The Business of Antiques

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, welcomes David Blair, executive director of the International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD), to explore how furniture design, craftsmanship, and storytelling shape the value of antiques and contemporary home furnishings. From antique-inspired furniture and the hidden construction details that distinguish quality pieces to the Pinnacle Awards at High Point Market, they discuss what makes great design stand the test of time. David shares why designers must learn to communicate their work’s value and how AI can support business tasks without replacing hands-on creativity, while Toma offers insights into sourcing antiques beyond the obvious markets, trusting your eye, and understanding how branding and buyer relationships influence price. A thoughtful conversation for antique dealers, interior designers, and furniture makers looking to sharpen their expertise and build lasting value.

Check out the links from our episode.

• David: isfd.org | LinkedIn
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, takes you behind the scenes of a 13-day antiques buying tour through France, Belgium, and Italy, revealing how strategic sourcing can help antique dealers and interior designers find distinctive inventory and improve profit margins. From the Paris flea market and lesser-known trade fairs to private warehouses and Parma’s Mercanteinfiera, Toma explains why vendor relationships, smart timing, and getting off the beaten path matter more than following the crowd. She shares negotiation insights, ways to reduce shipping costs, and the value of mixing periods and styles to create memorable interiors. Plus, hear the story of her €600 Coromandel screen find and why educating your eye and building a long-term buying strategy can make all the difference in your antiques business.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, welcomes luxury marketing expert Dawn Moore of Moore About Marketing back for a candid conversation about building trust, strengthening your brand, and selling more antiques through authentic marketing. They explore how antique dealers can turn buying trips into long-term content strategies, use storytelling to sell the feeling behind an object, and translate deep expertise into approachable social media that engages rather than intimidates. Dawn shares practical ways to become more comfortable on camera, including interview-style videos, scripts, voiceovers, and B-roll. All while emphasizing why meaningful engagement matters more than likes. Toma and Dawn also discuss the competitive advantage no one can copy: your unique taste, point of view, and personality. Whether you’re refining your antiques business strategy, developing your personal brand, or looking for more effective content ideas, this episode offers actionable advice for showing up authentically, earning customer trust, and turning your passion for antiques into profit.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Dawn: mooreabout.com | Instagram
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Benjamin, founder of The French Store in Dublin, Ohio, to explore how authentic storytelling, a bold personality and a sharp eye for French vintage can turn a retail concept into a memorable, profitable brand. Benjamin shares how he sources distinctive tableware, linens, perfume, body care and artisan-made goods across France; uses humor and social media to sell the story behind each product; prices vintage finds accessibly; and navigates the realities of shipping, tariffs and customs. Along the way, they discuss French versus American approaches to business, why small makers deserve a wider audience, the products worth bringing home from France and how curiosity, beauty and slowing down can shape both a better brand and a richer life.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Benjamin: thefrenchstorecolumbus.com | Instagram | TikTok
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with international design publicist Andrew Joseph of Andrew Joseph PR to explore how strategic public relations can help antique dealers, interior designers, and creative entrepreneurs grow their brands. Drawing on more than a decade of friendship and collaboration, they discuss why successful PR is a long-term partnership rather than a quick media grab, how authentic storytelling and industry relationships create lasting value, and why today’s changing media landscape demands a broader approach encompassing marketing, business development, and brand strategy. Andrew also shares lessons from building a global PR firm, the importance of reinvention, and how choosing the right clients, collaborators, and opportunities can turn visibility into sustainable business growth.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Andrew: andrewjosephpr.com | Business Instagram | Personal Instagram
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Kate of Mad About the House to explore how consistent content, authentic storytelling, and thoughtful design can build a recognizable and profitable creative brand. Kate shares how her journalism career evolved into an influential interior design blog and Substack, why treating writing like a muscle helps overcome creative blocks, and how antique dealers can turn the objects around them into engaging content. They also discuss the psychology of color in homes and businesses, the relationship between our surroundings and mental well-being, and Kate’s immersive Italian design retreats in Turin, Milan, and Venice—offering practical inspiration for antique dealers, interior designers, and creative entrepreneurs who want to strengthen their brand, connect with their audience, and grow with confidence.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Kate: madaboutthehouse.com | Substack | Instagram
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Kate of Mad About the House to explore how consistent content, authentic storytelling, and thoughtful design can build a recognizable and profitable creative brand. Kate shares how her journalism career evolved into an influential interior design blog and Substack, why treating writing like a muscle helps overcome creative blocks, and how antique dealers can turn the objects around them into engaging content. They also discuss the psychology of color in homes and businesses, the relationship between our surroundings and mental well-being, and Kate’s immersive Italian design retreats in Turin, Milan, and Venice—offering practical inspiration for antique dealers, interior designers, and creative entrepreneurs who want to strengthen their brand, connect with their audience, and grow with confidence.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Kate: madaboutthehouse.com | Substack | Instagram
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Jason and Tina Fisher of Indio White to explore their journey from world travelers and interior designers to antique-store owners in Columbia, Tennessee. They share how travel shaped their distinctive design aesthetic, how they curated and sourced French and European antiques for their new retail space, and why mood boards, buying budgets and a carefully planned inventory strategy were essential to filling their first container. Along the way, they discuss the realities of opening an antique shop, including shipping delays, cash flow, pricing, calculated risks and the unforgettable château doors that transformed their vision by offering practical inspiration for antique dealers, interior designers and creative entrepreneurs building a profitable, modern antiques business.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Indio White: indiowhite.com | Instagram
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Keri Seery of Antique Therapy Interiors, a Massachusetts-based antique dealer turned residential interior designer whose eye has been shaped by two decades of Brimfield booths, curated pop-up markets, and hunting for treasure alongside her mom from a very young age. Recording from a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean in Corsica, Toma and Keri unpack why antiquing is literal therapy, what it really takes to run a curated booth at Brimfield and the marketing and logistics lessons Keri learned when she launched her own antiques fair. They dig into her pivot from brick-and-mortar retail to interior design, marketplace selling, and a future concept shop blending antiques, vintage fashion, workshops, and wellness. Plus how she wins clients through Instagram and local Facebook groups, the delicate art of business partnerships, the case for trusting your intuition over Google Lens and designer group chats, and why the pieces you personally love are almost always the ones that sell, because energy, as Toma puts it, is everything.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Keri: antiquestherapyinteriors.com | Instagram
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack

In this episode of The Business of Antiques, host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Tina Bird, founder of Decorative Garden Antiques, to unpack how she launched a thriving UK garden antiques business as a second act after 25 years running her corporate events company, Team Tactics. Tina shares how she landed the priceless domain decorativegardenantiques.co.uk, why she sells primarily online through her own site plus aggregator platforms like Vinterior and Decorative Collective, and the WhatsApp-video and phone-first approach she uses to build trust with designers and collectors. Toma and Tina dig into the realities of sourcing showpieces like Louis Bourget Ondu's vases and Medici-crested Italian olive jars, why long-term supplier relationships beat fair-hopping at events like the Grand Braderie de Lille, how to price for both UK buyers and US resellers pulling from 1stDibs, and the logistics of shipping heavy antiques across Europe and to the States. They also explore the mindset behind a sustainable antiques business — keeping standout pieces at home to build a tastemaker reputation, reinvesting profits instead of taking a salary too early, finding your niche, outsourcing what isn't your zone of genius, and staying both soft and strong in an insular industry.

Check out the links from our episode.

• Tina: Instagram | Pinterest | decorativegardenantiques.co.uk
• Toma: Instagram | antiquesdiva.com | Substack