Hello Again Decor

For today’s episode of Season 3, Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co and Founder of Republic of Toma, sits down with the two brilliant Italian women living in New York running Hello Again Decor. Olivia Fincato and Federica Pittarello founded their antiques business on the core belief that “a well lived life means surrounding yourself with beauty and character but also looking for ways to do better for our planet.”  As an antiques dealer you’re always looking for a value proposition selling antiques. Remember sustainability is a selling point. Antiques are Green.One of the core topics Toma talks about again and again on the Business of Antiques podcast and in business coaching sessions with her Antique Dealer clients is How to Market Your Antiques Store. Starting with strong branding paves the way towards future sales. Create a tagline for your antiques business that says: 1) Who you are. 2) What you do. And 3) Why this should matter to your clients.Hello Again Decor’s tagline – “Upcycled Furniture for Better Living” is a perfect example of this.Both Olivia and Federica are Italian women living in NYC, and, although they are both from Venice, they first met in the Big Apple! They became quick friends, and their shared love for antiques, beauty and sustainability led them to their creative business idea of importing unique European antiques from Italy, and – with the help of their team of Italian artisans – transforming the pieces by giving them a contemporary twist, while maintaining their beauty and integrity. “Instead of producing something new, we thought, ‘Why don’t we restore and give a second chance to a treasure we can find in Italy – and throughout Europe?’” explains Olivia. Hello Again Decor’s business is built on this sustainable way of decorating and embracing the beauty that comes with age. Olivia and Federica believe the definition of beauty can be found in aging well. “Beauty is deeply related to the authentic side of ourselves. There is no perfection. The beauty is in the imperfection.”One of the things we always tell The Antiques Diva & Co. clients who are trying to grow their antiques business is that if you are going to make money in this business, you need a ulti-pronged sales approach. Hello Again Decor models this beautifully. Aside from the fact that each of them are running parallel businesses as they get Hello Again Decor off the ground – Federica in her own construction company working with designers and architects and Oliva as a NY based journalist/editor specializing in design and architecture – Hello Again Decor has created multiple avenues for revenue. They sell through Instagram and their own website and on Chairish. More recently, they have collaborated with their network and now have a showroom near 23rd & Lexington, the perfect location for connecting with the NYC design scene. They also participate/partner with Salon on Art & Design. Each of Hello Again Decor’s pieces has its own personality. “They can really have their own character – their own unique vibe. We have a chair that comes from the UK that we have called Agatha.” Federica and Olivia explain how they give each of their pieces its own name that refers to a typical name from the country or time period from which the piece came. Hello Again showcases each piece not only by naming them, but by utilizing fabulous photography and by telling its story, giving each piece its own page on their website. Good marketing is good storytelling. Hello Again Decor excels at creating unique pieces through restoration and reinvention, and then does a brilliant job of telling their stories. (www.helloagaindecor.co