Paul and Connie Polce of Trumansburg are among the popular antique dealers who are returning to the Canandaigua Classic Antique Show and Sale on February 11, 2018. The couple has been in the antique business for over 40 years. Their venture started when, in the process of remodeling a house, they began attending auctions. At the first auction they bought some old wooden planes, especially suitable since Paul was a carpenter. They spied a coffee grinder at the next auction but it was bought by an antique dealer. Once they successfully negotiated to purchase the grinder from the dealer, a friendship formed, and that individual took the couple under her wing.
Later on, they started to sell antiques on weekends from the upstairs in their home. When Paul retired in the late 1970s the antiques business became full time. Today, Ponzi’s Antiques has expanded into a separate building and is a five-days-a-week operation. The business name is a tribute to Paul’s late dad, who was nicknamed “Ponzi.”
“Paul does a lot of repair and restoration,” explains Connie. Ponzi’s Antiques boasts a large selection of 18th and 19th century formal and country furniture and accessories. Their selection of mahogany furniture includes Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, Empire, Federal as well as paint-decorated items. Paintings, glass ware, folk art, early light fixtures and stoneware are among their featured items. The couple sets up at as many as 12 antique shows a year around New York State and beyond. Much of their inventory is also displayed on their website, www.ponzisantiques.com.
The Polces value the camaraderie afforded by the business. “We enjoy meeting old friends,” says Connie who calls antiquing ‘an adventure.’ “You never know what you’ll find. You are always learning something new.”
Contact information: Ponzi’s Antiques, 9838 Congress Street Extension, Trumansburg. NY Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. (607) 387-5248.
