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The shop caters to interior designers and the public, not just antique collectors. By Randall Turk Transcript Business Editor Paul and Gina Clifford are framed by a backdrop of furniture and antique doors in Green Door Mercantile, their shop on East Gray. Open just two months, the shop offers antique furniture and accessories from around the world and custom-built antique replicas.
A newly wed couple has found passage into the downtown merchant community through the Green Door on East Gray Street. Paul and Gina Clifford operate "Green Door Mercantile", a new shop specializing in antique and reproduction furniture and interesting accessories from around the world. The shop at 223 E. Gray is filled with genuine antique furniture, either refinished or still shrouded in layers of paint applied by previous owners. Antique reproduction furniture is here as well. Some is custom-built to suit the customer's need. The replica pieces are designed by Paul, who has repaired and tinkered with furniture for years. "Today, good replicas are as valuable to many people as the real thing," said Paul, a painter by trade. " In Europe, pieces priced $10,000 or less can fetch as much money as the real article." Paul said the shop caters to interior designers and the public, not just antique collectors. "We don't have any qualms about telling people what they're getting. Most customers want 'the look'. If they want history, we have antiques, too." Gina, who oversaw several businesses in Atlanta before she met Paul, said service and satisfaction, not just profits, are what she and her husband want from the business. "We want to sell many things so we can buy more and have fun doing it," she said. "We get a lot of enjoyment out of helping people." Paul, 46, has operated "A+ Production Painting" for over 20 years. He is involved primarily in doing interior finishes and furniture finishes for upscale stores like Harold's throughout the country. It was a year and a half ago, while doing the interior of a Polo store in Atlanta, that he met Gina. They were married a year ago in October outside the Alamo in San Antonio. "I started sharing my dreams about a store idea," Paul said. "We enjoyed shopping, auctions and accumulating nice pieces." The two decided to pool their talents and open a store downtown. For awhile, they operated a "pilot booth" at S&J Antique Mall next door. They took the plunge into business when Don Woodard, who owns the building on Gray, "made us a deal we couldn't refuse," Paul said. The couple designed and built a new storefront and named the store for a pair of antique doors from Germany they had on display in their home. The interior of the building, a former mechanic's garage, was gutted. The Clifford's patched and painted the walls, rewired the shop and installed a new bathroom. They did much of the work themselves. On display in the shop are unique, hand-carved antique doors from around the world. A friend who visited Egypt brought a load of antique doors from Cairo. The Clifford's bought six pairs of the doors, said to be nearly 200 years old.
Paul works with a group of carpenters who assist in building furniture for the shop. They turn out bookcases, tables, bedroom furniture and even entertainment centers, all with classic themes. All of it can be built to customer specifications. "It's very fine work," Paul said. "We use different ways to build and to shave costs. We're trying to fit the needs of those who can't find the right piece to fit in with their decor." " Many people today prefer the "painted look" in antique furniture," he said. On this day, he was applying a wash finish to an antique cabinet from Ireland. In custom-made furniture, Paul has built several oak "mission" style tables taken from an 1800's design. Their brown finish shows off the wood's fine grain. Paul is an expert in crackle finishes, lacquer, dye stains, distressing and many other finishing techniques. He can work from a picture or a rough sketch to build what people want. From that, he comes up with a working drawing, suggests finishes and colors and provides a price estimate. He builds everything but chairs. "We feel the cost is prohibitive. Instead, we buy chairs and refinish them. We're told our prices are reasonable." Paul says "another life" has had a tremendous influence on how he regards his craft and his business. He built two churches when he was a Nazarene minister. He has reared four children from a previous marriage. He has three grandchildren. "At the first service in my first church, six people attended," he said. "After that, the average attendance was 12 - and five were my family." Within two years, he said, he had built a parsonage and another church. Attendance reached 80. "I liked building the best," he said. These days, Gina and one employee run Green Door Mercantile while Paul is on the road. Sometimes Gina travels to job sites to help her husband paint, "We offer something needed in Norman," she said. "We're able to travel, find nice things and help people in every respect." Since his time as a minister, Paul said he often says a prayer. "God, either work through me or work in spite of me." His life seems to function as a door. The green door of the shop opens to admit a customer. It seems to be working. { Reprinted with permission of The Norman Transcript}
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