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Christian Dimery and Mathilde Antoszek chat over the value and origin of a figurine. Antoszek brought the antique into Dimery’s shop for appraisal Tuesday.

Career Paths

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Christian Dimery started out as a “picker,” someone who buys and sells antiques as a hobby, in 1987 while he traveled across the United States. He now owns Christian Dimery Antiques and Oddities, located on the corner of Central Avenue and Morningside Drive in Nob Hill.

Dimery moved to Albuquerque in 1989 and attended UNM in pursuit of a career as a park ranger, but soon found himself dealing antiques and has been doing so ever since.

“I got a job at what was then Morningside Antiques in this same location (as his current antique store),” he said. “I intended to be a park ranger, I really did, but the owner said, ‘You don’t need to be working for me, you need to be working with me,’ so I became a partner.”

The original owner of Morningside Antiques, Jerry Turner, died in 2000, and Dimery took over the shop.

Dimery said he typically doesn’t sell antiques that sit around and collect dust.

“I like to sell antiques that are usable; something that’s not only beautiful, but also useful,” he said. “Not every antique is going to be utilitarian, but the winning combination is something that is both. It’s something that has persisted despite the march of time and that we’ve kept because it’s useful.”

Still, he said there’s a limit to the usefulness of antiques.

“I think that people are looking to accent their home with antiques, but very few people have a home that is 100 percent antique because that means you would have an antique refrigerator and an antique washer,” he said. “Lots of things aren’t sensible anymore, and we have modern conveniences … but you can look to antiques to personalize your space.”

Dimery said antiques aren’t only aesthetically pleasing, but are environmentally friendly as well.

“I don’t mean to bash new furniture, because everything that is in here was once new, and someone had to have the good sense to buy it then,” he said, “but when you’re buying anything new you are using resources on the planet now.”

Dimery said antiquing also supports the local economy.

“If you buy antiques, you aren’t even sending money out of your town,” he said. “It’s extremely local and it’s recycled, and the price of it now would be far, far less than if it were to be produced today.”

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Dimery said a common misconception about antiques is that they are outrageously expensive.

“One-half of 1 percent of antiques are so rare and were made by a specific artist that they would cost more,” he said, “but the rest of the time antiques are better quality for less money, and I think only one-half of 1 percent of people know that.”

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