Antiques business struggles

Published in The Post-Star (B1)
10/9/05

Staying solvent in the antiques business is getting trickier these days. To survive, you need good people skills, a head for numbers, and a gambler's sense of adventure.

Or at least a computer.

Internet auction sites like eBay are changing the way antiques are bought and sold, and it's starting to show in the local business landscape.

While some hidden treasures still wait to be uncovered in the dusty nooks of traditional antiques shops, more and more dealers are using eBay to showcase their wares to a larger crowd of customers than they could physically attract.

"eBay has been a mixed blessing, because you can get a huge customer base, but it's brought prices way down on some things that you used to think were a rare find -- then you find out that everyone has one in their basement," said Art deAvila, 45, who has been collecting and selling antiques since high school.

He and his brother, Robert deAvila, run 200 Glen Antique Marketplace, which recently relocated to Lower Warren Street.

Although no statistics are available on the antiques business as a whole, evidence points to hard times for local dealers. At least seven antiques shops within a two-block downtown radius in Glens Falls have closed in the last decade, leaving only Poor Richard's Antiques in the main shopping district.

In nearby Fort Ann, The Flying Trout Emporium recently went out of business. Debbie and John Geer opened the store about seven years ago, in a century-old farmhouse on Route 149.

Just down the road, the future of another antiques outlet is up in the air. The building that houses Fort Anne Antiques, a multidealer store at the corner of route 4 and 149, is for sale.

"Businesses like this are struggling," said Geer. "The culture is changing, and young people would rather go to someplace like Target and buy things new. There are still some true antiquers, but they're being more selective, not buying impulsively like they used to."

Geer said tourist traffic used to bring in a lot of customers, but for the last three years, the parking lot has been mostly empty.

"It's like someone's taken a faucet and turned it off," she said.

It's hard to put a finger on just one reason for the trend, she said, although the popularity of eBay is a factor.

"I'm just not a computer person, so eBay's not for me," she said. "I love going into a shop and picking an item up, feeling it in my hands and looking at it.

"But that kind of antiques shopping requires an investment of time, and now people want the instant gratification of typing something into the computer and finding it. The shop experience is fading, which is sad in a lot of ways."

Ron Kroohn and his partner, Bill Woodward, closed their downtown Glens Falls storefront a few years ago and tried selling exclusively on eBay. Now their shop, Antique Arcade, is part of Glenwood Manor Antiques in Queensbury.

"eBay was profitable, but I got bored after a while. I need to see people," said Kroohn.
Like many dealers, he got into the trade because he loved collecting things and finding bargains.

"The first time you buy something for a few dollars and sell it for a lot of dollars, you're hooked," he said.

Kroohn has been collecting and selling antiques for 27 years.

"I think, across the board, we've all found the last five years to be a period of flux," he said. "Some of it is eBay. But all businesses have their ups and downs."

Many dealers have moved to cooperative retail outlets, such as Glenwood Manor Antiques, a neo-colonial mansion with 30 rooms stuffed with everything from vintage clothing to old glass milk bottles and art-deco furniture.

"This is my main source of income, but it's also a social life for many of us -- we go out to dinner together, have picnics and talk about everything," said Enid Mastrianni, who at 43 is one of the co-op's youngest and newest members. "I know I'm impractical. I'm not getting rich, but I enjoy doing this so much."

The 25 dealers of Glenwood Manor may soon have to find a new home, however. The building, owned by H.R. Tyrer Galleries, has been for sale for several years.

"If this place closed, I'd stay in the business, and just seek out another antiques mall," said Mastrianni. "But it would be sad."

Demographic shifts have also affected demand for certain antique items. Older collectors are turning their dollars toward high-end art investments, while nostalgic baby boomers are discovering low-end antiques as a way to decorate their homes.

"We see a lot of young couples coming in here to furnish their house with 'antiques,' like furniture from the 1950s and '60s," said Bob Savarie, 79, a dealer at Glenwood Manor. "Obviously, they have a different definition of antique than I do."

Despite the "for sale" signs showing up on storefronts, many dealers remain optimistic.

"You never know in this business -- you could have a slow day, when nothing's selling, and then someone comes in right before closing and spends $2,000," said Jackie Devlin, a dealer at Glenwood Manor.

There will always be people who buy and sell antiques simply because they love it, like deAvila.
"It's the best job in the world, going out and treasure-hunting," he said.
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