Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Carantza.
Hi Alex, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve collected from boyhood. My grandmother, who is a collector, took me along to antique stores and auctions from a very young. I started collecting old postcards, letters and photos when going around with her. Those are some of my favorite memories.
I started collecting again in my 20s, living in New York City, usually art and objet. In March 2020, I left New York City due to the Covid-19 outbreak and returned to Jacksonville. With more space, access to estate sales and different auction houses, I became inspired to grow my collection. I began seeing items that didn’t fit my taste, but I knew others would love, and a small business was born.
Selling nationally is awesome as tastes vary a great deal by region. I sell sterling silver to folks just down the street in Ortega, Italian porcelain to Brazilian billionaires in the Hamptons, and Mid Century Modern art throughout the West Coast. I love finding pieces that go unappreciated where they are and matching them with passionate collectors around the country.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am a marketer by profession, specifically consumer insights and strategy. That informs my biggest piece of advice for success in this business; having a specific customer type in mind when buying.
I buy for people who enjoy bright, cheerful, unique items. I look out for handmade and hand-painted items, colorful objects, pieces with bold patterns and things with whimsical animal motifs. When you look at the Instagram account, the featured items all look like they live in one house. The Trunk and Disorderly aesthetic appeals to Preppies, Grand Millennials, and Palm Beach Regency crowds. Knowing what your market desires and the price they will purchase at is key. Like any good brand, Trunk and Disorderly has a distcint point of view and style.
As you know, we’re big fans of Trunk and Disorderly. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
What’s been fun about dealing in antique and vintage goods is how the work has expanded.
I am now taking on interior design clients. I am currently in the middle of a complete renovation of a modern luxury waterfront condo in Riverside and working on the refresh of a traditional home in Avondale. Once you begin sharing your taste and talents with the world, unexpected things happen organically.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
My chief concern is the health of the planet for future generations. I don’t use Amazon, I hate plastic and it pains me to see anything go to waste.
I am also a potter; I can identify quality and I know what goes into making great pieces. Trunk and Disorderly allows me to help people collect the very best and to give those great pieces a second life.
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