Life & Work with Nicholas & Effie of Pasadena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas & Effie.

Hi Nicholas & Effie , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Through the years we have spent much of our spare time hunting through antique stores and vintage shops for pieces that would either complete our collections or recapture childhood treasures. So, it was a welcome surprise that all the treasure hunting we had been doing for years for our personal enjoyment transformed into a business. We had already reached a point where we were cycling all of our treasures from home to storage, and back, like the collections at a museum.

We started our business by doing trunk show-style in-home antique parties, with an emphasis on vintage fashion and mid-century barware. Eventually, we officially launched House Of Neffie with the grand opening of a brick and mortar showroom at the Pasadena Antique Center. House Of Neffie has now been in the antiques business for a decade. In that time there has been significant growth and change; we built a strong following, received recognition and have diversified our operation to reach a nationwide audience.

We have expanded our inventory to include furniture, lighting, decor, art, high-end crystal and designer handbags and accessories. In 2022, House Of Neffie was chosen by The UPS Store to be featured in their Be Unstoppable small business campaign, which aired on television and social media. Instead of in-home sales, we now regularly host Live Sales on Instagram that all of our customers can attend regardless of where they are geographically. Additionally, a significant source of our business comes from our Chairish.com virtual shop, which offers our inventory to a nationwide audience of designers and treasure hunters.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been challenges throughout our journey, from restoration projects and the logistics of shipping or fluctuating style trends. One of the toughest things to deal with is when a rare piece that has survived for several decades falls victim to accidental breakage or damage, That’s heartbreaking

We both love the hunt, and it’s especially satisfying when you find the missing piece to a set. That’s just a small part of the work though, there’s almost always some amount of cleaning/restoration and the research. We’ve also learned that not everything can be saved, which is tragic for us when we’ve invested time and resources.

Storage is always an issue, especially since we love the shopping part of the business.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
It’s been an adventure and an education. In world of antiques and vintage pieces the style and quality is just the beginning because the history and nostalgia are equally as important, even in fashion and accessories. The story and the feelings are what drive us to rescue the wonderful pieces we find. And as dealers it’s a joy and a compliment when a collector recognizes that in the pieces we have curated. Our customers really appreciate our attention to detail in restoration and our eye for fascinating pieces from all eras and styles.

We are known for being bold, bright and glamorous. House Of Neffie caters to the audacious.

What makes you happy?
It brings us so much joy to help these rare pieces find a new life and new home, so that they can be appreciated by a new generation, rather than ending up in a landfill. Also, it’s wonderful that we also find treasures for ourselves that will never go into inventory.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://HouseOfNeffie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseofneffie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HouseOfNeffie/
• Other: https://www.chairish.com/shop/houseofneffie