St. Louis is fortunate to have a community of antique dealers with a passion for collecting beautiful, historic objects with a storied past. Each has his or her own niche showcasing unique American and European finds from different periods with an array of styles. Meet eight antique-enthusiasts whose knowledge is second to none.

James Afflixio, Maplewood Galleries
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
James: I have been surrounded with antiques most of my life. After college, I worked in New York City in the design and fashion world. I was exposed to some of the best interiors and finest art and antiques collections, which helped me develop a great appreciation for the beauty and uniqueness of the antique world.  I also had an opportunity to join a unique business in New York that created wonderful pieces of architectural hardware.

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
James: I don't specialize in any one period, but my personal favorite is the Georgian period and interesting painted furniture.

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
James: One of my earliest acquisitions was a Georgian bench that I had admired in a shop in New York. To great excitement, when I had the seat reupholstered a couple of years ago; I found out that it is a signed piece by the famous Tiffany Studios.

Rick Ege, R.Ege Antiques
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
Rick: 31 years…. it doesn’t seem possible.  

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
Rick: I sell objects and furniture from 1770 to 1970 and pride myself on not having a specific style or period that I specialize in. The shop has everything from fine French furniture to industrial to European garden antiques. I personally shop in Europe for pieces, and we have two container parties a year at the shop.  

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
Rick: One of my most favorite things I have sold was a pair of life-size, cast-iron hunting dogs made by Fiske in the late 19th century. The pair of cast-iron dogs was originally made to go outside but had lived in my house for many years. When I bought my shop building in Soulard, I decided they had to be sold to raise funds. Luckily the pair of dogs now resides in a beautiful home in Kansas City where I can visit them whenever I like. 

Mark O. Howald, Mark O. Howald Antiques and Fine Art
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
Mark: After 30 years of working in the auction world, I feel I am a veteran in the antiques business. I worked at the original Selkirk’s through 2012 when I left to continue my work with buying, selling and appraising for previous and new clients. I am very new to the retail aspect of the antiques business having just opened my antiques and fine arts shop at 9796 Clayton Road in June 2015.

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
Mark: My personal interest is 20th/21st century design. I like how contemporary furniture and design is often reinterpreted and reevaluated with a nod to history and earlier design while making it relevant for our time.

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
Mark: While filming an Antiques Roadshow segment many years ago, a woman brought an amazing Berlin porcelain coffee service to my table. Remarkably designed in what was the haute rigeur of the time, (circa 1810) Egyptian Revival style, I ended up offering this for her at auction at $49,000. I am now represented in the Antiques Roadshow board game with a playing card of me holding this very set.

Jon Hunt, Jon Paul Designs & Collectibles
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
Jon: I have been in business for 22 years.

SLHL: What time period or style do you specialize in?
Jon: I specialize in all types. There isn’t one particular period or style.

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
Jon: I handled a bronze ormolu six-arm light fixture that was very ornate. It came from the home of the man who was in charge of the Exhibit for Electricity during the World’s Fair in 1904.

Kathy Mack, Kathleen Mack Antiques
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
Kathy: I have been in business since 1992 in various cities including Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati and St. Louis.

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
Kathy: I specialize in antique French and Continental to mid-century furniture as well as decorative accessories.

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
Kathy: It is so hard to pick just one because so many come to mind. I suppose it would be a Maison Bagues chandelier and a pair of sconces. The firm has been located in the center of Paris since the middle of the 19th century and specializes in elegant French crystal lighting and furniture. They are renowned for the highest quality and are still in business to this day. It was an opportunity I'll probably never have again because they are so rare.

Robert Morrissey, Robert Morrissey Antiques and Fine Art
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
Robert: The gallery has been in Clayton since 1948. I’ve worked there since 1982 and changed the name to Robert Morrissey Antiques and Fine Art in 2014.

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
Robert: Historically, we’ve dealt in 18th and 19th century European furniture and objects. Over the past few years, I’ve expanded into 20th century art and design. It makes for an interesting and eclectic look!

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
Robert: One of the best objects of my career is an Italian chest of drawers. Exquisitely inlaid, it was made in Milan, c. 1790, by one of the premier makers of the day. The design is based on a watercolor illustration in an important set of books, “The Antiquities of Herculaneum Revealed,” published between 1757 and 1792. The set was distributed to the royal houses of Europe and became the inspiration for the Neo Classical period. Rarely does a single object embody so much history. 

Jules Pass, Jules L. Pass Antiques, Ltd.
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
Jules: We have been in business for 37 years.

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
Jules: I specialize in 18th and 19th century English and Continental furniture and accessories.

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
Jules: I handled a George II mahogany Windsor armchair from England circa 1740. Sir Spencer Perceval staggered back and collapsed in the carved mahogany chair after being shot in the lobby of the old House of Commons in May of 1812. He is the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated.

David Kent Richardson, DKR Interiors
SLHL: How many years have you been in the business?
David: 35 years… longer than I am old!

SLHL: What time period and style do you specialize in?
David: I have never been able to focus or specialize in any one period or style. I find myself attracted to many. Narrowing it down though, two stand out…French Empire 1800-1820 because I love the architectural details, and American folk art because of its honesty (it started with whittling on the Mayflower).

SLHL: What is your favorite piece you have ever handled?
David: A definite favorite was a set of stacking trunks that belonged to a Barnum & Bailey circus clown. They are painted red and yellow and from the 1920s.