Entries by Bob Richter

Add Personality to Any Room with Flea Market Finds

Bob Richter | 03/04/13 at 09:31 a.m.

As a designer, I purchase antiques and vintage items for my clients, so I almost always have a person or space in mind when I’m shopping. That said, I also often buy things that appeal to me and find homes for them as projects come my way.  

For me, flea markets offer up an endless supply of one-of-a-kind objects that can easily add character and charm to any room. While I do this professionally, anyone can go to a flea market and find items that make can make a house feel like a home. Rugs, vases, lamps and myriad of decorative objects can be found for a fraction of the price of their new counterparts.

Aside from perks like being quite inexpensive, and environmentally friendly (it doesn’t get more “green” than buying what already exists!), flea market treasures have lots of personality. Adding such personality to a space can help to prevent it from looking like a hotel room or a setting in a big box store.

Photo credit: Ethan David Kent

A few well-chosen pieces can add depth and interest to any kind of space. In this room, I wanted to convey a warm, international feel, so I chose items hailing from all over the globe. 

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A Crash Course in High End Treasures: “Young Collectors Night” at The Winter Antiques Show

Bob Richter | 02/06/13 at 02:05 p.m.

Shopping for antiques is a way of life for me. Ever since I was a young boy going to flea markets and tag sales with my brother, and to auctions with my Dad, I have been immersed in this fun, interesting and completely addictive pastime. 

It was only natural that my love of antiques would become part of my work, and finding great items for my clients brings me a lot of joy. My hunting grounds are those places where bargains can be found, like the flea markets and auctions we attend on MARKET WARRIORS. I do also frequent antiques shows and often still find great deals there. That said, there’s one show I attend each year where bargains are not the name of the game, but it’s worth it for me because I have the opportunity to see things that rarely exist outside of museums or private collections.

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Wearing and Finding Vintage Clothing

Bob Richter | 01/18/13 at 03:19 p.m.

Every day of my life I wear at least one item of vintage clothing. It’s a part of my style that is pretty ingrained in me. Whether it is a pair of vintage boots, a jacket, a shirt or tie, I think vintage clothing adds character and texture and feels like a logical extension of my interest in keeping the past alive and relevant in the present.

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Collecting Vintage Christmas Décor

Bob Richter | 12/13/12 at 11:52 a.m.

It’s my favorite time of the year, and that means I’m decking my halls with vintage ornaments, lights and decorations. My collection grows each year, but the basic foundation was laid when I was a young boy. My Dad would take me to auctions and one day when I climbed in his pickup truck, he handed me a box of beautiful ornaments, including a blue jay, a Santa Claus, some bells, ice cream cones and other special figures. “It’s time you started collecting something,” he said, “…and I know you like Christmas.” 

 So collect I did—and still do. That original box has grown into a collection that hovers at around 2500 and counting. As I write this, I am looking over at the 8-foot evergreen in my living room, and I see lots of those ornaments my Dad gave me over three decades ago. I also have my Grandmother’s ornaments, including her favorite Santa Claus.

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Peter Max: The Collector

Bob Richter | 10/16/12 at 09:23 a.m.

As if there wasn’t already enough to like about Peter Max, what I quickly discovered during my recent interview with him is that he shares my passion for great Art Deco pieces. In fact, Max has wonderful French Deco furniture all over his studio. In addition, he collects Roseville, and has a good number of pieces in two of my favorite lines: Futura and Baneda. I told him I’d just written a MARKET WARRIORS blog post calling out these patterns, and he smiled and nodded, as if he was completely unsurprised.

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Peter Max: An Icon and an Inspiriation

Bob Richter | 10/15/12 at 09:00 a.m.

Buyers and sellers haggle over prices. They discuss condition. And often they share what they've heard about an object's history. A best guess, a gut feeling, or prevailing wisdom can guide a deal. A case in point is Bob Richter's purchase of a 7-UP thermometer at the First Monday Trade Days flea market in Canton, Texas. In the 1960s, the 7-UP company's Uncola campaign targeted a younger demographic by embracing bright colors, current day slang, and free-form figures. The campaign generated billboards, posters, thermometers, and even patches to sew onto jeans. Many of these objects have since found their way into the hands of dealers and eBay sellers, who connect the colorful style with the artist Peter Max. Weeks after buying a 7-UP Uncola thermometer in Texas , Bob met with Max and the 74-year-old artist revealed that he'd never made art for 7-UP. The MARKET WARRIORS production team contacted a representative of the advertising agency that helped create the Uncola campaign and he concurred with Max; a group of other young artists created all the artwork. Commercial art often hinges on an ability to connect an iconic style with a brand. Though Peter Max didn’t contribute to Uncola, the campaign gained inspiration from a fantastical style that he’d popularized to the max. Read on to find out how Max inspired Bob Richter...

