While other antique experts center their attention on New York or London, Ben Spaisman has his eyes on Washington.
Washington has a “strong [antique] community with fine dealers,” said Spaisman, who has lived in the area for 30 years. “Everybody focuses on New York,” but Washington is relatively underrepresented among online antique communities.
He is hoping that will pay off for him and partners George Evans and Elliot Spaisman as they expand their firm, Bond & Bowery, beyond the Big Apple through a new Web site offering high-end antiques.
The site launched in August, and the company has about 55 antique dealers signed up, with a goal of 200 by the end of the year.
So far, six dealers in Maryland, Virginia and the District have started to list their items; Spaisman expects that number to double in the next month. The company is seeking high-end dealers, typically those selling items costing $800 to $30,000, Spaisman said.
Dealers pay $350 to $500 a month or $3,500 to $5,000 a year to list 10 items per month on the site after posting an initial 20 items.
Target buyers include those in the trade, such as interior designers and architects; collectors; and the “upscale element” found in Washington, Spaisman said.
Bond & Bowery is not the only antique company to sprout up locally as the Internet revolutionizes the antique and auction industries.
Reston-based WorthPoint, an online database of antique items from almost 300 auction houses, started a similar Web site in July. The company is opening a new office in Tysons Corner in mid-March and is doubling its staff to 30.
The industry “has had a hard time adjusting” to the Internet, said Will Seippel, founder and chief executive officer of WorthPoint.
“Sales are going down in venues” such as showrooms or antique shows “because of Internet competition,” Spaisman said.
As dealers have realized this, they have started using the Internet as a selling tool, which gives their products more exposure than storefronts. Buyers also have become more comfortable buying an item worth tens of thousands of dollars sight unseen, Spaisman said.
Phyllis Nee is the co-owner of Millwood Home, which has antique showrooms in Millwood, Va., and Middleburg. She listed her products online for the first time through the Bond & Bowery site and so far is pleased with the results. She describes Washington as a “cosmopolitan” market that will be attracted to “funky pieces” that offer “versatility.”
