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Antique Dealer

Antiques: D. Anthony & Associates, Groveland, MA
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Do you want to become an Antique Dealer?

Can you walk through a flea market or antique shop and spot diamonds in the rough? Do you have an eye for valuable antiques and suspect you’d be good at reselling them? Are you enamored by the idea of traveling your region hunting for items you love? If so, plan to learn how to become an Antique Dealer on your very own VocationVacation holiday with Dennis Wolbach of D. Anthony & Associates in Groveland, Mass.

Dennis truly has a passion for antiques and believes he has the best job in the world. He spent years antiquing as a hobby and when he was laid off from a corporate job in 2000 his wife encouraged him to take the plunge to take his hobby full-time. He’s so happy he did.

“I go skipping out the door in the morning,” Dennis says.

Dennis has focused on two major niches – Victorian quarter sawn oak furniture from the 1880 to 1920 period and American art pottery made from 1890 to 1915. American art pottery is hot so that’s what Dennis focuses most of his energy on these days. Part of what fuels the popularity of these pieces is the interest in Craftsman homes. Some people who own Craftsman homes want the best arts and crafts pieces to display in their homes, and that’s where Dennis comes in.

When he was getting started, Dennis said he had to work on developing his eye for these pieces.

“I had an eye where I was able to locate better and better items and my eye got sharper and sharper and consequently I was making more and more money doing it,” Dennis says.

Dennis’ business model used to be focused on selling as many antiques as possible. Now he’s a more careful shopper and although he sells fewer pieces, they’re higher-end pieces bringing in a higher margin. He sells about 200-400 antiques a year.

Dennis drives 1,500 to 2,000 miles a week, taking daylong trips from his home to antique shops all across New England and sometimes beyond. He is usually able to find items that are 100-300 percent under priced. He goes home, does some research on the pieces he found, prices them appropriately for the market and then sells them to a stable of loyal customers over eBay.

For someone with a good eye, the work of an antique dealer is intuitive and extremely rewarding, Dennis says.

“Everybody loves something,” Dennis explains. “And I don’t care if it’s old vinyl disc records or Beanie Babies or American art pottery. In a lot of shops you can buy these things for pennies on the dollar and if you can flip these things you can make a living. It’s nothing like rocket science. It’s about exploiting your eye and doing it every day and if you repeat over and over again you can make good money doing it.”

While on your Antique Dealer VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Dennis Wolbach at D. Anthony & Associates, activities will include some or all of the following:
  • Antiques introduction and discussion
  • Buying and selling on the Internet
  • Auction attendance (if possible)
  • Local "hunting & buying" trips to antique shops each day
  • Meeting with local dealers/networking
  • Visit local flea markets (season permitting)
The VocationVacations® Antique Dealer Dream Job holiday includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as an Antiques Dealer
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: All year based on mentor's availability

Price: $1149 Per Person

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Suggested Accommodations

Comfort Inn & Suites

Highland Lake Inn
(Not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:
Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:
Each requested date for a VocationVacation is 100% dependent upon the mentor’s approval of dates. Each Vocationer is required to sign a liability release stating that they are 18 years or older, 21 years or older if the VocationVacation involves the production or serving of alcohol. Full payment of the VocationVacation is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacation cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. Grounded Nomads, LLC dba VocationVacations encourages all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling.