1998 #1 Antique Shop in the region, as polled by the readers of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS by Leroy Donald (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) In an unassuming jumble of buildings on the mountain just north of Clinton, one of the South's largest antique warehouse operations is in its busiest season. Antique Warehouse, which employs 30 to 40, is still looking for more people because the October through December season has become the outlet's biggest as people come through on their way to Eureka Springs or Branson, Mo., for the Christmas shows and promotions. For years, many motorists simply drive on by the scruffy little concrete-block building that was once an automobile repair shop. "You drive by and don't realize what is there," said Wayne Woods of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods advertising agency in Little Rock. But not anymore. The warehouse has become one of the state's biggest antiques dealers, drawing from international sources to bring antiques into the heart of the Ozarks. And now, more and more of those driving by are pulling in. Antique Warehouse now has 90,000 square feet of shops, warehouses and showrooms in 10 buildings. Eight years ago, about 90 percent of the business was wholesale; today, it's 50 percent wholesale -- mostly dealers from neighboring states -- and 50 percent retail, many of the buyers being motorists on their way through. "It's changing because of the increased traffic on Highway 65," says Don Keathley, owner of Antique Warehouse. "I never dreamed it would be anything like this when I bought this place" in 1985. Antique Warehouse has not done a lot of advertising aside from industry magazines, but word of mouth over the 15 years it has been in existence has made it a destination,Keathley said. On any given day, there will be 6,000 to 8,000 pieces of antique stained glass in his warehouse, Keathley said, which makes his business the largest stained-glass windows outlet in the United States. Keathley typically has 500 or more armoires in stock, 500 to 600 dining room tables, more than 2,000 dining room chairs, 400 to 500 wardrobes, 200 to 400 chests and dressers and literally tens of thousands of "smalls" the industry name for smaller items such as glassware, pottery and old photographs. "You've got to have something for everybody," Keathley adds. Prices range from $2 for a dish or a vase to $10,000 for a wardrobe. Every Thursday, a 40-foot shipping container of antiques from western Europe arrives at Antique Warehouse. And as the truck carrying that container leaves, somewhere in France, Ireland, Germany, England, Scotland, Belguim and the Neitherlands, more antiques are being carefully packed and readied for shipment across the ocean to the Port of Houston and then via truck to Botkinburg, Ark., Keathley said. The big containers each hold an average of 25,000 pounds of furniture and bric-a-brac -- about $40,000 worth of product, not counting the cost of handling. Everything is put through computers to arrive at cost multiples to determine price. Keathley takes bids each year on shipping costs, guaranteeing the Ocean Freight Co., which he uses exclusively, that he'll need 50 or more containers annually. Keathley moves at least 300 pieces of furniture every 10 days, making way for the next shipment from abroad. Last year, Antique Warehouse had more than $2 million in sales. Keathley uses assembly-line competition in his 7,000 square foot restoration shop instead of base wages. Each shift competes against the other in restoring the furniture, getting bonuses and quota payments based on how much work they finish. About 80 percent of what Keathley brings in will go through his refinishing shop. Restoration might include replacing a foot or an edge of a table that has been damaged by weather or insects. Keathley says he doesn't buy seconds or junk furniture. He'll sell the antiques as either finished or unfinished, and refinish the pieces for the customer as cost. One big room contains "replicas," handsomely carved furniture done in Indonesia that is less costly than the antique counterparts from western Europe. They are plainly marked as replicas rather than the real thing and carry a notation of what European piece each duplicates. It is not a cheap business to operate, Keathley says, "There is a tremendous cost in shipping, packing and handling, as well as wages and the cost of meeting Environmental Protection Agency regulations." He has to meet EPA guidelines for his shop's working conditions as well as for disposal of the gallons of chemicals used in refinishing. Keathley tries to see personally all pieces that are bought overseas before they are shipped. When his buyer, based in England, finds a lot of furniture, he'll send a E-mail of it to Keathley for initial perusal. He jets to Europe every six to eight weeks to complete the buying. A lot of the transactions are done via fax and E-mail. He now is using computers to track his sales, getting a fix on just how much each piece appreciates over the years. This appreciation is one reason that many of his customers are young couples who are looking for early "good" pieces for their homes, he says. Keathley is a man who returned to his roots. A native of eastern Faulkner County, Keathley grew up in his father's antiques business in California. Wanting to return to the country life, the family moved back to Arkansas. Keathley married Dr. Donna Cook, a veterinarian in the area, and began the antiques operation at Botkinburg. His brother Lyn moved back six years ago and is now supervisor for the operations, which includes an outlet in Van Buren. The dad, Johnny Keathley, now 80, can be usually found outside the buildings, selling pecans or watermelons or whatever produce is in season, and welcoming antiques buyers.