Christmas lasts more than a day—or 12—for Lauren Rethwisch, the owner of Wooly Sheep Antiques.
The Robbinsville resident spends just about every day thinking about Christmas. Whether she’s traveling around the country looking for additions to her collection, attending fairs or selling pieces on eBay, Rethwisch has devoted her career to the holiday.
Rethwisch focuses on pre-1930 Christmas decorations, toys and dolls, most from Germany. The items she sells were rarities even in their time. Many came to the United States with families who immigrated from Europe, which adds to the challenge of finding items in good condition.
“They were not meant to last,” Rethwisch said. “These were toys. Condition is important. When you find something in really fine condition, it’s really a treasure.”
And people will pay for that treasure. Pieces like 19th century Dresden ornaments—made of paper and named after the German town—go for anywhere between $300 and $5,000. A rare, large Santa figurine could sell for as much as $3,000, depending on the piece’s size, condition and colors.
To find pieces, she searches the Internet, travels to places like Lancaster County, Pa., goes to auctions, flea markets and antique shows and taps into a network of Christmas antique collectors and sellers called Golden Glow Of Christmas Past. Rethwisch often looks out for items other collectors are looking for, and they return the favor.
“I love the travel, I love the thrill of finding something in an unexpected place,” Rethwisch said.
Items could be anywhere, and Rethwisch remains constantly on watch. She once found a piece walking through a shop while on vacation in Canada. During a trip to an antiques shop in Frenchtown, she found a rare Santa figurine for sale at what she called “a fair price” that flipped to a collector looking for the item. She did not expect her job to pop up during either visit.
She does take business trips, though, and hopes one day to take that travel abroad to France and Germany. It only makes sense considering the products she sells originated in Europe and many of her clients are in countries like Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland. She has met some of her European counterparts at the annual convention of Golden Glow, held somewhere in the United States every July.
About 1,000 people attended the last Golden Glow convention, and the entire Christmas antique industry continues to grow. Her business is no exception, having grown every year since it opened in 2001, Rethwisch said. The allure is finding and owning pieces that are a part of history.
With her collection and business growing, Rethswich said she’s devoted to her business, especially because collectors earn respect and prestige the longer they are in antiques. Currently, her home off of Circle Drive is under renovation, but Rethwisch hopes to eventually turn a barn on the property into a workshop for Wooly Sheep Antiques.
“This is something I’ll always do,” she said. “There’s no retirement age.”
She started in Christmas antiques because of fond memories of childhood holidays and her parents’ fondness for antiques. Rethwisch has found the union of those areas to be quite fulfilling.
“It’s just a fun, happy area of collecting,” Rethwisch said. “Nobody hates Christmas.”
For more information, go online to woolysheepantiques.com. Rethwisch is also curating a Christmas exhibit at Macculloch Hall Museum in Morristown. For more information on the museum, call (973) 538-2404.
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