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Written by Balustrade and Bitters
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Saturday, 06 June 2009 11:31 |
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We've all heard it's the details that make a great and memorable space. Vintage artifacts, antiques, and found objects add soul and character to an environment. Robert Snaith shops all over the world to procure, and sometimes refashion, these items for his flea market spaces in Santa Monica and Alameda, California.
He started out selling a few unwanted family heirlooms at the Rose Bowl flea market 20 years ago. This led to buying trips to his hometown of London, England. Throughout the years, he's refined his eye from selling what's hot to creating what's hot, and being a great source for designers and taste makers. His buying trips now include China, Thailand, Laos, Africa, France and Budapest.
On a recent visit to the Santa Monica Antique Market, Snaith had all his other-worldly booty merchandised beautifully. African porcupine quills mingled with Eastern European canisters labeled in Latin. A giant porcelain Quan Yen head proudly wore an African tribal necklace around its neck. Rustic ancient Chinese snow shoes were juxtaposed with colorful Chinese children's ceremonial hats and shoes. From the Hmong tribe in Thailand, delicate metal tribal hats crowned a mannequin fully clothed in exotic finery from around the world. Basically, you're in international tschoske heaven. Hung as a backdrop to all of this was a Mao fabric poster. These large cotton and chenille pieces once hung in the streets of China as political propaganda. They are now being re-purposed as drapery, bedspreads, and framed as art.
Proprietary items are also part of Snaith's unique offerings. Recently he purchased a collection of over 200 vintage bird eggs. He researched their specific species and placed groups of them in vintage frames to create these authentic looking shadow boxes. Another item he's fabricated are pillows with vintage British flags sewn on them. They're big, fluffy and comfortably regal!
All of this seems like a grand idea. Travel the world, scour the flea markets, and bring home a bounty of treasures, but the logistics of carting and shipping these items can certainly be a hassle. Snaith packs his own merchandise and ships it from the local post office, wherever he may be. There are many stories that accompany the haul. For instance, thinking he was doing Snaith a favor, a Chinese merchant delivered all forty of his Mao fabric posters sparkling clean and soaking wet. These all had to be hung in the hotel room to dry before they could be shipped home. This was a great deal of work and we're grateful Snaith is undaunted by the task and enjoys bringing a piece of the world to us.
Snaith has just purchased a house in England, a home and home base for his business. His trips to the post office are most likely going to be replaced by trips to the dock to fill up a container. Those big items once passed up as inconvenient are now a possibility!
You can find Robert Snaith at the Santa Monica flea market on the fourth Sunday of the month and the Bay area's Alameda flea market on the first Sunday of the month.
To reach Robert directly, you can email him at
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 June 2010 12:56 |
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