An antique store is an education and a resource, like a library. But a library where you can spend a lot of money. If you’re a certain type of person, probably the type of person who reads this newsletter, then you may have a relationship with an antique or vintage dealer. That relationship is like a tailor: You learn their specialty and they get to know your sense of taste and you find where that overlaps. Then you exchange a money and services the way it was meant to be. Everybody wins!
I visited an antique store the other day and in Stone Ridge, NY where I go every time I’m at Inness. I was thinking about what I like in certain dealers. I like them to have a clear sensibility, fair prices, not be overly precious about what they do. That aligns with my thoughts about interiors—yes, you want nice furniture, but furniture is meant to be used (the way clothes are meant to be worn), not just admired and dusted off once a week.
There are people who deal in truly rarefied objects. These are worthwhile—these are places my mom, an interior designer, often visits. I admire those places (you can stare through their windows in the Sixth Arrondissement in Paris), but I don’t always want the best version of something, I want something I can live with for years.
Here are some places I like, there are many more. And a few helpful principles.