The History
Channel’s American Pickers show
chronicles the traveling exploits of Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of Antique
Archaeology on their quest to find highly collectible antiques for resale.
While the concept
has revitalized an interest in antiques, the concept is not a new one to
Stephen “Steve” Gano and the Randolph Rose family. That’s because Gano has been traveling the
world for more than 50 years, amassing one of the largest Asian art and
antiques collections in the country for Far
Eastern Antiques, a business whose holdings include Manhattan and Florida showrooms
and a Yonkers-based warehouse.
Making Their Start
The story of Far
Eastern Antiques begins with Steve’s military service in Thailand. He would
purchase antiques in the Thai villages where he was stationed, sending them
back to his aunt’s Greenwich Village-based antiques store. When he returned to
America, he began selling the antiques in a Manhattan-based shop and in the
Yonkers-based home he converted into an art gallery.
In an early 1970s
summer, Steve asked his cousin Randolph Rose, a teacher at the time, to watch
his showrooms as he went on a buying trip. Rose saw the potential for the
business. When Steve returned, they partnered together with Steve as the buyer
and Randolph as the salesman.
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| The Rose Family proudly runs Far Eastern Antiques |
The partners were
the perfect personality complements for each other, according to Austin Rose,
Randolph’s son, who now helps to run the business alongside his family.
Randolph is the outgoing salesman who’s always wearing a smile while Steve is
the quiet, mild-mannered procurer of items.
“Steve has a
great eye for everything to do with Asian antiques,” Austin Rose says. “He has
an almost photograph-like memory for items and the ability to recognize
high-quality, historic pieces.”
As the business
grew, Steve continued to travel to China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and India.
Adopting the “freestyle” techniques of the American Pickers, he would build relationships
with vendors and residents of smaller towns, going into villages to purchase
the rarest of items, including antiques from burial digs.
Taking History Home
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| The Yonkers-based warehouse houses thousands of antiques. |
While Far Eastern
Antiques started as a small business, it has outgrown nearly every building it
occupied. The store was initially
open only to those in the “trade” or design business, outfitting homes with
beautiful and rare Asian art. Today, the Manhattan showroom exists along with the real showstopper that is the Yonkers
warehouse, which features more than 70,000 square feet of merchandise spread
across several floors. The warehouse is just a short, 20-minute train ride from
Manhattan.
“When you walk
in, it’s hard not to feel like a kid in a candy store,” Austin says. “When
designers come in, they are almost in shock at the beauty and volume of antiques
collected over the years.”
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| Far Eastern Antiques offers a variety of art and furniture. |
With almost 50
years in the Asian art and antiques business, Far Eastern Antiques now has
quite the history itself. The warehouse and showrooms are now open to the
public. Collections include every imaginable decorative and furnishing item,
including cabinets,
chests, tables, screens, sculptures,
trunks, tables, seating and ceramics.
Even if you can’t make it to one of the destinations, you can shop the company’s
online collections.
“We are the
ultimate destination for those with a love of Far Eastern antiques,” Austin
says. “It’s like our own Antiques Roadshow,
filled with the most amazing antiques and furnishings imaginable.”
Visit http://www.fareasternantiques.com to view the collections and for more
information. Far Eastern Arts & Antiques’ New York City Showroom is located
at 799 Broadway at 11th Street, New York, NY. Call (212) 460-5030 to
reach this location. The Yonkers Warehouse is located at 500 Nepperhan Avenue,
and you can call (914) 423-2047 or (800) 462-5851 to reach this location.
