In June 2001, the Historic Burlington Antiques and Art Emporium opened its doors for the first time. Scott Carlbon purchased the buildings between 418 and 426 High St., Burlington, N.J., in 1998. The building, which currently houses the Antiques and Art Emporium, at 424 High St., was constructed by Edward Super between 1915-24 as one of the worlds first auto dealerships (according to the states Sanborn fire insurance map) and is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. In 1926, the Anderson Motors Company, a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership, purchased Supers building, where they sold and repaired automobiles until 1972. In 1998, many of Carlbons family, friends and colleagues thought he was crazy to undertake this massive task of renovating a 15,000-square-foot condemned building with a close to 30-foot wooden arched truss ceiling. It took Carlbon two and half years to repair, refurbish, reinforce and replace the entire roof. Years prior to his ownership, sections of the front buildings, the oldest tallest structures in the state dating back to the late 1600s, were in dire need of extensive masonry work and new windows. The Emporium is now home to more than 65 antiques and art dealers. With all the problems facing Carlbon, he had the foresight to see what this building could become. As a young boy growing up on a farm in northern New Jersey, Carlbon learned to appreciate the value of recycling items, buying and selling antiques at local flea markets, while also learning about the construction and renovation of historic structures of all kinds, including mills, barns and houses. Walking into 424 High Street for the first time, Carlbon looked up, saw a massive building reminding him of a giant old barn (or upside down ark as many visitors have described it), thinking what a beautiful space this could be to house an antiques business. In total, it took almost five years to completely fill the Emporium with dealers, who sell items from the 1700s to collectibles of today. The Emporium, an eclectic co-op, is a thriving source for movie, television, and restaurant set designers and decorators, collectors and unique gift buyers from all over the region. For the past 15 years, the Emporium has received the distinction of being the Best Antique Shop/Art Gallery in the area by the readers of the Burlington County Times. As years passed, the Emporium grew in size and activities offered to its customers. Approximately two years ago, Carlbon broke through a wall to one of the street-front buildings, adding an additional 1,000 square feet to the co-op. On Oct. 26, 2014, the Emporium ran their first biannual fall and spring antique shows. The Emporium ran its first live auction in November 2019. Presently, the Emporium runs an online-only auction every other month. See AuctionZip.Com for the next auction on Thursday, July 29, at 6:30 p.m. In the large parking lot next to this historic structure, the Historic Burlington Antiques and Art Emporium plans to host a great celebration in the fall with an antique show, music and food. Carlbon is glad to see Historic Burlington City thriving again and looking forward to seeing it become the destination place for diners and shoppers it is meant to be. To sign up for the Emporium email list to receive future promotions and events, visit www.antiquesnj.com.