By Sharon Gittleman
FERNDALE Have you been searching for an Edwardian English mahogany chest? Is your heart set on owning a crown-shaped fun house sign? Or perhaps you've been hankering for a statue of Christopher Columbus?
You'll find these treasures and more at Europe Direct Warehouse.
Step inside the 10,000 square feet showroom in Ferndale and you'll see 19th and 20th century antiques and reproduction furnishings, room accessories and ornamental items for your garden.
Vignettes, staged room arrangements, will help you see how the furniture might look in your own home.
"I look for unusual things," said Christopher Pray, who owns the warehouse along with his wife, Tricia Pray. "Things that are decorative or conversation pieces for when clients are entertaining at home. Things you won't find anywhere else."
The glass hourglass, English Regency dumb waiter, Dutch galvanized wash tubs and the giant French floor scale are unlikely to turn up at the average furniture shop.
Then again, you probably won't find the English leaded glass bookcase, French oak dressing table with pivoting side mirrors and Irish pine secretaire bookcase either.
If these furnishings strike your fancy, you'd better hurry up and visit the shop. The one of a kind items don't remain long in the store.
"We suggest people to come look every week," he said. "If you like it, buy it."
The warehouse replenishes its stock every eight weeks.
The Prays ship items to customers around the country, thanks to their online store.
"I get people who drive in from Chicago or Canada," he said. "Designers have taken pieces out on loan because they are doing a magazine shoot."
Solid construction, from mortise and tendon joinery to sturdy drawer sides, bottoms and backs, and high style design tempts buyers, he said.
"The more it weighs the better the quality," he said.
Estate sales and auctions in England and France are Pray's haunts.
"We have a good mix of everything for the house," he said.
Reproduction furniture is also available, Pray said.
"We sell things that look old but may be brand new. Generally, the benefit is it allows people to order pieces custom designed and custom finished. We have people who bring in pictures from a magazine," he said. "We talk about the size and if that's the look they want and build it accordingly."
A third generation family owned British business builds bookcases, desks and more for Pray's clients every week, he said.
"We do a lot of tables, any size or shape," he said.
Garden items, from urns and chimney pots to fountains, are also often in stock.
"It's beauty on a budget," he said. "It's got the look but it's not expensive."
Prices range from $200 – $5,000.
Sometimes, Pray finds it hard to let go of some of his finds.
"We have a big school bell that's not for sale," he said. It's about 200 years old. I found that in the countryside in the middle of England."
Pray said he grew up with antiques and came to love old furniture.
"I think they have character," he said. "I try to think of the stories of the homes they were in and the people involved."
The LGBT community is welcome at his store, he said.
"We have gay people that shop here all the time. They can bring in their partners," he said. "We don't discriminate."
You'll find Europe Direct Warehouse in a building fronted by a dozen flags, from Sweden to Scotland, on Hilton between Eight and Nine Mile Roads.
"We are well worth the visit," he said. "We're the best kept secret in Detroit."
Check out their website for the latest arrivals.
Europe Direct Warehouse
927 Hilton Road
Ferndale MI 48220
(248) 691-9155
http://www.edwh.com
[email protected]
Open 10 a.m. ,Aei 5 p.m., Tues- Sat.