Peter Max is a pop culture icon, and he’s also a really nice guy. I know this because I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with him recently in his New York Studio. With his dreamlike celestial creations, Max is known for manifesting colorful galaxies and creatures that are both inviting and beguiling. Work by Max is quite accessible, thanks to the myriad of products with his designs, from posters to puzzles, which were mass marketed for years. His work is evocative of a time, yet also quite timeless.

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Collecting Art Pottery, Part 2: Going International

Bob Richter | 10/03/12 at 05:47 p.m.

In Antiquing in Brimfield, MA - Part 2 I tried to find some American art pottery that I thought might yield a return on my investment, but I ultimately purchased a piece of European art pottery. Truth be told, a lot of international art pottery is really what gets my heart pumping, as it is so diverse and often can be found at bargain prices, if you know where to look.

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A Grandmother's Gift: Giving & Collecting

Bob Richter | 09/27/12 at 08:30 p.m.

Since the Antiquing in Brimfield, MA - Part 2 episode aired, I have received a number of emails from viewers asking about my grandmother’s lamp, which is referenced in the episode. I’m happy to share what I know. 

My grandparents received the large lamp as an anniversary present from my grandfather's brother, Gerber. Gerber and his wife Eve owned an import store from the 1930s-1970s in Allentown, PA.

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Collecting Art Pottery, Part 1: American Art Pottery

Bob Richter | 09/24/12 at 01:07 p.m.

Art pottery is likely one of the widest category of collecting on the map. As such, I own a great deal of it, and really do buy what I love — which often winds up being European, although I have a lot of great American pieces as well. By definition, art pottery is something that was created from clay, either by hand or by machine, for aesthetic value, as opposed to an object that was strictly utilitarian. In Antiquing in Brimfield, MA - Part 2 , our challenge was to find art pottery, and since we were heading to Cowan’s Auction House, which is based in Ohio, I had my eye out for pottery from that region. Ohio has a rich history with pottery with such companies as Roseville, Weller, Rookwood, McCoy, Zanesville, etc. all hailing from the state.

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Q & A with Bob Richter

Bob Richter | 09/06/12 at 08:51 p.m.

If you could only collect one thing what would it be? 

Artwork. I have so much respect for those who create. Whether an artist has captured a glance or a moment, or enabled us to see the world in a different way, I find that paintings in particular hold a great deal of emotion for me. Because I'm so passionate about artwork, I own a great deal of it, and have to rotate my collection. I need a few more walls!

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Tips from Bob Richter, Part 1

Bob Richter | 08/07/12 at 09:32 a.m.

Bob Richter buys with his heart and with his head. Here's 6 tips from Bob on shopping at flea markets: 

1. Buy what you love. At the end of the day, if it makes you happy and it enriches your home, then it’s all good. 

2. Treat vendors with respect and kindness. They get up awfully early and weed through a lot of stuff to find beautiful things. If you take time to have a real conversation, you might just get a better price and make a friend.

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Antiquing Around My Home State of Pennsylvania

Bob Richter | 07/12/12 at 02:46 p.m.

I'm proud to be from Pennsylvania. Two state mottos are "You've Got a Friend In Pennsylvania" and the "Independence State," and both ring true for me. While New York City has been my home for over half of my life, my roots are in Pennsylvania. We have a rich history, kind people, and great antiquing. Shopping in Pennsylvania recently with MARKET WARRIORS, I felt immediately at home.

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Patriotic Posters

Bob Richter | 07/02/12 at 01:56 p.m.

I'm a pretty patriotic guy. I really do believe we live in the greatest country in the world and I am proud to be an American. One time in our country's history that hits a very nostalgic and poignant note for me is the WWII years. I love the music, the fashion and the films of that period. I also love the propaganda posters. They encouraged people to buy war bonds, use their ration points, plant Victory Gardens, and essentially come together for the common good. They evoke a feeling of pride and unification that I still find inspiring.

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