By Charles Dubow
Walking into the George Champion Modern Shop is like walking into the home of your coolest friend. The eclectic array of stylish, eye-catching, and whimsical décor has a distinct Mad Men vibe. From the next room, amid the chrome and primary colors that define what was best about mid-century modern design, you half expect to see Jon Hamm or, for that matter, Michael Caine or Sean Connery emerge shaking up a Martini while bossa nova plays in the background.
That is, if you could find a Martini shaker. “We sell out of them almost as soon as they come in,” says Champion with a puckish smile. “We sell a lot of Martini shakers. It’s not a museum, after all. Customers come in and they see what they like and they buy it. It makes me happy that they like the same things I like.”
Located along Woodbury’s Antiques Trail, Modern Shop is actually two shops. There is the original showroom that opened in 2002 and then, a few years later, right next door, a larger clapboard house that has been decked out like a home by Champion and his assistant Dedee Mathieu. There are Eames chairs and Saarinen tables and Arredoluce lamps in the living room, a Danish modern table in the dining room, and colorful bowls and plates in the kitchen. Even the bathroom has vintage accoutrements.
Champion is not your typical antiques dealer. “My father had an industrial appraisal business and he taught me how to appreciate quality. Later we became partners but ever since I was a little kid I was curious about how things were made and what made them special. When I started collecting, I did it out of love, not necessity. Because I have another job I don’t need to follow trends or cater to the market. The shop is a representation of my eye and my mind in a way that a lot of shops aren’t.”
Still, he doesn’t consider himself a collector. “I’m a dealer who collects a little,” he says. “I get enthusiastic about things and what I enjoy most is educating customers or finding customers who share my interests.”
Most of these customers come from New York but he has clients around the country. “I get people coming in or calling from California, Texas, Florida. But I don’t advertise. People find me through word of mouth or social media.”
He sources his finds from all over. “I go to auctions, estate sales, trade shows. I get tips from friends. Before COVID I went regularly to Milan. It’s a constant challenge but I love doing it. I’m obsessed with finding new things. See these toy cars?” he asks, holding up a beautiful miniature replica Ferrari. “I bought a bunch of these from a collection that had belonged to Igor Sikorski’s son. I’ve probably sold more than half of them now.”
In addition to vintage furniture, Martini shakers, espresso pots, groovy kitchenware and toy cars, there are two other things that seem to hold a special place in Champion’s heart: Godzilla and classic audio equipment. “Godzilla is sort of our unofficial mascot,” he says. “He’s not a scary monster but he is post-war, like so much else here. People kept wanting to buy him but I said no. Eventually I had to find more to sell.” He also has a passion for music and he exclusively sells McIntosh amplifiers and tuners, which begin at $3,000 and go up from there.
“We’re only open on weekends but a lot of my customers have become friends. They come and hang out. Drink a little wine. Listen to music. I try to offer an experience where they might see something they haven’t before or hear a tune they didn’t know. I’m just trying to make it fun.” —championmodern.com
