A Vintage Shop Blends Wine, Art and Antiques

A Vintage Shop Blends Wine, Art and Antiques

Julien and Cassandra with daughters Eva and Maïa.

By Miles Kresic

Aficionados of antique furniture and fine wines will be delighted to know that Vintage, a new shop in Marshall, now features plenty of both, and a whole lot more. The business opened its doors on Jan. 27 and is located on Frost Street just off Main Street.

It’s the latest project of founder and owners Julien and Cassandra Lacaze, with antiques imported directly from France and wines selected both from local vineyards and far and wide, foreign and domestic.

Julien, 34, was raised in the restaurant business and grew up in France. He decided he wanted to change directions when he and Cassandra had their daughters Eva, three, and Maïa, a new arrival in 2021.

“I wanted to have more time for the family,” he said. “The restaurant schedule was a little overbearing at times.”

Lacaze was the Julien in one of Middleburg’s more popular restaurants— Julien’s Cafe—a French restaurant (of course) that his parents, Jean-Michel and Francoise, first opened in 2009. When they retired and moved back to France, he moved on to other pursuits. He has since dabbled in real estate, renovating homes and working at a local winery, Slater Run, where he and Cassandra first met.

The idea of their new venture in Marshall is to blend displays of fine wine with interior design and antique furniture. The building offers a massive space, including room for a wine cellar display and a small art gallery.

“It’s going to be generally more unique antique pieces, things that you wouldn’t find everywhere,” Julien said, adding that he got his start in interior design by renovating houses. From there, he said, it was only natural to start importing antique furniture.

“We liked the interior design aspect of things and so we picked up the family business,” he continued. “My parents used to import furniture and home decor and things from France so we decided to see if we could bring back the old family business. We went overseas and we pulled the trigger and said, ‘let’s do it.’ We started buying things and we have a warehouse in Nerac, France where my parents live.”

As well as featuring its own imported furniture, Vintage will have booths displaying the antique wares of other local dealers. The Lacazes are planning to have a small art gallery in the space featuring local artists. And the Vintage wine club will have its own special events starting in February.

In the weeks before they formally opened, Julien and Cassandra spent hours renovating the shop, even exposing ceiling beams in the main display room just inside the front door to add to the antique atmospherics.

“We’ve done a lot of work here,” Julien said. “We’re very excited about it.”

Vintage is located at 4238 Frost Street in Marshall. For more information and store hours, visit vintagemarshallva.com.