Feeling the Power of Green

Yes, one generally associates the color green, particularly kelly green, with March, it being the month wherein St Patricks Day falls. Is it a coincidence that it is also the month where winter, we hope, is winding down and we start to think Spring?  And after this particularly harsh winter weather  I have a feeling that seeing Green/Spring  will be welcomed with even more fervor than usual.

 

At our house in Maine we had more than a handful of large trees that just sang Life as the new green leaves showed their faces for the first time each Spring. I see those in my minds eye as we anticipate yet another round of “weather”….and maybe it is this image that comes to mind that invites me to enjoy the freshness of the color Green, when I see it splashed on the reproduction Chinese pieces I have splattered throughout my showroom. …and perhaps why I found a citrus green for my kitchen walls when I said goodbye to the antique white that permeated my home.

So, in the Spirit of wanting to bring this feeling of Freshness and Life I wanted to suggest that bringing a pop of Green into your home might just be the ticket….to, especially when in the midst of a severe winter,  keep you feeling the freshness of New Life all year long.

Whether you call it apple green, or citrus green, or lime green, the vibrant green, as shown below, has ALWAYS been popular, and I always have a good selection of such available, or on it’s way.

As my Gift to you, I’d like to, for the month of March, offer a 10% discount on anything I have that has a even a Spot of Green…not just the popping lime green, in it….further enticing you to make this winter time purchase by offering FREE Shipping…again,throughout the month of March….specifically within the contiguous United States.

Do check out my website for what Pops of Green you might find/fall in love with and need to call your own. Let me know should you have any questions/need more photos/info or if you already have your own pop of green in your home, I would love to have you share it by way of a photo….or you can post such on my facebook page.

And, although we do all pine away for the green of Spring, do enjoy best you can the winter season that is upon us that if nothing else makes us appreciate Spring all the more.

Ruth

                

 

Shane’s Collection Showcases Chinese Antiques….

….from none other than Antiques by Zaar!

So thrilled for the collaboration with Shane Phillips, in his retail store so aptly named “Shane’s Collection”, which is just that…. a great collection of  furniture and accessories  as selected and displayed so eloquently by Shane himself. Truly, the man is passionate about what he does and you can feel it from the way he creates his window displays, which simply draw you in….such as the black and white themed vignette he did for his grand opening earlier this summer…and which I just have to share here.

Conveniently located on the corner of Main and Kivett in High Point, NC,  he is open 6 days a week, servicing both retail and designer customers.

Yes,  he would specifically would like the Designer community to know that he is there to welcome you each and every Designer Wednesday, and will also be open throughout the duration of Market, welcoming your business.

NOTE: Antiques by Zaar Showroom at 1500 West Green Drive will unfortunately NOT be open for Designer Appreciation Day, Wed Sept 14th….

Please visit our retail venue @ the corner of Main and Kivett, at Shane’s Collection…..where you will be sure to find  something to suit your tasteful palette and your pocket book….and enjoy meeting Shane while you’re at it. He’s not only a talented designer with a discerning eye, he is just a really nice guy!

The store truly is a must see, and I hope these couple of photos serve as a teaser to have you stop by, for I promise you, you will be delighted.

For more information on Shane’s Collection, contact the man himself at 336 991 0867.

Ruth

 

Chinese Antiques: Shopping Online/Viewing High Point, NC/a customer testimonial

The business model for Antiques by Zaar was built around the notion that people were drawn to do their shopping  online…yes, even for Chinese Antique Furniture. That was in 2000 and happy to say we called it right.  For the  past 11 years we have continued on in this vein, using our website to serve as our only storefront, building  relationships/our business, creating a niche market for our competitively  priced line of quality Chinese Antiques.  Thank you to ALL of you that have taken the plunge and shopped with us online!!!!

Ruth & Jeff after a day of sorting out the warehouse in readiness for Market.

