Syracuse, N.Y. — Lots of retailers have closed their doors during the coronavirus pandemic. Bruce Block has reopened his.
Block, 75, operated one of Armory Square’s original retail stores, the Antique Underground, for 18 years before closing it in 2002 so he could see more of the world. Traveling is one of his loves.
But when the pandemic struck early in 2020, it halted most worldwide leisure travel. So Block decided to reopen his store. The new Antique Underground opened Oct. 1 at 124 E. Jefferson St., a couple of blocks from Armory Square.
“My choice was either to do that or stay home, and I didn’t want to stay home,” said Block.
The store is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. He said business has been good, even attracting some former customers who remember his original store.
“It’s not like the old days,” he said. “I didn’t expect that. But it’s been OK.”
Bruce Block in his Antique Underground store in Armory Square in June 1996.David Lassman | syracuse.com
Block opened the original Antique Underground at 247 W. Fayette St. in 1984 after operating another antique store, B. I. Block’s, on South Clinton Street for two years. At 2,500 square feet, his new store is quite a bit smaller than the original Antique Underground, which had 10,000 square feet of space.
But the new store is much like the old one. It sells antique furniture, pottery, ceramics, artworks, clothing, phones and cameras, rugs, and memorabilia.
Some things have changed, though. His old store sold a lot of Victorian furniture. But today’s buyers want furniture from the mid-20th century pottery, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, because it’s what they remember from their youth, Block said.
“Selling antiques is really selling memories,” he said.
Bruce Block in his B.I. Block's antique shop at 427 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse circa 1980.File photo
Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
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January 02, 2021 at 08:01PM
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Coronavirus pandemic brings back one of Armory Square’s original retailers - syracuse.com
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