Frank Kaminski: Owner/auctioneer at Kaminski Auction House in Beverly. By Felicity Long
Where he works: A recently renovated WWII-era machine shop filled with vintage architectural elements like a chandelier from a hotel ballroom and fixtures from an early Abercrombie & Fitch store. Grand opening was on Thanksgiving weekend of 2010.
What he’s been selling: “We’ve been selling a lot of Asian items, especially from China. We had an item I discovered just before it was going into an estate sale. We estimated it would bring in a few thousand dollars, but it sold for $300,000.”
How the business has changed: “People are bidding from all over the world. A Chinese vase sold at a little auction company–smaller than ours-outside of London for $87 million dollars. Thanks to the Internet, you don’t need to pay to ship something to New York to sell it.”
What he loves about his job: “We’re green. The antique auction business is about recycling furniture. It’s so nice to be able to incorporate a stained-glass window, old doors, or an antique bookcase into a new home. It adds an architectural element you don’t find otherwise.”
Coming up: April 2, Garden Ornament auction; April 9-10, Asian auction; May 6, Fine Art; May 25-26, monthly Estates auction. Kaminski Auction House, 117 Elliot Street/Route 62, Beverly, kaminskiauctions.com.