"Where do you buy your pieces?" is one of the first things customers ask when told Lolo is in France on a buying trip. They're always curious about how and where he shops. Many follow up with, "I would love to go with him!" They are under the assumption he stays in four star Parisian hotels and sips fine French wine while eating pâté and foie gras in between sights! Granted, his maman's house is worthy of four stars and he does eat delicious meals of crab, oyster, lobster and the likes while he's "home."
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| Fresh Oysters |
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| La Cotriade d'Armor (Breton Fish Stew) |
But you won't find him strolling the banks of the Seine. He's too busy crisscrossing the French countryside in a 24 foot truck, lifting and loading furniture, heavy furniture.
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| Pair of Louis XV Bedside Tables |
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| Drop Leaf Table |
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| French Art Deco Period Coffee Table |
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| Set of 6 Louis XV Cane Dining Chairs |
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| Washed Oak Louis Philippe Buffet |
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| Louis XV Music Stand |
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| Louis XV Buffet |
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| Louis XV Desk |
And when he arrives home after a 16 hour day, everything has to be unloaded and put in storage before he starts out the next day. It's not glamorous and it's hard work. But it's his job, a job that he loves.
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| Louis XV Armoire |
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| Set of 8 Louis XVI Dining Chairs |
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| Inside of Warehouse |
He loves the thrill of the hunt, never knowing what he'll find or who he'll meet. He loves having a laugh and a joke and maybe an occasional glass of wine with a stodgy old dealer. He loves stumbling across what many would consider a piece of junk, an armoire or buffet in such disrepair that nobody wants it, knowing he can restore it to its original beauty. He loves being able to spend time with his family in France. And ever so often he'll get lucky and fill his truck early and enjoy the afternoon visiting a beautiful botanical garden or 13th century abbey.
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| Jardin des Plantes |
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| Family Outing |
His joie de vivre is most evident, though, when he arrives back home (Birmingham, AL) and animatedly tells a couple about the piece he stumbled across in the back corner of a little shop off the beaten path. He realizes, as they both begin smiling, that he found exactly what they were looking for, making all his hard work worth it.
You can let Lolo do the hard work for you, also. Just "
Let Lolo Know" and he'll find that Empire armoire or ten foot farm table you've been wanting. You'll be the one smiling then.
À Bientôt!
