| Timo and Arja Parviainen, of Arti Antiques in Larchmont, NY, have a distinct advantage over many American dealers who go to Europe to buy. They are "from there".
Both natives of Finland, the Parviainens speak several European languages in addition to their native Finnish and English. Timo has been buying and selling antiques there for the past 23 years. Trained as an electrician, he began trading in Finnish antiques as a sideline, to bring in extra income. He also had woodworking and refinishing skills that enabled him to buy old pieces and spruce them up for sale.
He enjoyed the work and he began dealing antiques, full time. Originally he stayed close to home, buying and selling what he could find in Finland. He had an auction gallery for a time.
As business increased, he began going to the other Scandinavian countries on buying trips. When European antiques started to grow in popularity, he extended his range of travel. About 12 years ago he teamed up with Arja. The partnership inspired them to build their business to new levels. They traveled more in Europe, and what they brought back was well received.
They began taking vacations. They came to the US on several recreational jaunts. There is a large Finnish settlement in Lakeland, FL. and they had gone there to see the countryside and to visit with friends. In seeing the profusion of antique shops, they also saw a business opportunity. In 1993 they opened their first American shop in affluent Boca Raton. It was a hit. They were one of the first in the area specializing in fine 18th and early 19th century European furniture, a market grew up around them. They traveled back and forth several times a year to replenish their stock.
During this period they participated in a number of antiques shows on the East Coast. Although they did well, they found, with their inventory of large, heavy furniture, that between booth rental, the cost of moving and setting up and the potential for damage it was more trouble than it was worth. Today they still do two or three carefully selected shows each year.
As their client base grew, the Parviainens met people who lived in Westchester County and the New York City metro
area who had second homes in
Florida. They encouraged Timo
and Arja to come up and take a
look at the area, recommending
it as a place that would welcome a business like theirs.
The Parviainens looked,
and liked what they saw. Initially reluctant, they found a
very well-located store front on
a corner in the main business
district of Larchmont, opening
a second store there in late
1994. For a year, they traveled
between the two stores, buying
additional inventory and sharing it between locations. After a
year or so, the Larchmont shop
began to outstrip the one in
Boca Raton in sales volume.
In 1995, they moved full time to the Larchmont area, setling nearby across the Connecticut state line. After decades of experience, the Parviainens have the details of antique importing well worked out. They now spend four to six weeks at a time in Europe, usually making four/five trips each year. On each trip they buy enough to load two large shipping containers. They handle the transportation and packing themselves. By doing so, shipments arrive with no damage and no surprises, and at a lower cost.
When the furniture arrives
and clears customs, the containers arrive at a 10,000-square-
foot warehouse they rent. Some
furniture goes right to the shop,
while others are stored. If a customer is looking for a particular piece that is in stock but not in the shop, a viewing is easily arranged.
The Parviainens love going
to Europe and on at least one of
their trips each year they go to
Finland, where they combine a
Scandinavian buying trip with
visits to friends and family.
In Europe, they often drive
1,000 miles a week, visiting a
large network of dealers with
whom they have established
relationships over the years.
Operating out of a small apartment in Belgium, they make
trips of one or more days in all
directions. They are often up at
5 or 6 am to be among the first
buyers at the flea markets and
sales they attend.
While they are gone, of
course, the shop in Larchmont
has to stay open. Shop managers Blanca Goode and Denis
Agovino keep things running
smoothly.
Buying in Europe has
changed greatly in the nearly 20
years that Timo has been
engaged in it, with most of it in
the last decade.
The popularity of European
antiques has grown world
wide. Where he used to compete primarily with other Europeans, he now regularly runs
into a great many dealers from
the US and Great Britain. In the
last few years he has found
himself bidding against
importers from as far away as
Australia and Japan.
The success of Arti
Antiques rests upon the Parviainens' ability to buy good furniture inexpensively. They
insist on maintaining reasonable prices, an attribute their
regular customers depend on.
Active and growing competition makes that increasingly
difficult.
In recent years, they have
largely abandoned their efforts
to buy in Holland, a rich source
for them in the 1980's and early
90's. The Parviainens now concentrate more on Belgium,
France, Luxembourg, as well as
their Scandinavian roots. Arja
expresses the concern that in
the not too distant future
Europe will be picked clean.
On their most recent trip,
they traveled for quite some
time without being able to fill
their first container. Fortunately
they came upon an auction in
central France where they
bought well enough to fill some
20 cubic meters of the container,
but they had begun to worry.
As long-term, professional
dealers, the Parviainens are
wary of letting their personal
tastes interfere with their business judgment. They have an
extensive knowledge of European antiques and can buy
intelligently across a wide
range of periods and styles.
Most important, their focus is
always on what their customers want.
Their shop in Florida,
where tastes ran heavily to
light-colored furniture, featured
natural oak and golden pine, in
contrast to the walnut furniture
in demand in Larchmont. Most
of what they now stock comes
from the period between 1800
and 1930.
Art Deco-styled furniture
has made a strong come-back in
recent years. They buy all of the
good examples they can find.
They also stock a lot of decorated furniture, often embellished
with carvings and intricate
marquetry designs, as well as
pieces with marble tops.
Bedroom sets are a sought-
after item, as are armoires
whether in the Louis XVI style,
or the Art Deco styles of the
early 20th century. Cupboards,
sideboards, desks and dining
sets also sell well. Because of
the problems of overseas shipping, Timo and Arja do not buy
much delicate material. Ceramics and glassware, delicate
woodwork, paintings, and even
fragile furniture is too much of
a risk.
They do however, buy sturdy
sculpture of cast bronze, wood or marble when they find it. They also like clocks, chandeliers and candelabra. Many of the large pieces they sell have glass doors or mirrors. They have developed special packing and shipping methods for successfully protecting the more delicate items.
Unfortunately, much
their current expertise has been
learned from painful experience. According to Timo the
import side of the antiques
business in the US is becoming
more difficult. Between rising prices and competition,
it is difficult to keep their showroom
full of reasonably priced
merchandise. Each buying trip
requires more time and effort
than the last.
However, the Parviainens
are up to the challenge and
will soon travel again in search
of the "best buy."
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