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| All antique shops tend to settle into their own character over time—some become museum-like shrines to a particular era, some evolve into musty junk shops, and some capture the clean-cut nostalgia of days gone by. Griffins & Gargoyles has assumed the character of the Donovan family, the sole owners of the shop since June of 1975. The store embodies their appreciation for old things that are not only beautiful, but also functional. (And if something's not functional, they'll carefully restore it and make it so.) This is obvious even from the unusual two story brick building where the shop is located, which was originally a dairy built in the 1920s that produced cheese or butter. Kelly Donovan and her dad Roy Donovan run the business together, and are both inspired by "the quest of finding something new and different," as Roy says. |
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 Griffins & Gargoyles began as the Donovan family's personal furniture collection. When they began to accumulate too many items, they decided to try their hand at selling antiques. Roy learned the business as they went along, and found out that he liked it quite a bit. Growing up in New York City, where he studied business and marketing in college, Roy had no idea that he would end up in the antique trade. Prior to opening Griffins & Gargoyles, Roy already had learned a great deal about restoration by working on the family's home in Uptown, a historic property built in 1896 that he refurbished himself.
Kelly seemed destined to be a part of the family business and took her first buying trip to Europe with her mom in 1976. They went to Belgium together and filled up a shipping container with furniture for the shop. Like her dad, Kelly studied business and marketing in college. But she was already heavily involved in the family business, so she eventually gravitated to it. "You can only learn this business by doing it and by reading about it," Kelly says. "We have books around here everywhere. We read every one of the trade papers. We're all still learning." |
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| Even now, the Donovans still buy what they like. They import items directly from Europe and specialize in pine furniture with a distinctive hand rubbed paste wax finish. Unlike stained and varnished items, these pieces maintain a perpetual finish that withstands three or four generations of use. All the owner must do is reapply the wax about two to three times a year. This application creates a protective patina that keeps the wood looking beautiful. Almost everything in their shop has been refurbished, or at least repaired. All restoration is done on site in the woodshop at the back of the store. (The shop doors are usually open during their business hours, and you'll probably spot Roy working inside.) Both Kelly and Roy know how to do all the restoration work themselves. "Do you know why people like to work with wood?" asks Kelly. "It's because wood used to be alive. Iron is cold, but wood used to live and breathe." Kelly considers their work "an interesting job, an interesting business." She says that everyone in the business tends to develop their own specialties and expertise. |
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 When the Donovans go on a buying trip, they travel independently and visit the many personal contacts they've developed over the years. "We have built some tremendous relationships with these people," says Kelly. "I'm in their kitchen doing business. I know their family." Their contacts look out for them and often hold special items that they know the Donovans will like. Over the years, Kelly has learned the names for various pieces of furniture in many languages to communicate with European dealers. Otherwise, she gets along by experience and by bargaining with potential sellers through numbers alone.
When they visit Europe, the Donovans patronize small dealers and markets, but occasionally come upon an estate sale at a castle. Kelly explains the process of dismantling a castle in three stages. The first floor typically houses the most elaborate showpieces. The second floor usually contains items that are slightly more utilitarian and less ornate. To her mind, the third floor has the best to offer. Since this is often where the servants' quarters were situated, there is usually an abundance of pine furniture to be found there. After a buying trip, it takes approximately six weeks to get the new merchandise to Chicago; the Donovans spend two weeks buying nonstop, it takes two days to load the shipping container and three to four weeks for the container to sail overseas and get customs clearance. The Donovans are extremely selective in their buying habits, which is apparent when you visit their shop. In a day of being on the road, they may buy only five or six pieces out of the 100 that they see. This is partly due to their high standards, and partly due to the fact that the supply of antiques is actually beginning to dwindle. |
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 Kelly admits that the hardest things to buy are what are known in the antique business as "smalls." (These are the class of items that the customer can carry out.) She says that they are easy to buy and ship, but they aren't a good investment unless they are really interesting. "In the beginning," Kelly recalls, "you do get attached to certain items. But then you realize that they are just things." Apart from buying the right "smalls," the biggest challenge for the Donovans and other antique dealers is that their available supply of pieces is running out. This has caused prices to escalate and has made purchasing more competitive. But due to the connections that the Donovans have maintained with their European associates, they are lucky to still get "some really special stuff," Kelly says. Because of the limited supply, most antique dealers (including Griffins & Gargoyles) have no option and have begun to sell a few reproductions. Some of the most common reproductions are cabinets made to accommodate TVs and electronic equipment, as well as beds designed at the larger scale people prefer today.
Griffins & Gargoyles has two floors of beautiful furniture, along with a variety of remarkable small items such as a collection of rocking horses and even a couple rocking chickens. Roy is currently working on a cabinet in his shop from France that was built in 1810. He is already a history buff who devours history books regularly, but admits that he has learned even more about history through the furniture he has worked on. They have such individual items in their shop that they have to hide a piece or turn it backwards once it's sold. "People see something that's sold and they want it even more," laughs Kelly. "So the best thing for us to do is put it away." The Donovans above all, offer good products at more than a fair price. |
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| If you enjoy shopping for antiques, you must stop by Griffins & Gargoyles, located at 2140 W. Lawrence. The Donovans are constantly purchasing new items, so the shop will probably never look the same twice. Griffins & Gargoyles is open on Thursday through Saturday and on Mondays from 11am until 5pm. On Sundays they are open from 12pm until 5pm. They are closed Tuesday and Wednesday. If you collect European antiques or pine and are in search of something in particular, talk to Kelly or Roy and they may be able to find it for you. Or if you, like the Donovans, simply appreciate handcrafted items with history, drop in for a visit. |
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Griffins & Gargoyles
2140 W. Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.769.1255
www.griffins-gargoyles.com |
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