However, even when we had our warehouse in Maine, we always welcomed the customer that desired to come and see for themselves, what was represented online. And the same remains true with our warehouse now located in High Point NC. Yes, with the assistance of my sales associate Jeff Moore, who is based in Greensboro, we are able to entertain appointments for those that still like to “touch and feel” before they purchase.

Babette Glauner of Pinehurst NC, was just one of those that fell in this category. She writes…

“I  found Antiques by Zaar on the internet while searching for Chinese antiques.  Former expat experience, Golden Retriever puppies and obviously family-oriented people...looks like she read our story…. all drew me to the website as well as the wonderful assortment of furniture and Asian accents.  When my husband gave the go-ahead to look for a few new pieces to furnish our retirement home I remembered Ruth in High Point, 1 1/2 hours away.

The piece Babette spotted online was indeed perfect for her, as shown here in her home.

The antiquesbyzaar website is well-organized and depicts the offerings very well, but as long as I was close by, I contacted Ruth to see if I could see my possible choices in person.  She was warm from the start, very accommodating and arranged a time to meet at the warehouse, now the Design Center.  What a treasure trove it is!  It was hard not to want to toss out everything I had and start anew right there!  But sense prevailed and in no time Ruth and I were chatting like old friends and I had selected the piece I had come for plus another whose possibilities jumped out at me once I saw it.  Jeff Moore, Ruth’s cohort, also was very helpful, never pressuring but guiding me to all of the variations of whatever I expressed an interest in.  It’s easy to see that both women really know and enjoy their merchandise.”

Thank you Babette, for this wonderful testimonial. It was a delight to meet you as well, and enjoy staying in touch with you by way of email/newsletters, and the such.

For those that may be interested in visiting our warehouse, please just let me know and we’ll make the arrangements.

ANNOUNCEMENT: We are moving next month, even closer to the heart of High Point…for those of you familiar with High Point, it is in the old Drexel Heritage Factory, which is at 741 West Ward. So very excited!

P.S. I also wrote a blog on Babette’s decorating mantra Eclectic= Interesting: Chinese, American and French Antiques….

 

Introducing Custom Pieces Using Reclaimed Wood…

Yes, I excited to advise that we have recently received a fresh shipment from China…AND are already pulling together pieces for the next lot.

CB1 Olive Wood Table

This olive wood table certainly is hearty, and as much as you’d want to put it outdoors, it serves best in an indoor environment….and, due to the weightiness of it, in a place where it won’t need to be moved often.

It’s a great addition to the bench we brought in earlier this year, which was a big hit at the recent High Point Market.

CA 2 Camphor and Rosewood Bench

Both pieces can be viewed at our High Point Warehouse, at 400 Mandustry St. We are OPEN 9:00-5:00 the 2nd Wednesday (yes, that would be tomorrow for June) of every month, as members of the High Point Design Center and year round by appointment.

In addition to seeing my complete collection at this location, know that the following companies are also represented and have informed sales associates available to answer your queries.

You can check us out at our websites as noted below.

www.antiquesbyzaar.com

www.bellascenda.com

www.katburki.com

www.vanderveerimports.com

 

Unity in Design/Book Giveaway Follow Up

Terri Maurer co-presenting with yours truly @ a luncheon event hosted at the Antiques by Zaar warehouse.

 Although only/already a week and a few days following the end of the High Point Design Center’s Unity in Design Event and my own event at the Antiques by Zaar warehouse/showroom, I feel a tightness in my chest growing for being remiss in posting a more timely follow-up on both. “Timeliness” in posting blogs/photos is something I truly need to work on. Yes, I do get to it, but not snap snap as fast as “should” be.

Should you find yourself reading this you don’t need anymore expounding on this and so would like to get right into it by saying that the 3rd annual Unity in Design Event and 1st annual Trade Show (see photos Trade Show here) was a success on all fronts. Under the leadership of the event chair, Shannon Hamed, we all enjoyed opportunities for networking, to be educated and to provide lunches, and in some cases presentations, to our clientele.

