The owner of this establishment is a world class swindler. Unfortunately, I fell into the trap. I was lured in by the masses of cool stuff stacked up to the ceiling, the convenience of the location to my hotel, and the rave reviews on Facebook. I love antique shops, but I am not an expert on antiques. Additionally, I am an optimist, and am not naturally skeptical of people unless they give me a reason to be. People, I implore you, BE SKEPTICAL. Do your research. Don't take things at face value. The owner was always over my shoulder which bothered me a bit but I figured she was just trying to be helpful so I let it go. She followed me around EVERYWHERE chiming in on things that didn't even catch my eye, pushing items on me and giving me lengthy backstories on how precious it was etc etc that I later found out was all baloney. And when I did find something I really wanted or picked something up, she would gasp and tell me what a great eye I have, that the piece is some world renowned treasure, but tell me there's no possible way that I could afford that incredible relic and on and on and on with this game of hers. I also found it quite odd how frequently she seemed to get annoyed with customers who would take too long to decide on what they wanted or spend too much time in a particular area of the store. There was a gentleman who was inquiring about nutcrackers because his mom collects them and this store has a ton of them, so he was taking a while to decide and she was visibly flustered to the point of almost convulsing. I don't know if her feathers were becoming ruffled because he started asking questions and maybe she didn't know the answers to them or didn't know as much about nutcrackers as he did since his mom was such an aficionado of them? I can only guess. Hardly anything has a price tag on it - which she said was because there were so many things, she couldn't keep up with them all.... things always coming and going, etc. That should have been a red flag - it is so she can pull whatever price she likes for a particular piece out of thin air depending on who is buying it. After I was rung up, I heard her tell another women a lower price by for a barware set that I had asked about. I was frustrated by that, but I was happy with my finds so I shrugged it off. I also figured that maybe she thought I was underaged so she was trying to deter me from buying that, as I was in my mid-20s and the other woman was in her 40s-50s. So, I get home with my goodies and I'm happy. UNTIL.... I go online to write a positive review about this place as she had asked me to do, and I wanted to do that as my way of thanking her for her time and to support small businesses, and particularly antique stores. And I find a post from a very unhappy customer who discovered the same thing that I am about to tell you, her antique shop is a fake. The insanely precious one-of-a-kind Venetian mask that I bought.... from Walmart. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Loftus-Jester-Full-Face-Masquerade-Venetian-Mask-w-Bells-Light-Blue-One-Size/114104379?athcpid=114104379&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVAV&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=4958ded5-a9f-16b9049f9850e5&athena=true
The beautifully authentic vintage 18k gold encrusted jeweled goblets I bought?... Pier 1 Imports. https://www.pier1.com/gold-jewel-goblet-red-wine-glass/3255873.html?cgid=wine-glasses#origin=gridswatch
The glass perfume bottles? AMAZON. https://www.amazon.com/CraftsOfEgypt-Miniature-Perfumes-Essential-Decorative/dp/B01DJUQ34E
Even the Wedgwood Jasperware pieces I purchased were a heck of a lot cheaper on Ebay, but at least those are real.
I was sick to my stomach. I could not believe that I had been swindled so badly, and she did so with a smile on her face, and a mouth full of lies. I spent HUNDREDS of dollars on the things that I purchased here. I was beyond angry. I discovered this after I had left Richmond but I doubt that this 'fine' establishment has a return policy anyway. I see that the previous woman's review I mentioned has been taken down on Yelp and Facebook as I cannot find it anymore, so I am writing one in its place that I hope to be as informative. Please, shop somewhere else to avoid heartache. read more