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Bradford’s Antiques – More Than An Internet Story On the counter of Bradford’s Antiques is a scrapbook
on the store and it’s owners Brad and Mary Jane Charles. What is so
special about this scrapbook is that the clippings stretch more than a
century from descriptions of an old frame and log structure in the early
1800’s to one of the finest collections of antique furniture available in
today’s market.
From the building located at 4 E. Franklin in
Liberty, MO it’s been a long 150 years of retailing history. For the
past five years, 4 E Franklin, under the direction of the Charles’, has
expanded from the square in Liberty to homes around the world with one of
the largest online collections of antique furniture on the web.
When you stand inside Bradford’s Antiques you are
surrounded by more than 150 years of American history. It’s not just
the 2,200 sq. ft. showroom housing one of the largest collections of
Victorian and turn-of-the-century furniture in the country.
Bradford's Antiques is located in a store originally built in the
1850’s on the square of historic Liberty, Missouri. Civil War buffs will
recognize Liberty as a focal point of unrest in Missouri during the war
between the states. A half block to the east is a bank robbed by Jesse
James, noted as the country’s first daylight robbery. A block or
so north is the jailhouse that housed Mormon leader Joseph Smith.
But,
local historians are very proud of the very building housing Bradford’s
Antiques. Sometime in the 1850’s, an earlier built wood structure
was replaced with the ‘new’ building. By the late 1800’s the second floor
of the building was known as the Corbin Opera House and was a cultural center
for the community and surrounding area. Later newspaper articles
reference the roof collapsing in the 1930’s and a fire in
1955. In 2003, a tornado swept through the historic district causing much
damage to the roof and surrounding buildings.
Throughout it’s history, the first floor has been
home to a number of businesses and in March, 2000, became the new home for
Bradford’s Antiques.
Establishing One of the Country’s Finest Collections
A few antique shops may have a piece or two of what
you will find at Bradford’s Antiques. Most won’t have any. Just having
money won’t necessarily put together a collection like Brad and Mary Jane
have put together. It takes a true love for the furniture itself and for
the hunt.
For Brad Charles it began in the mid-1970’s. While
visiting in Sedona, Arizona, Brad assisted a friend in his antique and
pottery business. When the friend asked Brad to deliver a load of antique
furniture to California, Brad was hooked. According to Brad, “ I got
totally immersed in the project. Somewhere between loading the truck of
furniture, caring for it and delivering it to California the gears clicked
and antique furniture has been my life ever since. I even bought some of
the furniture I took to California.”
Brad is much more than a dealer or collector. Brad
enjoys working with the furniture to bring back its original look, feel
and quality – it’s luster, though refinishing and repair. For more than
30 years, Brad’s retail efforts were limited to a small store in his
furniture repair and refinishing business. After moving his operation to
Liberty from California in the early 1990’s, Brad continued his antique
furniture business from a storefront repair and refinishing business
called The Woodstripper.
You’ll still find Brad at The Woodstripper most days,
while his wife Mary Jane manages the retail store on the historic square in Liberty, Missouri. Mary Jane joined
Brad in the antique business after working 25 years in the medical field.
According to Mary Jane, “For as far back as I can remember I have loved
antiques. I’ve always decorated with them and just like Brad, I think
they should be used. I work here at the store all day and still go home
and work with antiques in the evenings and weekends. The hardest thing I
have to do is sell some of these beautiful pieces. I’d prefer to care for
most of them at my home.”
Bradford’s Antiques specializes solely in American
furniture from the Victorian to turn-of-the-century era. “I prefer to
collect and restore antiques that were hand-made before the Industrial
Revolution. We take a minimalist approach to restoring and refinishing
furniture. We don’t look for things to change, we specialize in bringing
pieces back to their original splendor in both design and the beauty of
the wood,” said Brad.
According to Mary Jane, Bradford’s Antiques sells
many antique dining tables, “Many table have leaves that are warped or
damaged from extended storage. Brad is an expert at reproducing old
colors and finishes to woodworking styles. He is so good, you can’t tell
which leaves he’s made and which ones are originals.”
For visitors to the store or website, the Charles
offer much more than furniture. They have a broad interest in antiques
and you will find a large collection of glassware, art pottery, lighting
and other American collectibles from the Victorian era. You’ll find a large part of their inventory on
this site.
Brad started a new project in late 2003, which he
hopes will benefit furniture dealers and collectors everywhere. Brad is
coordinating the development of an archive on his website, where picture
images of some of Bradford’s Antiques unique pieces can be visually
recorded. Current efforts include Archival Galleries for Country Store
Fixtures, Spool Cabinets, Aesthetic Movement Furniture and furniture
signed by famous designers.
Brad and Mary Jane also love to travel. Every few
months they take a few days or a week and travel a new route in search of
yesterday’s finest pieces just waiting for a little ‘TLC’ to become
someone’s prized possession.
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