More Antiquing

Some more antiquing today; this time at a place my brother-in-law introduced us to a few years ago. L&E Arts and Crafts offers both antiques and near-antiques. They take trips to the mainland, collecting old pieces from farms and old houses. Bringing them back to their shop, depending on the quality, they either clean them up as antiques or do fuller restorations, refinishing, and refurbishing of the pieces. For example, I've seen a few pieces made suitable for entertainment centers by adding a few well-placed hole for cabling that the original owners never thought they needed. They'll also refinish pieces in a range of stains and colors to match the decor needs of their customers -- something that serious antique folks like Honeychurch wouldn't approve of, but it seems to meet the needs of others...including us. One of their pieces, along with a collection of various carriers and buckets, is the focal point of our living room in New Jersey.

In addition to a small showroom on Hollywood Road, they also operate out of a warehouse. It used to be in Fangling in the New Territories, and when my brother-in-law lived here, he drove us there. We were looking forward to getting there this time by making an adventure of a train and taxi trip. But it turns out that since we were last there, L&E moved their warehouse to the far more accessible southern side of Hong Kong Island in Aberdeen. Taxi there -- HK$70 (about US$9). Bus back -- HK$9 (about US$1.15) for the two of us. Live and learn.