Meet Andrew Holmes | Antiques Dealer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Holmes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, how do you think about risk?
The antiques trade is built on risk, its the ultimate risky business, experience undoubtedly mitigates risk to a certain extent but bravery is essential. strangely I have found that the more money I make the more risk averse I have become. It’s a trade where you never stop learning and even the oldest veterans confess to making mistakes still, there’s a lot of split second decisions that have to be made and sometimes there is collateral damage. I try and buy with gut feeling which is entirely unscientific but ultimately its an unscientific business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Holmes and Co is about presenting antique objects in a contemporary market. It has been challenging as though I grew up around the antiques business it has changed beyond recognition in the last 20 years, adapting to the changing face and utilizing technology has not been easy. In a world with ubiquitous online platforms to buy every conceivable vintage or antique items I wanted to offer a small but perfectly formed collection of objects. I think a new generation of young buyers are coming through who are a little bored of minimalism and mid century and are looking for something more different and playful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Not surprisingly Im a huge fan of L.As museums, I live very close to the Norton Simon museum, so I’m a regular visitor, their permanent collection is wonderful combination of ancient and modern and the tea garden with pond is a great spot to escape escape the rigors of LA. The Getty is a favorite spot too, definitely one of the best free attractions in the entire city, its setting and views of the sea and city are unbeatable. One of the greatest things about LA is the easy access to wilderness and I often take visitors up the Angeles Crest Highway,, parking on one of the turn outs and and looking down on the giant sprawling metropolis below is a quintessential LA experience. Frogtown is a current fave area to hang out, its also home to the wonderful Zebulon which is a great neighborhood bar and cultural hub, their live music curation is always incredible.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My partner Gena has been hugely encouraging and was instrumental in shaping my roughly hewn ideas into an operational business.. When I first began in the antiques business in London it was a face to face business with a wonderful community of characters who were immensely encouraging. The advent of the internet changed the nature of the business entirely and I now find that’s it can be quite a solitary affair and I often find I miss the support and connection of an IRL community.

Website: https://holmesandcoantiques.com

Instagram: holmesandco.antiques

Image Credits
photo of Andrew/ gena tuso
photos of products/ Stacy Newgent