Text and photos by Helen Anne Travis.
High class: Even Popov vodka and Admiral Nelson rum come across as top-shelf in this art deco bar set, $99. Too bad there's not a decanter for Natural Light.
Desk envy: The copper lion pulls on this 1940s mahogany end table alone are worth $69. Luckily the price also includes the rest of the table.
Out with the cold: Great Britain is undergoing a massive urban renewal, replacing old windows with more energy-efficient ones, said Benton. The Other Side Antiques is happy to take the drafty windows off the Brits' hands. The majority of the glass sells for $79. Already own a pretty piece of glass and have no idea what to do with it? The Bentons are happy to share what past customers have done with their stained goods.
Remember that furniture your grandparents wanted to give you when you moved into your new place? It was old, scuffed up and entirely not cool enough for your one-bedroom apartment.
"Screw that, Grandma, I'm going to Target!"
Fast forward to present day. All that old furniture is back in style. It's been refurbished, spiffed up and is available in all its glory at The Other Side Antiques in Tampa.
By the way, how's that particle board dresser from Target holding up?
Mary Ann Benton inherited a basement full of furniture when her grandmother passed away in the early '80s. Her husband, John, had dabbled in furniture rehabilitation before. He decided to give the scraped and dusty pile of dining room sets and night stands the old college try. He enjoyed it so much he decided to quit his job and go into the furniture rehab business full time.
In 1985, the Bentons opened The Other Side Antiques. To stock their store, the couple continues to take multiple trips to the United Kingdom, scouring the English countryside for antiques and unique furniture. Curios, dressers and armoires are piled high to ceilings. While not for the claustrophobic, the store offers antique aficionados and home decorators plenty of eye candy and decorating motivation.
If you have your own basement full of relics, the Bentons offer refurbishing and retrofitting services. They can turn that dusty old bureau into a retro bathroom sink. The dinged up cedar chest can be restored to its old warm sheen. Prices for the services vary by project.
The Bentons would also be happy to buy your old furniture, or sell it on consignment.
