Antiques collector has eye for quality

Tag : furniture glass

Harris, who says she had to get into the antique-selling businessbecause she collected herself out of her house, owns and operatesIncurable Collectors Antique Mall in West Salem.
"I love anything that is different, though I specialize in qualityantique furniture," Harris said of her jam-packed mall filled withglass, pottery, a little bit of jewelry and myriad other things."People buy what they like, and I like glitz and furniture. I wasyoung when my grandmother gave me that first piece of Louisacarnival glass, and though I don't sell carnival glass in the shop,I still collect it."
Harris was born in Juneau, Ala., and was raised on a commercialfishing boat until her parents moved to Sitka so she could go toschool.
"I was an only child, and my swing hung from a fishing boon,"Harris said. "When I got a little older, I used to amuse myself bygoing down in the hold where they iced the fish and put ice in theicer's boots. I'm surprised they didn't throw me overboard."
After three years in Sitka, the family moved to Oregon. Althoughher grandmother had a few pieces of carnival glass and the gift ofone of them started Harris collecting, neither her grandmother norher mother were collectors.
Harris started out, along with a lot of people, by renting tablesat flea markets, then advanced to buying space in antique malls.Eleven years ago, she opened Incurable Collectors Antique Mall inthe old Thede's Marina building on Edgewater Street in West Salem.
For one month each summer, Harris and her husband, Bob Dyer, travelacross the country in search of collectible treasures.
"It is a lot of fun, but it is a lot of work because that trailerhas to be unloaded and repacked many times," Harris said of theirannual shopping spree. "We've traveled from Portland, Oregon, toPortland, Maine; we've been to Brimfield, Massachusetts, and wehave spent a lot of time traveling throughout the West andMidwest."
Dyer is a retired heavy-equipment mechanic and "really good athelping me restore furniture," Harris said. "We work hardtogether."
The couple often fish on weekends when they are home. "We hook upour old Bell Boy with the little fins on it and take to the lakesor the Siletz River, and we try to go crabbing once a month,"Harris said. "However, even after spending the first seven years ofmy life commercial fishing, I've turned into a cream puff and won'tgo out in the ocean."
Linda McIntire, an Incurable Collectors shopper for several years,likes to go to the shop for the fun items.
"I am really into mahogany furniture from the late '40s and early'50s, and Maralyn is always getting in wonderful pieces, but I alsolove looking for the fun stuff," McIntire said. "I look for theold-fashioned party sets you can't find anywhere anymore, littlepieces of silver and other things I find nostalgic and think I needto have."
Harris looks for quality and the unusual, but she doesn't use eBay,do appraisals or sell on consignment.
"I rent spaces, many of which are short-term leases where peoplewant to clear out some collections of their own," Harris said. "Ibuy from individuals, as well, but I don't talk to anyone aboutbuying from them unless they have a price in mind."
She said antiques dealers lament the "illusions of grandeur" peopleget from watching the "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS.
"People come in sure that what they have is just like they sawappraised for thousands of dollars on the show and, of course, thatis seldom the case," Harris said. "I do buy from auctions and visitother shops and, again, I buy what I like."
Jan Jackson is a freelance writer. She may be reached at (503)391-8070 or e-mailed at janjjackson@comcast.net .