An Accidental Tourist Sets Up Shop | The Town Courier

Paul Berkowitz runs two antique shops, both named Great Stuff by Paul, in downtown Frederick.

One of the first things customers will hear as they enter Paul Berkowitz? antique shop is, ?Hello, where are you from?? There is a story waiting in the answer to that question, as well as the beginning of a relationship.

Berkowitz is a storyteller at heart, and he cares to share his stories with those who walk into one of his shops. Wandering through the well-appointed store, which is heavily laden with antiques of deep, rich woods and sumptuous textures, as well as soaking up the history behind each piece, makes a visit to Great Stuff by Paul an experience.

Berkowitz is often at the larger of his downtown Frederick stores and his warehouse on East 6th Street. This shop boasts 42,000 square feet of antiques from all over the world, each handpicked by Paul, each with its own story.

?That desk came from an old classroom in Brooklyn,? Berkowitz said, pointing at items in his shop, ?and that armoire came from the home of a wealthy family in India.?

Aisle after aisle of amazing pieces sit patiently, waiting to be discovered. Walking through Berkowitz? shop is like following along with his travels across the world. Here is a table from Beijing, doors from India and a temple piece from Thailand. There is a rocking horse from England, a basket from China and a dough bowl from Holland. Each expertly restored piece speaks to you of another time and another life.

Converted from an 1840s carriage house, the Carroll Street shop houses another 10,000 square feet of amazing finds. Stunning quilts, tables and desks with a character all their own, and ? more in this store than the other ? frames, clocks and some smaller pieces that help bring it all together.

Joan Berkowitz, Paul?s wife of 36 years as well as his business partner, took over the Carroll Street shop a year ago, and it has a bit of a feminine touch.

Eye-catching pieces include a clock made out of forks and spoons and the antique bird cages. Also, beautiful pewter frames inlaid with glowing stones are hung on a velvety ribbon. A nearby old Philco radio ? which still works ? looks like something from ?A Christmas Story,? a holiday classic.

Although they are now well known for their antiques, Paul and Joan were not always aficionados. Berkowitz explained that his wife actually was the first one in antiques.

?She really got me into antiques,? Berkowitz said. ?She had a antique shop in Bethesda before I ever did.?

When the couple met, Berkowitz was actually making his mark in hair and beauty salons. After closing Joan?s Bethesda antique shop, the duo did very well owning and running six beauty salons together, the largest called Bananas in College Park, Md. As a side hobby, the couple enjoyed antiquing and began collecting. Berkowitz was drawn to antique trunks and enjoyed refurbishing them. Soon the trunks were taking over the Berkowitz house, and in an effort to get rid of some of them, he decided to try selling them at an antiques show. The trunks were well received and sold so quickly that Joan then managed the salons so Berkowitz could begin a company called Trunks by Paul. Traveling all over the country to antiques shows with his trunks, Berkowitz did well and made a good deal of connections in the antiques world.

After about five years, Berkowitz sold all their salons, except Bananas, and decided to try his hand at some other types of antiques. When a friend asked if he would be interested in jointly purchasing some antique wagons from Europe, Berkowitz took a leap of faith and bought into the deal ? and so began his illustrious career. His first purchases were from Holland and Germany, but he quickly branched out to China, Turkey, India and many other places all over the world.

Berkowitz said he had really never travelled before he began down this path. He became an accidental tourist, jetting off to new places all the time to select new items for his clients. With a career that has enabled him to see so much of the world and to meet so many new people, Berkowitz said, ?I can?t imagine doing anything else.?

When asked about the secret to his success, Berkowitz said, ?I found my niche. I didn?t want to do what everyone else does.? His shops differ from other stores because each piece is handpicked and because he buys and imports his pieces in bulk. Because he sells in quantity, he can offer his clients lower prices.

?We don?t bargain. Period,? said Berkowitz. ?I go straight to the source and bring back what my clients want.? And, clearly, he has a knack for knowing what his clients want. Antiques from Great Stuff by Berkowitz has been featured in Martha Stewart Living and Country Living, and has been on the Nate Berkus show. Items from the shops have also been used in movies such as ?Batman: The Dark Knight? and ?Seabiscuit.?

When asked what his favorite piece in his shop is, Berkowitz walked to the back of the store and pointed to a statue. Standing at about 7 feet tall, the statue, which Berkowitz brought back from China five years ago, is impressive. Known as a Temple Guard, the piece is hand-carved out of a single tree and is approximately 500 years old. Used to guard against demons and evil spirits, Temple Guards were kept at the entrance to homes and places of business.

Whether or not Berkowitz sees his Temple Guard as a talisman, considering the success Great Stuff by Berkowitz has had, maybe he should keep the ?Not For Sale? sign hanging on his favorite piece and his Temple Guard standing watch for a long time to come.

Great Stuff by Berkowitz has two Frederick locations, 10 N. Carroll Street or 301.631.0004 and 257 E. 6th Street or 301.631.5340.

Source: http://www.towncourier.com/urbana/2012/10/03/an-accidental-tourist-sets-up-shop/

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