Larry's Antiques

"It's no secret that the antiques trade has changed tremendously over the last couple of generations and that nearly all of the shops are gone. Gone as well are the many unique characters who ran these shops. Larry is indeed one of these characters in that he is unique.. but not what I would call eccentric in the least.. not at all. He's unique by todays standards because he is old school.. a no-nonsense straight- shooting mid-Westerner.. and a man of his word. I've known him for over twenty five years amd we've done a lot of 'horse trading' ... all over a handshake and a bottle of wine. He hasn't let me down yet. Most people nowadays hope that when they do enter an antiques shop the owner will either be absent or lurking somewhere in the background. Or if not that he should greet them wholeheartedly and only be too willing to educate, inform and generally bring them up to speed in the highly complex and ever-shifting world of antiques and collectables. Rarely is either the case as the antiques shop is a unique specimen in and of itself. It can't be defined or explained away that easily or conveniently.. nor should it. And Neither should it's owner. Nothing can be more true than in the case of Larry's Antiques. But for those willing to take the time... For others the antiques shop is just another faceless storefront they can casually enter and seek refuge in.. until the next bus comes. Upon entering Larry's Antiques he will greet you politely and ask if there is anything in particular you are looking for so that he may guide you accordingly and not waste anybody's time.. including his own. Most people, of course, just ask if its alright to browse but he respectfully reminds them that unfortunately he is not 'set up' for that. Keeping in mind all the while that, although he does depend on the odd sidewalk traffic purchase, his shop is, by and large, an established location where other dealers and longstanding clients can find him in order to conduct business. Finally it is worth mentioning that Larry, like many independent shopkeepers, has had items stolen on more that one occasion resulting in a loss he alone has had to absorb so its little wonder he can be characterized as wary and vigilant by some peoples standards. Myself, I have spent countless hours in that gloriously 'grimy' shop sipping ( ok quaffing! ) fine wine, eating delectable cheeses, and listening to heavenly music all the while having Larry ( an academy trained keyboardist it should be noted ) extol the virtues of Handel and Bach! I have brought countless friends there over the years and Larry has welcomed them all and never has anyone offered anything but high praise for this astute, articulate, knowledgeable, highly informed, well-mannered and charming.. not to mention razor- sharp witted.. gentlemanly bon vivant! He is a national treasure and one of the last of his kind. And to all of you one-star wonders out there.. I think you just need to grow up a little!"

"Lot of haters here.I have bought lovely antiques from Larry since the 80s.his shop is not overly neat or organized and he does not own a computer. But he has more knowledge of antiques than literally anyone in WNY.He can tell you in 10 seconds if you have an original Tiffany lamp or a repo.his shop is in a 'artsy' part of town and there are some sketchy people that wander in that he has had to deal with forever.Years ago Allentown was antique mecca before most dealers fled to North Buffalo and Clarence.Larry is old school and lives and breathes antiques all day long.If you are looking for the unusual high quality piece, spend 10 minites in his shop and you might be surprised"

"I walked in wearing a mask, owner was rude, asking if I'm vaccinated or not, and followed up with several condescending aggressive questions about why I'm not vaccinated. Place was a huge wreck. Needs to clean up the building and his attitude. If i could rate less than one star, I would."

"Owner went out of his way to help me track down a specific item, a large-link-decorative-twisted-wrought-iron-chandelier-chain. (Try saying that 5-times fast) Support this small business so that it may grow! P.S. Listen to Scafetta!!!"

"There may be some gems in this disaster of a store but it is a huge fire trap. Man is very nice and knows history but he needs to close and reopen when he gets it to code"