Antique china rental business opens: Something borrowed, something vintage
Written by Joan Lownds
Monday, 04 June 2012 07:00
You could say it’s been a slow boat to China for Lauren Kreter and Chris Hickey. The two partners in Something Borrowed Vintage, a china rental company, find their wares by visiting antiques dealers and estate sales throughout the tri-state region.
“It’s a very circuitous route,” said Chris Hickey, of their recently launched business, which has a showroom at 101 Wilton Town Green.
Something Borrowed Vintage provides mismatched china, linens, flatware, and serving pieces at events ranging from weddings to afternoon teas and even pig roasts.
During their pilgrimages in search of fine china, the two partners have accumulated “thousands” of pieces, ranging from “an 1890 bone china plate hand-painted with rosettes and tipped in gold leaf” to a vintage collection of Wedgwood, Lenox and Art Deco china, according to Ms. Kreter, a Wilton native. “It has been a painstaking effort,” she said.
Along with hand-painted plates, tea cups, sugar bowls and creamers, their collection also includes delicate two-handled consommé bowls and parfait dishes.
The business is one of only a few of its kind in the country. “We’ve heard there’s other vintage china rental companies in Los Angeles, Chicago and Texas,” said Ms. Kreter.
Despite the fact advertising has been mostly word of mouth among wedding planners and brides in the area, the company is thriving, according to Ms. Kreter. “It has been going very well,” she said.
Several weddings and a major event on Governor’s Island have already been booked for the summer, and Something Borrowed Vintage recently provided the china for the “Fork It Over” fund-raiser for the Westport Farmers Market.
Both Ms. Kreter and Mr. Hickey have experience in the restaurant field, including The Schoolhouse at Cannondale, where Ms. Kreter is the event planner.
It was here they got the idea for their business, when a prospective bride expressed a desire for mismatched vintage china at her wedding, and Ms. Kreter and Mr. Hickey attempted to accommodate her wishes. “We raided our friends’ and relatives china cabinets” and began their now habitual trips to antiques dealers and tag sales.
The wedding was a success, and the partners decided to make use of the stacks of china they had acquired — and launched their new business.
Ms. Kreter said brides often match their color schemes with the colors in the china. “For example, if there are gold tones in the dresses, they match it with gold in the china patterns,” she said.
As a graduate of cosmetology school, Ms. Kreter has an eye for color, she said.
What is the appeal of the vintage china?
“You may see a piece and flash back to a memory from growing up and having dinner at grandma’s house,” said Ms. Kreter. “It seems that we have come full circle ... Or, perhaps it just brings beauty to your eyes or events.”
Something Borrowed Vintage also “recycles everything,” Mr. Hickey said. “If a dish breaks, we even recycle that. We might make a picture frame out of the pieces, for example.”
Ms. Kreter and Mr. Hickey not only create the vintage table settings, but they deliver and pick up. “We wash the dishes, too,” said Ms. Kreter.
Information: someborrowedvintage.com, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 203-434-2164.
Source: www.acorn-online.com
No comments:
Post a Comment