Diary of a Vintage Dealer: Inspirational Journey USA

Welcome to my new column " From the Diary of a Vintage Dealer ". As a long-time interior design expert with a special focus on vintage and antiques, I am happy to share valuable insights, practical tips and inspiring stories. For those lucky enough to live in historic homes or dream of doing so, furnishing with antiques offers a way to preserve and highlight the authenticity and charm of these buildings. But modern homes can also benefit from incorporating antique pieces by adding a special depth and personality. The art and antiques market is an exciting arena for both enthusiasts and investors. However, finding and acquiring the right pieces requires patience and a little luck too.

That's why I've been planning an inspiration trip every spring for several years now, which is intended to give me, as an antique and vintage dealer, new motivation and fresh ideas after the tough winter months.

This time it took me to the USA. I have long observed how American designers and interior design experts buy antique pieces at stylish markets and fairs and masterfully integrate them into modern houses and villas. I follow my fellow dealers there on social media and am inspired by their painstaking presentation, which can hardly be compared to the carelessly thrown-together junk at our flea markets. So in January I decided that it was finally time to experience these markets for myself.

My husband and I set off on a trip to Virginia, a southern state that not only has the Blue Ridge Mountains and beautiful coastlines to offer, but also one of the most famous vintage markets in the region: Luckett's Vintage Market . Twice a year, in May and October, dealers from all over the country come together for a long weekend to present their wares with live music and delicious street food. What's special is that you can buy advantages with the "Early Buyer" pass - that means you get to the exhibition grounds four hours before everyone else, a bulging goodie bag and VIP access on all three days of the fair. A must for us and at the same time a concept that would be unthinkable in Germany for the equivalent of 50 euros per person, firstly because there would be an outcry at a (relatively high) entrance fee for an antique market and secondly because it would give the stereotype of "stingy Germans" another reason to haggle the dealers' prices down even further. Is there a hint of frustration with German customers here? I wonder if anyone has ever tried a concept like this. Full of anticipation and highly motivated, we drove to the gigantic site an hour before the entrance opened, assuming that we were much too early, as there probably weren't that many "early buyers". Wrong!

To our surprise, the line was already a kilometer long - so many happy vintage fans, equipped with backpacks, handcarts and Starbucks cups. The enthusiasm was almost tangible.

We quickly got into conversation with designers, personal shoppers and private collectors who discussed their shopping lists in detail and had come with the clear intention of buying. The entrance was a spectacle in itself: people literally stormed the grounds as if Taylor Swift was giving a concert there. To keep up, we grabbed an iconic "RadioFlyer" handcart at the entrance and picked up our pace. What followed was a sensory overload: loud country music, squeaking handcarts, laughing buyers and sellers, and visual masterpieces of arrangements - decorated up to the tent ceiling, perfectly lit and with high-quality labels. The prices? So fair that many stalls were half sold out after just an hour. The market team, equipped with a tractor and trailer, regularly collected furniture and bulky items from the stalls and transported them to the buyers' trucks - a free service that eliminated any transport concerns. As parking spaces in cities are becoming increasingly scarce, most of our customers cycle to the antique market, only being able to buy small items at best. The transport issue is often used as an excuse. At the Vintage Market, however, everything was very well organized. Two ATMs and card payments accepted by every dealer, plus small electric golf carts for exhausted visitors - no excuse not to buy until the doctor comes! Locally brewed beer, delicious food and a large lounge area contributed to the good mood and pleasant stay. We also did a lot of shopping - but more for ourselves than to resell.

While the big “run” was clearly on European antiques, our focus was on the typically American objects that are not available in this form here.

My husband is an enthusiastic collector of historical US flags and maps. I, on the other hand, love American vintage costume jewelry. My followers were able to accompany me while I browsed and shopped via social media. I was repeatedly asked whether I would ship the purchased goods home in a container and when I would start the big sale back home. Many people are not aware of the market situation: purchasing power is much higher in the USA than here. Antiques sell like hot cakes. Accordingly, the prices are comparatively higher and do not allow for any margins for resale in Europe. Delivering in this direction makes no economic sense. The other direction, however, is much more interesting.

In addition to shopping, I set myself the goal of actively communicating with other retailers to evaluate the possibility of cooperation.

Many retailers are actively looking for product buyers in Europe who will procure certain goods according to their wishes. A clever business model and extremely promising for me. Here too, I had an extremely open exchange and received a lot of positive feedback. While I am used to a more distant attitude between retailers in Europe, I was incredibly surprised by the friendliness and recognition that I received in the USA. I left with many nice contacts and business opportunities. Our weekend at the trade fair was wonderful. The many impressions and the positive atmosphere on site will stay with us for a long time. But at the same time, this experience also made me think as a German retailer.

How can it be that a country as culturally young as the USA shows more appreciation and interest in old treasures than we do in our cultural stronghold of Europe?

In a world dominated by short-lived trends and where "values" are constantly being redefined, we fail to recognize the small treasures of our past. Antiques - the silent witnesses of times long past, are more than just accessories - they tell stories, embody masterpieces of craftsmanship and bring an inimitable elegance and individuality to our homes. But we must now be careful not to lose the contemporary witnesses of our history in Europe. Our own cultural treasures have lost attention for too long. Now that they are becoming rarer, they are coming back into focus. Do you have to lose something to learn to appreciate it again?

For decades, the prices of antiques in Germany and Europe have fallen. In the hype of the mid-century style and modern industrial design, the value of antique furniture and decorative objects from the 18th and 19th centuries has been forgotten. As a result, they were practically given away for a long time. "Antiques are out of date," I still hear dealers complain from time to time. If we as collectors and antique dealers do not act now and keep our treasures in Europe and Germany, we run the risk of losing them to Japan, Korea or the USA. Does German craftsmanship and interior culture of the past centuries mean more to other countries than it does to us? Perhaps we should take the UK as a model. The kingdom has always been a bit more traditional - very keen to preserve the rich history of nobility and monarchy and to make it affordable and accessible to everyone through living style and furnishings.

"Antiques are an exciting arena for both enthusiasts and investors," explained a customer to me while waiting in line at the vintage market. She had traveled from New York especially for this event. The current market situation shows that high-quality antique furniture and art objects have not only aesthetic value, but also financial value.

If you travel around Germany a lot like me and visit the renowned markets for antique treasures, it quickly becomes clear: the stereotypical German lives a "modern-minimalist" lifestyle. He likes to look at museum-worthy furniture and furnishings - but in a museum and not in his own home! I'm increasingly observing how dealers (including me) tend to sell their carefully curated treasures - from Baroque to Art Nouveau and Art Deco - to US and Asian dealers who ship them abroad in bulk, container-loads. They are currently my best customers - they buy a lot and pay well! They have long since understood that individuality and storytelling are playing an increasingly important role in our society. They benefit from the fact that the "rich and beautiful" of their country pay high prices to turn their new home into an extravagant museum. I am happy about the growing appreciation of European antiques, but the continuously exponentially increasing migration of our best pieces also scares me.

So are we giving away our tradition and history?

It is our responsibility to preserve the treasures of our past and keep their stories alive. By recognizing and promoting the uniqueness and value of antiques, we can not only enrich our own spaces, but help usher in a whole new era of design. The growing international market for European antiques shows that other cultures have already recognized the importance and beauty. Let us honor and preserve Europe's tradition and history in our own homes before it is too late.