Oldies are goodies at Colonial Antique Mall

WOODSTOCK – Lee Muto has been doing this for a long time. She knows a good piece of furniture when she sees it.

And, from where she’s standing, they aren’t making it anymore.

“The couples I’ve been doing business with for 30 years, the stuff they bought 30 years ago is in great shape still,” Muto said. “There’s nothing you buy new today that will be good in 30 years, I’ll tell you that.”

The 69-year-old Muto speaks directly about the way the industry has shifted since she got into it 41 years ago. She began simply refinishing furniture but today owns Colonial Antique Mall in Woodstock. The store is celebrating 15 years in business this year.

The mall sells antiques made before 1969, about 80 percent of which is brought in from independent sellers. Muto has 70 different dealers in her store, which she said makes it in some ways like 70 different businesses.

Muto still restores furniture at her shop. She sees the new stuff on the market as it comes in for repair.

“We’re hoping that people will wake up once their chair falls apart for the sixth time,” she said.

Muto points to cheaply made Chinese imports – often constructed with composite wood – as a big reason she’s keeping busy on the restoration side of things.

But she’d like to see more interest in the craftsmanship that lasts – craftsmanship she said is plentiful in her 18,000-square-foot showroom. Items in the mall date back to as early as the mid-18th century.

“Young people want it cheap and they don’t really care too much about quality,” she said. “And most of the time they don’t know the difference.”

About four years ago, Muto decided to add on to her facility with another 17,000 square feet of furniture in a separate business called the Lake Avenue Bazaar.

It was an effort – a successful one, Muto said – to reach a younger demographic. The bazaar offers old, new and in-between items.

In general, the prices at the bazaar are slightly lower than at the antique mall. But it’s not as big of a difference as it once was.

“It’s a little more of a bargain,” Muto said. “But the antique prices are kind of coming down so much, because of the economy, that they’re running neck and neck with the new stuff now. Except they’re better made.”

Antique prices have come down 25 to 30 percent in this economy, Muto said. Yet, people are still opting to buy new furniture. Muto said most people would be better off bringing in their old pieces to be restored than buying new.

“Things from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s are pretty well made, and they’re worth restoring. You can get another 50 years out of them,” she said. “(People) are used to going to the store and buying new, and what they’re getting isn’t so good.”

Frustration about the industry doesn’t keep Muto from enjoying what she does. She said she’ll continue working in antiques as long as she can.

“I love my work – I love the restoration work and I love the store,” she said. “Life is very interesting.”