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Corner Office Views
By Joe Labbe
Recently I sat down with the chairman of Kennebec River Antique Traders, (owners of this website) John Julia to get his view from the corner office…
Q: John, spring has arrived in Maine, and many folks are beginning their spring cleaning ritual. What’s the right way to clean antique furniture?
A: The easiest way to clean antique furniture is just good old-fashioned soap and water. The soap that you would use would be Murphy’s Oil Soap or something similar and just put in a bucket with warm water and a lightly damp sponge, wipe things down, don’t get it too wet, wipe it down then buff it with a cotton cloth.
Q: Does refinishing a portion of an antique furniture piece increase or decrease its value?
A: It would definitely increase it because if they took a piece of furniture and did just a “touch up”, which is what they call it– it isn’t called refinishing because refinishing is a complete stripping and sanding and everything — but when they touch something up, they save the original patina. Touching up, let’s say, a scratched up surface area or darkened area, they lighten it up so you can see the beautiful grains of the wood. What would you rather buy, a sun-dulled, faded-out automobile that you can’t see what it looks like, or a nice shiny, buffed-up car?
Q: The warm sun can quickly fade furniture placed near windows. What can be done to prevent fading?
A: There’s nothing to be done to prevent fading except to keep items away from the windows. Put a shade up to cut down on the rays from sunshine. The way you take care of fading is by restaining or “touching up” as you mentioned earlier.
Q: Easter dinner is a major family event for many people. What do all great dining room sets have in common?
A: Food! (Laughs) I know you‘re talking about furniture, but really what makes it special is a gathering of family. The thing that’s most important in a dining room set is a table that will hold the right amount of people with the extension leaves that’s needed twice or three times a year. People always think that they need a set of 12 chairs, and that’s really tough to find. The most important thing is that it fits in your room properly; when it’s fully opened it doesn’t have to fit 365 days out of the year, only those two or three special days. Buy a high-quality set that’s sturdy and stylish. On a personal note, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends a very Happy Easter. We have much to be thankful for this spring. Thank you.
John Julia started buying antique collectables at the seasoned-age of 13 when he discovered several large boxes of dusty comic books in a neighbor's garage. Knowing very little about comic books, but learning as much as he could from reading and from the generous advice of his father, already successful in the antique business, John eventually sold every one of those comic books. A life-long love for buying and selling antiques began just that way. Over the years John has purchased and sold many millions of dollars worth of antique collectables, vintage automobiles and vintage antique furniture.
