From The Classroom to the Antiques Shop

Longtime Fayette County resident Janice Teinert knows her way around collectibles

Armchair Chats

As the massive Antiques Shows here wrap up their springtime run, here are 10 questions for antique dealer and longtime local resident Janice Teinert:

1. What’s the story behind your shop?

When my husband, Lee, and I bought land on FM 955 near Fayetteville, I noticed a wooded corner that was not attached to the main property. My first thought was, ‘What a great place for an antique store!’ I was right!

2. How did you get started selling antiques and collectibles?

I have always enjoyed collecting antiques and collectibles. In 1995, I obtained my first sales tax number and went into a co-op in La Grange where multiple dealers had booths.

From there, Margie Buscha and I bought an antique shop in Carmine that we ran until 2008. Since then, I have been in several other co-ops and am currently in Round Top Vintage Market in addition to 955 Antiques that I opened two and a half years ago.

3. What appeals to you about this business?

I enjoy visiting with individuals who are as enthusiastic about antiques and collectibles as I am. In addition to selling antiques and collectibles, I started conducting estate sales some years ago. I try to keep my estate sales within 50 miles of Fayetteville but I have handled sales in Houston, Sealy, Rockdale, etc. I try not to schedule more than two estate sales a month because they can require a lot of preparation. I learn something new from every single estate sale I handle.

4. Is the antique business different than it was when you started?

It is very interesting how things have changed since I first got into the business. For example, in the 1990s, crystal, silver, Depression glass and carnival glass were popular and sold very easily. Today’s clients have totally different interests and are not as concerned about what their grandparents collected and prized.

5. What’s the biggest item you’ve ever sold?

The largest item, physically and financially, was a John Deere tractor that I sold to a local businessman/farmer.

6. What’s satisfying about selling antiques and collectibles?

Meeting so many people from different countries and parts of the United States is the most interesting part of my business. I conducted an estate sale for a man from Australia whom I never even met. At the last antique fair, I met a lady from Russia who has recently gotten into the antique business. We have been in touch with each other since that meeting. Isn’t that amazing?

7.What keeps you going?

Since I am a retired teacher, I am used to being busy. (I retired in 2000 after teaching at La Grange High School for 20 years and then worked for eight years as the preschool director of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in La Grange.) I love this business because I can choose my own hours and days to be open.

8. What are the biggest challenges you face?

It is challenging to try to meet the needs of different clients and shoppers. I have learned to listen carefully but also to make recommendations to my clients so we can achieve their goals. I not only want to send them away happy, I also want them to come back.

9. How has the Internet changed the world of antiques?

When I first got into the business, I purchased antique collector guides to help me identify and price items. Now I rely on the Internet. My granddaughters shoot video of my shop so I can post it online. For estate sales, I post information and photos on my different Facebook accounts and use the local papers and radio stations in whatever town where I’m conducting the sale.

10. I’ve heard that younger generations don’t want antiques. What’s your view?

That’s true to an extent, but I’m sometimes shocked and always excited at how many young teenagers come into the shop and show interest in things that they remember seeing at their grandmother’s or great-grandmother’s houses. We are all different, and we change our minds about what we like from one year to another.