* Name: Southside Antiques
* Location: The building can be accessed from West 14th Street, next to Niko’s Southside Grill.
* Products/services: The multidealer antique shop has 18th and 19th century American, French and English furniture, art, rugs, books, knickknacks and more.
* Age: 17 years old
* Startup investment: $5,000
* Target market: The diversity of products in the store yields a diverse set of customers, ranging from children decorating their rooms to professional collectors and decorators, said co-owner Connie Knox.
* Biggest hurdle: Things have slowed down in the American antiques market, forcing owners to diversify to French and English antiques. With the recession, buyers have been loathe to make bigger purchases, but sales on smaller items have flourished.
* Biggest reward: The process of researching, collecting and displaying the antiques is the best part of the job, along with helping customers find a piece of history that will fit in their collection.
* Challenges in the future: With new shops coming to the Southside, working together to attract more customers and coordinate events will become an ever-growing challenge.
* Lesson learned: “When you’re buying personally, it’s easy, but when you’re buying for resale, you have to be careful about getting something that someone else is going to want,” Knox said.
* Five-year goal: The five-year goal is to grow the customer base, especially among decorators and professionals.
– Compiled by staff writer Ellis Smith, esmith@timesfreepress.com