Born Out Of A Suitcase

The first charming old world collectibles to arrive in the US for antikhaus made their journey in a suitcase all the way from Germany. In that suitcase there were enamelware coffee biggins and canisters as well as antique dollhouse accessories, a little sheet metal stove with ever so tiny pots and utensils and more. That was in 1997. My sister Mary Ann and I had decided to make a business out of a passion.

We were both born in the Pennsylvania Dutch country and grew up there with antiques. But in very young years each of us made personal decisions which took us out of that area. Mary Ann ended up in the "wilds" of Oklahoma and I made my home in Germany. There I spent many an early Saturday morning rumaging through good stuff at flea markets and estate sales. My glorious finds were then taken home to be given pride of place in all corners of my home. But then we thought why not share some of these finds with others. And from reading many a magazine from "Country Homes and Interiors" to "Country Living", we knew that there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of like-minded collectors, whether in the US or elsewhere, who loved just the same antique and vintage items that were filling up our homes. At that time, as mentioned, it was mostly European enamelware and German dollhouse accessories that interested us. And especially enamelware. We found that many a collector had so many larger pieces for which there was no more display space that tiny enamelware miniatures seemed to be a desirable alternative. And the jump from enamelware miniatures - originally for German doll kitchen room boxes - to all kinds of antique dollhouse miniatures was only a matter of time. But nonetheless we loved, and still do, all matter of decorative pieces - old or new, big or miniature, for Christmas or Easter.... - which Europe and especially Germany have to offer.

At first our venues were antique and collectors' shows throughout areas in all directions north, south, east and west of central Oklahoma. But traveling with so many items was not only time consuming but also not doing the fragile pieces any good. At that point we decided to open our online store. A great decision that we are glad we made!

So now you can just grab your favourite drink , sit back, relax and enjoy your visit in our online store.

Barbara Kleppe