"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else."
- ---- Fred Rogers
In need of a SUV back in April of 2020 and with a very short supply of new vehicles locally, my better half and I located one online at a dealership, out-of-state.
With the pandemic well underway, we made a couple calls, before making the journey. The only customers on the lot, we were sort of nervous. And it was the risk of the virus, not the trade --- they gave us more than we were asking. After Rodney and I took a test drive, the salesman promptly brought the paperwork outside, accepting an out-of-state check. Apparently, they were desperate. Pleased as peacocks, we drove home with a new set of wheels --- a surreal experience which did not end there.
This is ordinarily when value goes downhill -- as soon as the vehicle exits the lot. But not this time. This go-round before long, we were inundated with offers to buy the vehicle back. We were not takers, but suffice to say, it was a strange time. It is true what they say --- timing is everything.
And so it has been, in the arena of antiques over the last decade. Well known Bogalusa businessman and serious collector --- the late Greg Genco --+- advised (while describing, for me, an exquisite set of petit point chairs) some ten years ago that there had never been a better time to acquire antiques. As it turned out, he was right on the money. Having just lost my elderly mother, I was at loose ends. Yet, some of our best times together had been at antique shows and shops which led me to venture out on my own, even to Antiques Road Show.
Apparently, this is the case for many collectors. While on a recent tour of Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the docent declared just this to my husband and me --- that the historic home's owner, prominent early 20th century designer Henry Davis Sleeper, fondly recalled collecting antiques with his mother. On a much smaller scale, I identify.
And this was how I landed in St. Francisville, one of my mother's favorite places, a short time after her demise. And it is why I needed an SUV, to transport my wares --- antiquing, proving Greg Genco's point. It was a very good time, indeed, for acquisition. Inventory was high, prices rock bottom. And people were kind. The owner of a lovely long-time shop in St. Francisville asked if I had ever considered getting in the business. Her beautiful shop was comprised of a myriad of dealers from the Felicianas and beyond, as far away as Covington and New Orleans. While I had never considered selling --- only buying --- she planted the seed just before Christmas. And a few months into the new year, she made an offer that I could not refuse.
I picked the right time to tell Rodney. Once he processed my plan, he put in place parameters --- I didn't have to make money, but I couldn't lose any either. And so, I went to work, keeping my end of the bargain. Remember the old adage, buy low, sell high. It was not all that hard during the last decade when, as Greg had informed, antiques were affordable. While many were divesting themselves of valuables, a select group of serious collectors were intent on acquiring them, adding to significant collections and creating new ones. In that number, I quickly caught onto the business end.
Smalls sell. Truly, a significant portion of sales come from small artifacts. What-nots, walnut and mahogany, for display are also highly sought --- I sold them before pricing, before even unloading my SUV. And while small antique boxes are sensational sellers, I am reluctant to part with them. Vintage fabric and linens go like hotcakes, but art often takes a while - customers' tastes vary. And no one --- I mean no one --- wants silver these days. All that polishing. Plus, most folks who are collectors are already loaded. But this does bring to mind the Civil War --- those relics are hot. Confederate money flew out of the miniature, secure case Rodney made for me.
And that is how I remember the past decade, buying and selling in a beautiful shop in St. Francisville. I even learned to operate the cash register, a childhood dream come true. I always wanted to ring up purchases on a cash register. Volunteering once a month in the shop, I managed to make the old register hum: ka-ching!
But what I remember most fondly is the friendship with all the dealers. A relatively large group, we gathered with spouses for socials and parties at Mickey Fontenot's fantastic home north of St. Francisville. Making miracles out of cypress, he used scraps from the renovation of Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville to make me the best birdhouse ever. The vendors were like minded folks who appreciated history, seeking to preserve it - welcome comradery.
Yet, as we know, all good things come to an end - and so it has, this year. My SUV is empty. It is retirement time, for both the shop owner and several dealers, including me. It just would not be the same, for me, without them. In addition, the antique business has evolved, once again becoming quite competitive with antiques aggressively pursued. Buying low has become increasingly difficult in the last couple of years. And so, it is time to move on to other things. On to Round Top…
But for what was a very memorable time and an extraordinary experience, dealing in antiques filled a void and fulfilled a dream that I did not know I had. The best sort of venture --- unexpected and joyful --- it was therapeutic. I know my mother would have loved it, just as I did. Ka-ching!
