Doubling Their Antique Pleasure, and Maybe More

Doubling Their Antique Pleasure, and Maybe More

By Emma Boyce

Two horse country staples, Baileywyck’s Lisa Vella and Antique Emporium’s Linda Mason, have joined forces to open a Middleburg antique store with what they hope will be an exciting future for its customers.

Linda Mason, Roger Mason and Lisa Vella have opened a unique antique store on Washington Street in Middleburg.

Photo by Emma Boyce

Vella and Mason have styled Antiques on Washington to evoke the cozy atmosphere of an English eating club or a Ralph Lauren bespoke showroom.

Antiques on Washington one day will double as an actual club or perhaps a low-key bar.

Their customers will be able to sip beverages on handsome brown leather sofas or gather at the bar, while they wait for their lobster roll from the King St. Oyster Bar down the street or their pizza next door.

“We already know what Middleburg needs,” said Vella. “We know what’s missing and this is missing. People come into a store like this to relax and have fun so it’s nice to have a little glass of wine.”

Though one would never notice the kitchen hidden in the back of the store, in the upcoming months, Vella envisions offering small bites like antipasto plates, cheese boards or even some veggies. She’s already ordered the cutting boards. Meanwhile, Mason is working on the wine.

While the store might not have alcohol yet, the bar, stocked with all the accoutrements— monogrammed glasses, silver ice bucket— is still ready to serve.

“If we’re here. Friends come by to look around the shop, then they’ll end up coming to the bar and hanging out,” said Mason, whose father, Roger Mason, is also a silent partner in their new endeavor.

“Between the three of us we have over 75 years of experience [in antiques],” said Vella. Each has their own style when it comes to antiques. Vella veers more toward French provincial and Swedish, while Linda Mason focuses on finer American furnishings and brings in more of the art.

“Between the three of us there’s almost nothing you can’t find,” Vella said. “There’s gotta be some piece that’s special.”

Antiques on Washington offers a little bit of everything. A Herend giraffe sits inside a glass wild animal terrarium. A Renoir hangs next to local artist Anthony Barham. Beautiful American landscapes line the walls against a dark blue background.

“I like the fun stuff, the stuff that’s a little bit different,” said Linda Mason, who’s been in the business for more than two decades. “It’s whatever catches my eye. We work with local artists and go to auctions. Lisa gets stuff from all over the world. We’re trying to do a Ralph Lauren antique shop, something a little different than our other antique shops.”

When Linda and Roger Mason first leased the space on Washington Street—a French and then a Mexican restaurant in its last two incarnations—they had no idea what was next. In fact, their intention was not to create a second store, but simply to rent storage space for a large shipment that wouldn’t fit in the Emporium down the street. But once Linda Mason saw the space’s potential, she showed it to Vella and all bets were off.

“We all work well together,” said Vella, who buys many of her personal items from the Masons. “We try to do cool, fun things.”

What’s most clear is how much the two women are enjoying themselves, an energy that’s evident throughout the store.

“It’s fun and funny,” Lisa Vella said, sharing a drink with Linda.