The combined efforts of each of the co sponsors, members of the HPDC , trade show exhibitors,and of course the designers that attended, provided an opportunity that worked for ALL that were involved/attended.

Rita Reynolds, the winner of the book giveaway, with co author Terri Maurer...both ladies past ASID presidents!

Specifically, would like to say how pleased I was to host a luncheon/presentation at my warehouse/showroom. Emerywood Cafe provided us with a bountiful feast and we were warmed by hot cider and coffee. After giving some time to peruse my collection of antiques we relocated to a smaller (and warmer) room for Terri Maurer and I to do our tag team presentation on “relationships”….using the real life example of how we met (online in 2006 doing a transaction involving 2 lovely Chinese armoires), kept connected (via my online newsletter that I send to all of my customers following a purchase), and reconnected (on LinkedIn in 2009) and started “following” our respective musings online and from there enhanced our connection by joining together and meeting in person for the first time, just less than 2 weeks ago. (Click here for photos.)… joining together to serve each of us well, both professionally and personally. Yes, we agree, it was a “win,win”

Terri has her listeners enraptured.

Terri’s experience as past president of ASID National and expert skills of presenting on a topic relevant to everyone in business for themselves, made for an impactful presentation. I interjected with my own example of what and who were contributing to my High Point presence, just in my warehouse alone.

For starters, Bellascenda, a company that makes/sells lift TV consoles,already with a presence in our facility, will be joined by Kat Burki’s line of upholstered furniture and decorative pillows, the latter debuting in High Point during the  High Point Market, Spring 2010.  Discussions are in process with a couple of other lines of accessories to round out our joint presentation.

Similarly, Antiques by Zaar has a growing number of “trade partners” where a sampling of each others merchandise is used to accent in partner showrooms, along with literature available to direct potential customers in each other’s directions. Currently we have such a relationship with New River Artisans, Feizy, Red Egg and Aribesque….and yes, open for more of same.

It’s wonderful to see the opportunities that avail themselves as we seek to broaden our base and share our resources….and such boiling down to how effectively we work the relationships we establish.

Post Tomlinson-Erwin cocktail party and heading out for dinner. Lucky me, I was invited along. Great time. (Yes, it was that cold!)

I love being in High Point and the buzz that is in a room full of people that truly enjoy the very essence of what we are required to do to grow our businesses and ourselves, and that is let people know who we are and learn about them.  It fires me up and fuels me forward. So, yes, as Davetta Moore  did attest on a Facebook posting, the Unity in Design Event is not one to be missed and is timed well as a “warm up” to Spring Market.

In closing would like to acknowledge the organizations that worked as co sponsors in this event :

ASID, AIDP, IIDA,  IDS, NKBA, and HPDC…alphabet soup, all joined as the Design Professionals of North Carolina…yes, the DPNC.

The following showrooms either hosted lunches or parties:

Chelsea House, French Heritage, Samuelson, Scott Thomas, Swaim, Tomlinson-Erwin, Antiques by Zaar, Red Egg, T Botero Galleries, Feizy Carpet and Habersham.

Writing a blog regarding an event is fast becoming a ritual for me, a way for me to acknowledge it, from which I can then move on. Not dissimilar to the feeling I have after writing in my daily journal at the end of the day, for not until I have put it to paper am I quite ready to “let it go”, as once there, it lives on for me. And same here.

Ruth

P.S. Not to be remiss in announcing the winner of the book giveaway I promoted through my blog.  Lee Brotsker of LB Designs has had his “win” posted. Thanks to all that participated. More to follow.

 

High Point Furniture Market: Ready, Set, Go

It has been so incredibly busy since my end of Sept (my most recent…ouch) posting where I announced my trip to NC for the ASID conference.  Not blogging but have been writing up a storm, (newsletters/press release) and putting on the miles.

Social Media and You: From my perspective.

