Here Be Old Things

Antiques sale at Golden Oldies: 50% of wholesale, woo-hoo!

Golden Oldies in Queens calls itself the world's largest antique store. But this weekend they aim to cut their inventory by half. Starting today, everything in one huge warehouse will be on sale at half off the regular wholesale prices. Let me repeat: 50% off wholesale–a deal every New Yorker can love. Golden Oldies has sold antique furniture and accessories to dealers, set designers and decorators for over 30 years. Now it's your turn (cash and checks only). Above is a selection of armoires from their website. I've not seen this place but it sounds great, so if anyone goes, please report back.

Mantiques Modern: manly 20th Century Design in Chelsea

Mantiques Modern
146 w. 22nd St.
212-206-1494

When I asked the guy at the register if Mantiques is a man's antiques shop, and then stood cursing myself inside for asking such a dumb question, he seemed genuinely surprised that I would suggest such a thing. "It's somewhat geared," he said, "towards the masculine edge."

Uh, somewhat. I'd say that if I were shopping for an ultra-sophisticated, antiques-loving male relative, this shop would be my first choice. It's one of those eclectic, satisfying stores that inside its doors has created its own world.

Obscura, ecclectic antiques in the East Village

Obscura Antiques and Oddities
280 East 10th Street (near Avenue A)
Everyday 2–8:30 pm, earlier on weekends
212-505-9521

I took these photos last year on a walk through the East Village. Obscura sells "antiques and oddities," heavy on the later. It's a visual treat, although in shops like this I often wonder if the items would look quite as great in my own home. Does a stuffed frog on a hand mirror need a hatted boar mounted nearby to really, you know, resonate?

Vintage rug dealer sells great finds on Craig's List

Paul De Beer, vintage Persian Rugs
507 East 83rd Street #1B
By appointment
646-422-0189 or debeer.paul@gmail.com
cash or check, no credit cards

Story with a happy ending: Gracie enjoys the new living room rug.

A man in Iran owed a man in New York City some money. Instead of flying to Iran and beating on the man's door every month, the man in Manhattan thought it would be a more pleasant arrangement to take his debt in rugs (the business of the man in Iran). Together, they decided that in square feet the debt owed equaled roughly six thousand rugs. Every two months, the man in New York flies to Iran, selects his rugs, ships them back to NYC, and sells them through Craig's List.

Meanwhile, a woman uptown had bare floors. But kittens, a dog–all are guaranteed to ruin rugs. She wanted something pretty, but something she wouldn't cry over when the dog threw up on it (inevitable). So she started surfing the internet.

30,000 feet of antique furniture: Granny's Attic Antiques

Granny's Attic Antiques
619 Maple Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
Monday–Friday 10 am –8 pm
Saturday and Sunday  10 am –6 pm
201-632-0102
PATH to Hoboken; New Jersey transit to Ho-Ho-Kus

I've been shopping for furniture on Craig's List; a few months ago, I noticed a store called Granny's Attic Antiques placing multiple ads trying to entice shoppers out to Bergen County. It looked like just the sort of place I was looking for: a large warehouse chock full of choices.

Last week I went to scope it out. The store is 30,000 square feet and three floors crammed with antique furniture, much of it on consignment. It's the perfect place to shop for that armoire every closetless NYC apartment needs.

Only in New York: dealer sells pricey jewelry on the street

Olivia Garay
917-584-7171
Third Ave at 70th in front of Gracious Home
approximately 1:00 pm until 6:30 (or dark)
every nice day except when at an antiques show

Rising rents are forcing many dealers out of their shops and, presumably, out of Manhattan. Seventeen years ago, Olivia Garay went on the offensive: she shuttered her store, took out a vendor's licsense, and now sells her pricey designer and estate jewelry right out on the sidewalk.

The day I stumbled upon her cart, a Very Famous Actress was avidly presuing the goods. I didn't recognize her until I took a photo of Garay's table and the woman recoiled. Later, Garay asked me not to expose her identity (there goes my first sale to the tabloids, sob) but told me that whenever she's in New York from Paris, the film star makes it a point to stop by, with her loup, and shop. Apparently, the table attracts a number of other wealthy and famous patrons.