Antiques dealer and appraiser Layne Hirsch is the new owner of Dallas Auction Gallery and plans to attract a new generation already obsessed with vintage shopping to the world of art and antiques collecting.
Mr. Hirsch served as a broadcast commentator for 13 seasons. PBS's Antiques Roadshowis also co-owner of Patrick Jones Gallery in the Design District and has been in the art and antiques business for over 20 years.
She combines street art and more contemporary art with high-end fashion goods and 20th and mid-century furniture.
At last weekend's auction, Hirsch said he was “bringing the old world and the new together” by selling Supreme streetwear and original Air Jordan 1 sneakers.
“Many of the younger generation of collectors have never attended a live auction. People want to bid online from the comfort of their home,” Hirsch said. The business started moving online a few years ago with the biggest auction houses such as eBay and Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.
But with a large showroom, Hirsch said there is space to hold preview events. The auction house occupies 22,000 square feet at 2223 Monitor St. Hirsch purchased it from owners Katie Alexander and Gabriel Echeverry for an undisclosed price. She is her third owner of the Dallas Her Auction Gallery, which was founded in 2002 by husband and wife Scott Shuford and Kathy Shuford.
Younger generations shop at galleries and stores that specialize in luxury goods and antiques, but “we're trying to educate them on how to buy at auction,” she says.
Hirsch leads a team of five at Dallas Auction Gallery and has expertise in a wide range of products ranging from fine art, Asian antiques, 20th century design and jewelry.
“There was a time when every seat in the auction house was taken and people were standing in the back,” she said. “You're lucky if you have 10 people on the floor these days.”
Hirsch said her goal is to grow the auction house's reputation and make it a destination for collectors and dealers not only in the Southwest but across the country.
Dallas Auction Gallery has a mailing list of over 100,000 members. A sale event can attract 3,000 to 5,000 bidders depending on the category.
Hirsch said he believes furniture will continue to be an important category because older products are made of solid wood. Younger shoppers who have graduated from the Ikea stage and are interested in sustainability issues are looking for furniture that will last, she said.
The Highland Park and Preston Hollow estate sales, sponsored by Dallas-based Janelle Stone Estate Services, have lines out the door, and the treasure hunters are young.
Younger generations are being educated to shop for vintage apparel and luxury goods, especially handbags and shoes, at local independent shops like Dolly Python in Dallas and major online players The RealReal and Fashionmania. Neiman Marcus recognized this trend with its investment in Her Fashionphile in 2019 and now operates Her Fashionphile sales studios in most Neiman Marcus stores.
career in television
Hirsch goes left antique roadshow Appeared on CNBC's single season in 2011 Treasure detective team.
Another show she believed had a lot of promise also ended during the pandemic.it was called ridiculous ranch We featured not only luxury properties but also the inside of the homes. It was an equestrian channel called RIDE TV.
Hirsch has operated galleries in Austin and Houston, but said he settled on Dallas because “I think the art market there is stronger.”
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