Brian DeFelice is the Information Technology
Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, MA and Anthony DeFelice Jr. is a retired U.S. Marine, antiques
dealer, and accordion player in Plymouth, MA
My father recalls the time he was in the middle of
an intense bidding war with another antique dealer over an item. He was in an
auction house in Acushnet, Massachusetts and was sitting in the way back of the
spacious barn that had been converted into an antique auction house. He was
smoking a cigarette with the other smokers (it was the early 90s that was
allowed back then!). Though he could not recall what the item he was bidding on
was, he remembers he knew he wanted it for his antique store, but was being
constantly outbid by another dealer who was in the front row of the auction
house.
Meanwhile, I was in my usual stomping ground: the
kitchen area, watching “Big Bill'' the auctioneer moderate the bidding war
between my dad and the other bidder. I loved going to antique auctions with my
dad because the people at the auction house treated me like a prince. Everyone
was really nice and they would let me play with some of the (less valuable)
antique toys, and Big Bill would let me have a cheeseburger on the house. To
this day, my mom and I still talk about how good those cheeseburgers were. Big
Bill was a presence. He was loud and totally in charge of the auction that
night. I remember that for less valuable items, he would start the bid at $1
and would say “let’s start this bid at a bawk bawk bawk bawk” and start
imitating and clucking like a chicken. I was seven at the time, and this
silliness NEVER got old with me.
My dad would not be outdone, but abruptly during
this bidding war, Big Bill yelled out “Tony, are you and your wife speaking to
one another?” My dad was totally perplexed; why would Bill ask this kind of
personal question in the middle of an intense bidding war?” Bill, in his
booming voice said “because you keep bidding against your wife!!” The mystery
dealer in the front row? That was my mom. They were bidding against each other
on the same item, and did not even know it. EVERYONE got a good laugh. Bill
said “Oh…and Tony” then slammed the gavel down, ending the bidding war “Your
wife wins!”
Further proof that my mom always wins.
My mom and dad opened their antique store,
“Tomorrow’s Treasures” on Billings Road in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1990. The
library was an important place to my dad back at this time, because it gave him
free access to books on antique items and pricing. This was of course during a time
before the internet was as established as it is today. To be effective in the antique
business at the time, you had to know what your items were worth, and this
meant a mix of doing your homework, experience, and, as my dad put it,
embracing the “thrill of the hunt.” He explained “I loved the thrill of the
hunt. Just going out and searching for items that were unique and different.
It’s so exciting when you come upon something special, something one of a kind,
and then owning it. The fun is that you never know what you will find, or where
you will find it. Sometimes you find it at yard sale, or an auction, or at flea
markets, you just never know.”
I hope you will enjoy the interview I conducted
with my dad about his experience owning an antique store in the 90s. The
Library continues to be a place of great information and resources for both the
professional antique dealer and those who are curious about antiques in
general. Be sure to check out the resources at the end of this article for more
information!
Brian: What inspired you to become an antique
dealer?
Tony: Before enlisting in the Marines during the
Vietnam War, I was an accordion teacher. When I got out of the Marines I
thought I would go back to teaching, but interest in the accordion had greatly
diminished after the war, so I went to work with your grandfather at “DeFelice
Movers” in Waltham. Though we were a moving company, we also doubled as a used
furniture store as well. Back in the 80s students didn’t dorm like they do
today, they group rented apartments, which meant our #1 customers were Brandeis
University students looking for affordable used furniture. Along with the used
furniture, I started to buy antiques, and I realized we could not keep the
stuff in the store! When your grandfather sold DeFelice Movers in 1987, I
decided I wanted to go into business. That's how I opened “Tomorrow’s Treasures”
in Quincy.
Brian: Any particular items you were most proud to
acquire?
Tony: Your mom and I got this Hoosier kitchen
cupboard that was amazing. Most Hoosier cupboards were made of pine or oak at
the time. The one we owned was green oak, so it still retained some of the
natural green that was found in the oak it was made of. It had been done over a
bit, but the guy who had restored it was a true professional. I had found the
piece at the Brimfield Flea Market and I
remember paying around $800 at the time. I loved it, but I was a salesman, so
of course I wanted to turn a profit. I recall a woman in Carver was interested
in it, so I put it on the truck and drove it out to her to see if she was
really interested. When she saw it, she just loved it and said to me, “get that
in my house and do not damage it!” She paid $1,500 for it, a $700 profit.
Brian: Ah! Brimfield. I remember we used to camp
out in the back of a moving truck to go to that. Tell me about your experiences
at the Brimfield Flea Market.
Tony: I believe it is the largest, if not, one of
the largest flea markets in the U.S. Yes, we would set up a spot for about 4-5
days in a row, and as you remember, we would sleep in the back of a moving
truck. If you had the goods, there is no way you could NOT make money in
Brimfield. Your mother and I would clean the house in Brimfield. People would
come from all over the Nation to see your items. Because of this, you would get
people interested in items that might not necessarily be popular in New
England. For example, at the time, I found people from California were really
interested in “Empire Style” couches and chairs, perhaps because they were not
as common in the West. Also, some items had international interest. I used to deal with a Canadian dealer who
loved Mahogany sets. I had a solid mahogany dining room table that had about
4-5 leaves. The chairs had a Queen Anne style back style with buttercup legs.
There were about 12 chairs. He bought it on the spot. I guess Mahogany
furniture was in vogue in Canada at the time.
Brian: Any advice you would impart on people
interested in the antiques business?
Tony: Never bid against your wife! (he laughs). You
start to learn a bit at auctions as you go to them, and realize that sometimes
the person you are bidding against might actually be the seller of the item
trying to up the price of their own item.
Let's say I put something into the auction for $200 but it’s really
worth $300. Let's say the item is about
to sell for $250 and I put in a bid for $300 to try to up the price, I would
bid on my own item, hoping to at least break even, or at best, illicit a
bidding war to make more money. Yes, it’s possible that no one else would bid,
and I would effectively have not only bought my own item, but would have lost
some money (during that time it cost $20 to put an item to bid) but it’s much
less of a loss than the $70 loss I would have incurred had it sold for $250. If
bidding set a max price in your head that you will pay for the item and do not
go over. Remember, the person you are bidding against just might be the owner.
Some items might not be worth much to some, but are
worth quite a bit to a particular collector. For example I had a customer who
loved Elvis, but before the internet, you had to go to auctions, flea markets,
or stores to acquire Elvis memorabilia. She worked many hours, so she did not
have the time to go out and find items for her collection. If I found anything
Elvis related that I knew she did not have, I would buy it on the spot. She
would buy any Elvis collectable she could get her hands on. Some items have a
particular niche buyer.
Brian: So, what ended up happening to the store?
Tony: We were in business for about 3 years, from
1990-1993. Your mom and I worked so so hard, but the store, in the end, was a
financial disaster. Times had changed and people were no longer as interested
in antiques. You could get something more modern looking (but cheaply made) at
a cheaper price. People become more interested in new things.
Brian: Do you regret opening it?
Tony: No, not at all. First off Bri, if you don’t
try something in life, you will never know if you could have been a success or not.
Your mother and I worked hard, and we learned so much, but we also made some
truly great friends who made a big impact on our lives. What I lost
financially, I made up in friendships. The real “treasure” in “Tomorrow’s
Treasures” was the experiences we had, the thrill and fun of the hunt, and
especially the great people we met along the way.
Ready to start your journey into the world of
antiques? Check out the following titles at the Morrill Memorial Library and
start your collection today.
