Christine Young, owner of The Antiques Warehouse in Troy, told her story with being in the design business for 41 years now.

For those who don’t know, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your business?
I am Christine Young, owner of The Antiques Warehouse in Troy. I have been in the antique/design business for 41 years, along with my husband, Norman, who has been doing it for 62 years! (Just recently retired). Norman’s family has a shop on Long Island, which started back in the 1930’s. I learned everything I know from them!

How did you get into your business?
We started decorating homes back in the 80’s when one of our couple customers could never agree on anything, so they suggested that we do it without them! They loved the end result, and we have been doing homes and other spaces ever since.

What would you say are your main influences when constructing a design?
Of course, most clients have opinions, and that is our most important influence when constructing a design (in addition to budgetary constraints).

What part of the process excites you the most?
Designing spaces to make ones home/work life more pleasant and productive is very satisfying to me. I really look forward to putting one room or a whole building together.

What do you think makes you unique and different from other designers?
I think my many years of experience working in this field definitely makes me different from other designers. I also try to use pieces that will stand the test of time (and function) rather then go with trendy designs.