Have very much I wanted to share with you about the ASID Carolinas’ conference but time has not availed itself for such. Happy to say that my Social Media presentation went off quite well and in fact have been asked to do same for another Design Association. Folks at ASID always happy to have the presence/support of the High Point Design Center at their Trade Shows.  My bonus is the opportunity to be in front of my target audience but also to get to know better my fellow HPDC members.

So, with that under my belt it was a few short (but highly productive) days back in Maine before hitting the road to wend my way to High Point, via Montreal and New York.  Yes, was very nice to visit my McGill students in Montreal (in the midst of exams) and my other daughter and husband in New York.  But now it is Showtime!

Jeff Moore, my in house designer, sales associate, but most importantly friend/Antiques by Zaar fan, and I have been

The Antiques by Zaar team...ready to recieve you!

working our tails off in the warehouse/showroom, as it will be the primary location  showcasing the Antiques by Zaar collection.  We are both pleased with how inviting and visually appealing we have been able to make it, and look forward to receiving customers there.

Aribesque: A new Trade Partner for Antiques by Zaar.

You will also find Antiques by Zaar product splashed about throughout High Point. Aribesque, at 110 S Main St, Red Egg, High St. Elizabeth Lucas , IHFC,  New River Artisan Hamilton Bldg, Feizy Carpet, Market Square, Scott Thomas, 200 Steele and Charleston Forge, English Rd.

Jeff will be manning the warehouse 8:00- 5:00 throughout Market and I will be in and out,  ensuring everybody knows of who we are and what we have to offer.

So, off to the task at hand and with the anticipation of a great week of meeting, greeting, sharing, showing and selling our wares.

 

Ruth

www.antiquesbyzaar.com

ruth@antiquesbyzaar.com

Cell: 207 838 2675

 

Delicious Chinese Art Deco Desks

Attracting customers in our High Point showroom

I love our collection of Chinese art deco desks. Having such available has been a stand by for us for the past several years as they have remained a popular item to add a flavor of Asia to one’s home.

Dated to the late Ching Dynasty (early 1900’s) these darling consoles were originally used as dressing stands, and as such we also refer to them as “ladies desks”. They were typically either a natural wood tone or Chinese red in color, but we have taken to offering them in a array of brilliant colors, including shades of green, bone, yellow, cobalt blue and standard black.

They can serve a myriad of uses, from being set in an entry hall (great place to dispose of your keys!), as an accent piece where only a small niche is available, or as vanities/dressing stands per their original usage.

A delightful place to display Avery's DISNEY snowglobe collection.

My girls each have one in their bedrooms where they are added pop to the already vibrant setting in their rooms.

A colorful additon in a delightful alcove.

Due to the size of these they can be readily shipped using UPS/Fedex and I have shipped these across the continent.

Below, an adorable red piece that found a home in VT.

Art Deco desk to a customer in Charlotte, VT

“we are so pleased with the little red desk, so i snapped a photo of it and our “Guan yin room”, which you might appreciate! the color red is outrageous, just perfect.

thanks for all.”

JC

01/18/06

Charlotte, VT

For more testimonials/Home Gallery photos.

 We’re pleased to have these in stock in our High Point warehouse and you can see our availability by visiting the Desk section of our site.

Ruth

www.antiquesbyzaar.com

ruth@antiquesbyzaar.com

 

HPDC: Aug 5-6 Poker Run = SALE + Fun

As member of the marketing committee for the High Point Design Center I have been blasting out the info on the upcoming Summer Event organized by my collegues.

 The Furniture Today  article, as well as additional details, have been posted on Twitter, Face Book, Linked In (17 Designer groups, of course including my Antiques by Zaar group), in my newsletter, and now via this Blog.

 The High Point Design Center, for those who aren’t familiar with us, is a group of distinctive showrooms in High Point, who make themselves available to the Trade community year round. Antiques by Zaar is proud to be a member of this group and promote this mission, of availability to our Trade clientele not only during Market, but also between Markets.

