Yup, this is going to be another Seibert rant but one that does need to be talked about. The antiques trade is a business that rests upon personal relationships. Sure, there are quiet collectors who never leave their homes and purchase only through the internet. But they are the exception rather than the rule. Our business is predicated upon talking to people, connecting with them and sharing the same passion for treasures. I recall when the co-ops came into being and many old-time dealers decried at the loss of connection between dealer and collector. Their fears proved ungrounded mostly because good co-op managers and their staff are willing to talk to buyers. They engage them as surrogates for each booth owner and thus make the connections to bring home the sales. Such work is hard and the best co-ops really work with their staff to make those connections. They work to say hello when someone enters and thanks for coming in when they leave, regardless of whether they purchased something. Well, let me tell you the story of a recent visit to an antiques mall in New Jersey. It was a mall where we have purchased probably several thousand dollars worth of stuff over the last half decade. They are routinely very busy as they are in a prime location, and many of their dealers stock nice merchandise. In this case, we were interested in seeing a piece of expensive jewelry in a case next to the check-out area. I make the point of the location to show that we are not talking about a case deep in the mall. I waited patiently as the two clerks, one of whom was apparently the manager, waited on someone in front of me as they called a dealer to get a better price. I understand the point of this but was a bit surprised it took two people to do it. Finally, the transaction was completed, and I was next in line. The manager asked me what I wanted, and I explained that I wanted to see a piece in the jewelry case two feet away. She told me that someone would help me, turned away and went back to a conversation that she was having with a dealer who had been in restocking. The other clerk was now wrapping the package in masses of bubble wrap with no sign that she was going to finish soon or that she heard the manager. We left. Folks, not every customer is a big sale. More to the point, sometimes that big sale comes the day after you show something to someone. Did the manager do the right thing? I think most of you would agree not. More to the point, did she let her dealers down? The dealer who potentially lost our sale, for sure. And perhaps other collectors who were ignored. Working retail is tough, and I get that. I have done so, and I need a break from time to time. Perhaps the staff at the mall needed that break. This is my nice way of trying to give them a break. And maybe, just maybe next time, they will go that extra mile to show their wares to a customer. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.