Antiques Dealers Live, Work in Phoenix Historic District

Staying close to home
Antiques dealers live, work in historic district

By Linda Helser
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 3, 2006

There was no need to debate when it came to naming the new little shop with the vintage goods that David Farias and Gary Schmidt planned to open on North Seventh Avenue.

Formerly a church, the retail space borders the west side of the Willo Historic District in central Phoenix, an area known for its charming cottages dating to the early and mid-1900's.

"Definitely we identified with the neighborhood because that's where we live, too," said Farias who shares a 1925 Tudor-style house in Willo with Schmidt, just blocks from their shop.
So all the two had to do was add the word "Antiques" to the end of their neighborhood's designation and, voila, Willo Historic District Antiques, 2801 N. Seventh Ave., was logically christened 2 1/2 years ago.

Investing in a residential property and then a commercial enterprise in and around one of Phoenix's 36 historic districts was hardly a stretch for the dealers of upscale antiquities.

And they are hardly alone.

Historic neighborhoods filled with one-of-a-kind homes within shouting distance of business districts have increasingly drawn those who have tired of long commutes to downtown jobs and cookie-cutter tract homes.

Once known as urban pioneers, who lobbied for historic restoration and suffered from limited nearby retail outlets, these downtown and midtown dwellers have watched in wonder as their properties values have soared.

Overall, most central Phoenix neighborhoods with historic districts of ZIP codes 85003, 85006, 85007, 85008 and 85013 saw home prices jump more than 100 percent in the past five years. .

Financially secure in their residential selections, now many are willing to risk retail in the same area.

Farias and Schmidt have owned four other homes in Phoenix historic communities during the past 23 years.

"This is our third house in Willo, and our house prior to this one was in Encanto-Palmcroft," Farias said. "We wanted houses with a lot of charm and all the diversity that central Phoenix has to offer with all the different kinds of people and quaint little restaurants."

But their antique businesses were either in Scottsdale or east Phoenix.

"When this place opened up, it was in such a good spot because it put us right in the middle of all the historic districts," Schmidt said.

And close to home.

"David walks to work and he loves it, and sometimes I do, too," he added. "Plus, it gives us the opportunity to go into the shop and work in the evening when it closed because it is so close. When we were in Scottsdale for 10 years or more, it was hard to do that."

Even better is the reception the duo has enjoyed from their customers.

"Not only do we love the area, but we love the people here because they're very neighborly," Schmidt added. "People will come in and just visit, which is nice because you don't have a lot of time to entertain at home when you work seven days a week."

Look for a home in any of Phoenix Historic Districts.