David Taylor was born to be an antique dealer.
He can’t remember a time when he didn’t like old furniture, he said this week in his David P. Taylor Antiques store at 227 St. Ann St.
“My grandparents had antiques when I was young,” Taylor said. “They liked old, heavy furniture that was made much better than modern furniture. So I grew up with it. “
When her grandfather died, Taylor’s grandmother wanted to move to town.
She had a lot of furniture and not enough room for it in her new house.
Thus, Taylor acquired some of the furniture from his grandparents.
The love of antique furniture has “always been with me,” he said.
But just because it’s an antique doesn’t mean Taylor wants it.
“I don’t like Victorian sofas,” he said. “They are not very comfortable.
Furniture is his main interest, but Taylor also collects and sells 19th-century art and a number of household items, such as bed warmers, an appliance for roasting chestnuts over an open fire, and a tortoiseshell case. from 1834 to hold tiny surgeon blades to bleed people. .
“I have been collecting and selling for 35 years,” he said. “I have attended countless antique exhibitions in Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Ohio and all over Kentucky. I still attend three or four a year.
The largest piece currently in Taylor’s store is a sideboard or sideboard that was made in 1817.
It stands nearly six feet tall and weighs so much that three men had to work to load it onto Taylor’s truck when he bought it from a warehouse in Louisville, where it had been stored for more than five decades.
It was once owned by Wilson Wyatt, who served as mayor of Louisville from 1941 to 1945 and lieutenant governor of Kentucky from 1959 to 1963.
A sideboard or sideboard has been designed to store crockery, cutlery and linens for formal and special occasions. They also served as a surface for placing dishes or trays of food.
Most of the furniture he buys takes a lot of work before Taylor puts it on his store floor.
“I cook furniture polish in a slow cooker at home,” he said.
Taylor said, “Everywhere I go, I stop to look at antiques. When my wife and I go to Florida, she gets on a plane and I drive, so I can stop and look for things. One year, I came back with a full trailer.
He said, “I’d rather find things in a barn than buy them from someone else. I found some tips. I once bought the entire contents of an attic.
Florida, said Taylor, “is a great place for antiques. People move there from across the country when they retire and they bring their stuff with them. I found three pieces from Kentucky at an auction in Naples.
Although he focuses on Kentucky furniture and art, he owns two large grandfather clocks from England and Scotland.
“I’ve had furniture that sold for between $ 5,000 and $ 6,000 and artwork that sold for between $ 15,000 and $ 20,000,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who has taught for 38 years, opened the store at 119 W. Third St. seven years ago.
He moved around the corner to the current location two years ago.
The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
270-691-7301 [email protected]