things to Source from Salvage, with Zio & Sons.)
Prairie and Hanako concur. “Old irons make great doorstops; a marble mantle propped up on two blocks of wood makes a perfect shoe shelf.”
7. Look twice.
Above: “You may walk into a shop and think ‘what a bunch of junk,'” says Laurie Furber of Elsie Green, a go-to for French antiques. “But look at it as a chance to hone your editor’s eye. I have found some real treasures in shops like that. Just take your time, walk from front to back, and you just may find the thing you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.” See more of Laurie’s tips in Expert Advice: An Insider’s Guide to Sleuthing Antiques and Housewares in Paris.
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