About this episode

Tina Bird discusses her journey in the antiques trade, focusing on building relationships and sustainable business practices.

In this episode of The Business of Antiques , host Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co, sits down with Tina Bird, founder of Decorative Garden Antiques , to unpack how she launched a thriving UK garden antiques business as a second act after 25 years running her corporate events company, Team Tactics. Tina shares how she landed the priceless domain decorativegardenantiques.co.uk , why she sells primarily online through her own site plus aggregator platforms like Vinterior and Decorative Collective, and the WhatsApp-video and phone-first approach she uses to build trust with designers and collectors. Toma and Tina dig into the realities of sourcing showpieces like Louis Bourget Ondu's vases and Medici-crested Italian olive jars, why long-term supplier relationships beat fair-hopping at events like the Grand Braderie de Lille, how to price for both UK buyers and US resellers pulling from 1stDibs, and the logistics of shipping heavy antiques across Europe and to the States. They also explore the mindset behind a sustainable antiques business — keeping standout pieces at home to build a tastemaker reputation, reinvesting profits instead of taking a salary too early…

People in this episode

Host: Toma Clark Haines

Guest: Tina Bird

Topics covered

• antiques trade
• business strategy
• online selling
• supplier relationships
• sustainable business
• trust building
• niche marketing

Keywords

• antiques
• online business
• trust building
• supplier relationships
• niche market
• sustainable practices
• shipping logistics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Decorative Garden Antiques, Team Tactics, 1stDibs, Vinterior, Decorative Collective, Instagram, Pinterest, antiquesdiva.com, Substack

Books & works: Louis Bourget Ondu's vases, Medici-crested Italian olive jars

Places: UK, Europe, States, Grand Braderie de Lille

More episodes of The Business of Antiques

• Curating a Modern Antique Shop: Indio White’s Buying Strategy · September 3, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Why Antiques Are Therapy: Keri Seery on Creativity, Curation, and Building an Interior Design Business · August 27, 2026 · 1h 14m
• From Broadway to the Fabulous Factory: Steven Favreau's Wild Antiques Journey · August 13, 2026 · 1h 24m
• You Make Your Money When You Buy: Sourcing Antiques Across France, Belgium, England & Italy + What’s Toma Been Up to in 2026 · August 6, 2026 · 1h 17m

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