HPDC: Year Round To The Trade

Although I am unable to be present during what sounds like a lot of fun and a great opportunity for networking, I will be well represented by my sales associate/in house designer/warehouse manager, Jeff Moore. She will be available at our warehouse both days, Wednesday and Thursday August 5-6 respectively. She will also be attending the evening cocktail parties on my behalf. Tough duty eh?

One of the gorgeous pieces we just received last week.

 We have just received a new container of inventory and would love to show you first hand all the wonderful new additions to our offerings. For a sneak peak feel free to view this video that I took following Spring Market. Our website also showcases our inventory and happy to have you shop there as well. BUT, if in High Point next week, please make yourself known there and let us share with you our fine line of Chinese Antique Furniture first hand.

Ruth

ruth@antiquesbyzaar.com

www.antiquesbyzaar.com

 

Sweet Praises for Fine Line of Chinese Antiques in High Point, NC

Photo Shared by an Antiques by Zaar customer

Selling a line of fine Chinese antique furniture and having a long list of customers sing your praises is something that certainly makes my world go round. Please feel free to visit the  Testimonial section of my site and/or my Home Gallery, both locales having wonderful words and photos as provided by my dear customers. Having someone that carries the credentials to validate your collection is simply “icing on an already sweet cake.

To my delight I would have such a treat by way of Daphne Rosenzweig, of Rosenzweig Assoicates, and member of the International Society of Appraisers, who visited my warehouse August 2008 with her friend and colleague Carla Butler of Butler & Associates of Greensboro. Daphne had been following my site for some time and had been recommending me to her clients that inquired on my line. When visiting her friend in Greensboro she took it upon herself to arrange a first hand viewing of the collection she had seen online.

Vignette in the Antiques by Zaar warehouse

In her words. “It was a delight to visit your warehouse in High Point NC and view your excellent inventory of late Qing furniture….was impressed with the wide range of furniture, and its fine condition….your on-site manager was perfectly delightful, helpful and thorough… have always found your website an excellent resource…it is useful to find a company upon which one can rely for a straightforward and honest approach….”

Jeff Moore, the best of the best, as representative for AbyZaar.

My High Point warehouse is open by appointment throughout the calendar year and all day for High Point Design Center Events. As such we will be fully available August 6-7th for the 2 Day Sale/Poker Run/Networking Event.

Please feel free to contact me for further information. And for a sneak peak of our warehouse, please enjoy this video clip I made last Spring.

Ruth

ruth@antiquesbyzaar.com

www.antiquesbyzaar.com

 

Happy Canada Day & 4th of July

American And Canadian Flags Flying at the Olbrych's

With myself being Canadian and husband being American, and as such our children having dual citizenships, we feel it appropriate to fly both flags at our home in Maine, and we proudly do just that. Similarly, with Canada Day and Independence Day back on back this week we feel it timely to acknowledge our gratefulness for the opportunities afforded to us by citizenship in each of these fine countries.

 

We are also grateful for the experiences afforded our children by way of the years we spent living in Asia. And although we don’t fly flags for Thailand and Taiwan we certainly acknowledge our time there by the furnishings and accents throughout our home. (Of course with a little punch from Haiti, where Mark and I met and lived pre children.)Yes, we were pretty much “full up” even before we started this business of importing and selling Chinese Antique Furniture.

 

Asian Antique Furnishings in the Olbrych Home

 

However, it doesn’t make it any less tempting to want to change things up abit and take any number of the beautiful pieces from our new shipments and give such a permanent home in our own home. Must say that with the warehouse moved from Maine to North Carolina it does deter this impulse somewhat. And so, I must remain satisfied with offering a wonderful selection of Chinese antiques to make available for you and YOUR home.

 

Delicate Artwork Adorning this Chinese Antique Sideboard

 

Happy to advise that we have a container en route and due to arrive mid July. Enjoy the sneak peak on a few items here and check out all at our FOTKI link. And, of course, our full inventory can be viewed by visiting our online retail store at www.antiquesbyzaar.com .

Traditional Chinese Antique Elmwood Altar Table, with carved Spandrels

 Ruth Olbrych
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