By John Tredrea, Special Writer
LAMBERTVILLE — George Evans loves antiques.
He can’t remember when he didn’t.
It sounds like a birthright when he hears the sound of his voice when he talks about the subject.
”My parents were collectors of antiques,” he said. “It was a big part of my growing up. And as soon as I grew up, I went into the antique business.”
Many hundreds of antiques have passed through Antiques on Union, the two-story business Mr. Evans runs at 32 N. Union St., but, much as he loves antiques, it’s the building itself that seems to have the biggest piece of his heart.
”The renovation of the building we’re in was really a focal point,” he said Monday. “It was built in the 1880s, and we reconstructed the facade as historically correctly as we could. We found an original postcard that we used to help us to do the work.
”It was Matthews Clothes Store before I bought the place. They’d been here about 30 years. At one time in the 19th century, it was a photography studio.
”I’ve been here in Lambertville since I was 6 years old. It a special town. The feel of history is really with you here.”
An awning atop two columns in front of Antiques at Union is one aspect of the historic renovation of which he’s particularly fond.
Inside the building, on the second floor, is his own business, G. Evans Limited Antiques. Before moving into where he is now, Mr. Evans ran that same business for 10 years in another shop in Lambertville.
”On the first floor are eight vetted dealers I rent or lease space to,” he said.
Asked what it means to be a “vetted” antique dealer, Mr. Evans, a friendly, easygoing man, replied: “It means they sell good stuff.”
Among the dealers doing business on the first floor of Antiques on Union are Audrey Nichols from Philadelphia; the Gratz Art Gallery out of Doylestown; Arlen Brown Interiors; Randall Wilson; and Alan Owsling.
”We cover all categories of antiques,” Mr. Evans said, “a lot of it from great estates in New York City, Princeton and Philadelphia. It’s all about customer service. We sell something for everybody.”
A clue to the inclusiveness of the philosophy of Antiques on Union is a motto on the store’s website, a motto that seem to suit Lambertville to a T. The motto pertains to what’s for sale there, and it states: “From formal to funk.”
”You can buy a custom pillow for $24 or you can buy an antique Aubusson pillow for $900,” Mr. Evans said by way of example. “And not only do we sell antiques, but we sell fine items, 20 to 30 years old, of the right shape, size and color, that are labeled properly and priced accordingly.”
