When did you start collecting and how did that interest come about?
I’ve been collecting for a very long time. Basically I started when I learned to
drive. I would get in my car and get lost, I’m quiet old, this is before GPS. I
would just drive and get lost on purpose, and then try to make my way back
home, eventually. One time I was driving out in Long Island, and I found this
bar at the dead end of a street, and it said “antiques”, and I was like “I don’t
know, I’ll go check this out”, the building looked pretty neat and it was filled
with just all sorts of shit in there. It was inexpensive and old stuff and I just
found it fascinating, so I started buying stuff. Little things to begin with, then
I was also interested in photography, I started buying antique photography,
and I started finding things like old side show photos, old Tom Thumb, the
bearded lady and tattooed people, and all sorts of weird photos and such.
Then I started buying stuff
to re-sell to basically support my antique habit. I
found stuff like “that’s good,
it’s not for me, but I can sell
it and make money and buy
more”. Then it just grew
and grew and grew and it
got to the point where you
know, you get buried with it
or you start a shop, luckily I
started a shop.
How long has your place
been open?
Obscura antiques has been
around in one form or another for about 23 years.
We started off on tenth
street in the East Village
and then moved to a different part of tenth street,
then about three and a half
years ago we moved onto
avenue A right below 13th
195