During a recent antiquing trip, Carrie Valentine was in purchasing an old clothing drying rack. A fellow shopper commented, “What are you going to do with that, young lady?” Replied Valentine, “I’m going to use it to dry my clothes. Is that not what it’s for?” Inspired by that moment, Valentine joined with marketing pro Jessica Wood to form Valentine Wood Antique + Home, a modern antique store specializing in home goods.
The new business, tucked within a cozy storefront in the Northrup neighborhood of south Minneapolis, is not your grandmother’s dusty antique store. Instead, it sells well-crafted antiques (along with a handful of new items) that are as useful as they are beautiful.
Valentine has heard the store’s aesthetic described as “rustic-Victorian,” although there’s also a heavy dose of early American and equestrian influences, organized in arrangements straight out of a Vermeer still-life painting. (That’s no mistake–an art encyclopedia featuring the works of Vermeer and Chardin is lying open on the store’s cash wrap.) It carries a thoughtfully curated blend of merchandise that is styled more like a high-end, modern home store than a cluttered antique store, with ornate objects — gold razors, marble busts, and sterling silver tea urns — merchandised alongside organic touches such as bamboo toothbrushes, cast-iron serving forks, woven baskets, and a neat stack of wood mid-century bowls. Form is equally as important as function — a circular kitchen table features a tabletop made from reclaimed pine and an ornate yet sturdy wooden base, while a simple farmhouse table features legs that fold in to get into small door frames or upstairs. “We wanted to create furniture that fits the style of early American minimalism with a modern twist,” Valentine explains.
To its owners, Valentine Wood is more than just a retail storefront — it’s a way of life. “We believe it’s important to integrate antiques into the home, instead of making them into this dusted collectible,” says Valentine. “It’s marrying our lifestyles with beautiful pieces from the past.”
Now open, 733 E. 48th St., Minneapolis, 763-843-6158, valentinewood.com
