Jeff Thomas with Governor's Antiques' large selection of salvaged iron fencing
Don’t worry if you get overwhelmed the first time you visit Governor’s Antiques in Mechanicsville. It’s to be expected at this 45,000-square-foot, 7-acre complex that is equal parts flea market, salvage yard, collector’s haven, fine antique furniture store and junkyard. There, visitors are greeted with a friendly “Welcome” and are pointed toward a stack of maps that outline the store’s offerings and their whereabouts. On a typical weekend, the store is filled with customers searching for the perfect vintage light fixture, a reclaimed wooden beam or a piece of furniture in need of TLC.
Founded in 1970 by the late Gary Thomas in a small convenience store in Mechanicsville, the store now sits on land that was previously a tomato farm and is owned and run by his son, Jeff Thomas, who took over when his father died in 2015. Jeff grew up at the store, working alongside his dad as a teen and doing heavy lifting in the salvage yard. He never imagined he would return one day to run the place, but when his father fell ill in 2011, he left North Carolina and his job in the insurance industry to help out. He worked alongside his father daily for three years until he died, learning the ins and outs of the multifaceted business. “My father left me with an incredible framework,” Jeff says. “I was incredibly fortunate.”
But with literally millions of pieces of uncatalogued, unpriced inventory and rooms packed so full of stuff that it was hard to see what was for sale, the business was struggling. “My father probably did more buying than anything for 20 years,” Jeff says. Today, thanks to changes he has made (including an attempt to put a price tag on every item), “We’re doing more selling.”
Governor’s Antiques also offers more than 20 services, from furniture restoration and welding to glass bending, stained-glass repair and iron fence fabrication. The work is done on-site, behind red doors that are the only areas off-limits on the sprawling property.
While it still sells collectible items (everything from Native American pottery and Civil War artifacts to toys and advertising paraphernalia), Governor’s Antiques is focusing its efforts on homeowners, designers, builders and landscapers who are looking for architectural salvage and one-of-a-kind items. “We get a lot of DIYers who have houses on the North Side and Church Hill,” Jeff says. “Our customers are very hands-on; they want to do it themselves. I never saw that when I was growing up.”
His father “would buy anything he thought he could make money selling,” Jeff recalls. “Pops was in the business during the heyday of antiques in the 1980s. But the average run-of-the-mill antique is not what the average 20- to 30-year-old wants in their homes today. … On the other hand, architectural salvage is really hot.”
They’re selling old floorboards to be used as wall paneling above fireplace mantels, old wooden beams to be used as the mantels themselves and antique wrought-iron newel posts that are repurposed into supports for kitchen islands. House flippers working in historic neighborhoods are buying old doors, windows and hardware to restore their properties.
Governor’s Antiques also has started making and selling one-of-a-kind furniture, gift items and light fixtures from salvaged materials as well. “I begged my father to make furniture, but he wouldn’t do it,” Jeff says. “It’s doing really well … Ninety-nine percent of our originals are made from things from Richmond.”
The store also has hired a social-media manager to reach new customers, replacing the 37 yellow page listings the business previously relied on for advertising. “My father did not embrace technology,” Jeff says, “but social media is where the biggest increase in our business has come from.” Craigslist, which at first was detrimental to the business, is now used by Governor’s Antiques as a way to advertise items it has for sale.
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From antique light fixtures and custom furniture to classic collectibles, you can find it at Governor's Antiques.
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Governor’s Antiques still buys items from customers, accepting walk-ins on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On a recent Wednesday, a steady stream of people visited, toting everything from an antique velveteen loveseat to a stoneware water crock to trade for cash on the spot. Another customer purchased the crock before it hit the sales floor. The customer, an older gentleman, stopped Jeff to share some fond memories of doing business with his father. “People buy from people,” Jeff says. “Otherwise, it’s just junk.
“I was very fortunate and was given something you couldn’t buy in a lifetime,” he says of inheriting the family business. “I could auction it all and sell it right now, but I don’t want to do that. It’s my father’s legacy, and I treasure it. If I wanted to see it through, I had to come to work. It has to be in your blood; otherwise, you’d have to be crazy to do this.”
