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August 2021 by David Pfister
Peterson has a lifetime of experience and his store-before his semi-retirement-reflects that in his one of a kind pieces to go along with his one of a kind personality. He does not suffer fools lightly reflecting some of his reviews here, but if you are straight up with him he is more than straight up with you. If you are a tourist seeking a bargain, this is not the store for you.
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February 2021 by Jane S.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my many visits to this Hidden gem!!! I have nothing but the upmost respect for the owner and his staff as they have all been incredibly helpful, generous and kind. I have purchased several pieces that I absolutely love!! It is difficult to travel at all these days so I am Extremely Grateful that I can enjoy beautiful pieces from far away land right in my own backyard Support local businesses please! Thank you Peterson & Kathy
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October 2019 by Tracy Stevens
Truly beautiful & original place. I highly recommend checking it out.
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August 2019 by Jon S.
Currently advertised sale 50% off is a scam. Obviously old price tags were said to be the new sale price. In any case, the high quality items available in the past are no longer to be seen.
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April 2019 by Margo Sacco
The store has incredible treasures that would take one a lifetime to find if you are lucky. The owner Petersen Conway is absolutely fascinating and more of gracious host than a shopkeeper. Thus, explore, enjoy, and buy!!!
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March 2019 by Jim Tatol
Amazing inventory chock-full moving soon
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January 2019 by Zohreh Soltani
I took my husband to the store convincing him to pick a piece of antique as a gift for his birthday since I know about his passion for old artistic handmade stuff. After searching the store my husband eyes fell on a brass tray with one of our king's face on it. Our friend and I convinced him to get the tray because we all loved it but he doubted it was original. So he went to the owner to ask about the history and the place he had found the tray. The owner's explanation convinced my husband. He came back and we started discussing again and this discussion took a while.
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January 2019 by Majid Ramji
The owner is very greedy and manipulative man. His store antiques are not reasonably priced and the owner's behavior is not polite at all. We had nice day at Carmel-by-the-see, but his behavior made it a TERRIBLE day for us.
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December 2018 by Andrea S.
Best antique store ever! The parrot outside the storefront is what lured me in and attracted me from across the street. As I got closer to see the beautiful blue parrot from Brazil, I noticed the parrot was biting a lighter. Ahhh! So, we informed the man in the store about that and he said the parrot is trying to stop smoking and reassured us that there is no lighter fluid within the lighter. LOL...such a unique story and thing to hear. I love to travel and all my prior memories. With a store like this, you grasp the enormity of all the worldly goods and wonderment from so many places on this world. Rare items here too that are profound & awesome. I hope one day I can and shall have the time freedom and blessings to walk this Earth to do more good. There were particular things that fascinated and interested me. I could sense the history, quality, and essence. Wonderful worldly collections of pieces to individual unique pieces from many different parts of the world! Phenomenal and very lucky to have experienced seeing and hearing items here. Sebi and Nicholas are amiable and absolutely helpful and thoughtful people whom are ready to assist and answer your inquiries! Thank you Nicholas and Sebi. Sebi, some day we'll meet again. Also, I would love to converse with Conway some day and hear of all his worldly travels that you mentioned to me Sebi! Love and Light to you all. Wish you all the best and a well move to another location. And Wishing this store continued success and happiness! Warm Hugs ^_^
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August 2018 by Jose C.
This my place is awesome, kind of reminds me of antique roadshow. It's very nice and expensive but has very cool items that can add to any space. I ran across various old relics that super rare and are still in good shape. The owner is very inviting and personable. The different types of items are too broad to detail but the store has much to look at and learn about. I will be returning to explore more of the beautiful antiques they have for sale here.
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March 2018 by Buster P.
This incredible shop is a jewel box overflowing with fantastic treasures from across the Orient. Having dealt professionally in the collection and retail sale of ethnographic art and imported antiquities for twenty years myself, I recognize the absolute quality of the goods to be found at Conway's. Are they expensive? Of course, some pieces can be. One gets what one pays for here. If you wouldn't walk into a Maserati dealership and sniff at the prices, you shouldn't do it here either. There's many wonderful works available for much smaller budgets too, so anyone with a reasonable amount to spend should be able to find a genuine treasure. Conway has an outstanding eye for authenticity and value, and if I could I would spend every last penny on the beautiful rugs and cabinets, statuary and ceramics available for purchase. The staff have always been accommodating and welcoming, and are glad to answer questions, even if they are repetitive and insecure over what's being asked about. I've watched them handle waves of insincere browsers who are just there to be entertained, treating them with the same courtesy as someone who's spent tens of thousands of dollars on prior visits. This business is the genuine article, somehow surviving, serving, and selling in a culture and economy that increasingly jettisons the authentic and the well-crafted in favor of the convenient and the easily discarded. A last remark about the negative reviews here. One should always remember there are three sides to every story. There's the one, and then the other - and lastly, the truth that lies somewhere in between. Given what I've experienced in two and a half decades of retail life, I'm pretty confident there is a considerable volume of detail being omitted by both these criticisms, and that what has been presented is being twisted significantly to benefit their own agenda. I don't trust either of them, and would frankly go so far as to state they're likely outright lying. Regardless of what one believes, a business cannot remain open for decades without doing at least a few things right.
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March 2017 by J Snider
Great collection of antiques, rugs, and more from Central Asia.
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July 2016 by Daisy N.
What a great shop! Spectacular pieces. I mean, A.MAZ.ING. I'm in love with so many pieces, it's hard to choose which ones will go home with me. My husband and I purchased two large chests. The gentleman there was extremely knowledgable -told us all the beauty and history behind the pieces and at the same time, pointing out the defects and effects of time and history. We had just moved into Carmel from out of state, and had just switched banks, had to wait for our new account was properly funded before we felt comfortable writing a check. George offered to deliver our pieces to our home even before payment was made. The chests were delivered the next day. I came back the following Tuesday (holiday weekend) and made the payment. We were overly ecstatic over having our pieces before our banking situation had even been cleared. As far as the quality and authenticity of the pieces -my husband and I collect all kinds of Art & antiques, however, we don't claim to be experts. Our rule of thumb is -does it sing in our hearts? If it does, we buy it. Traveling to Asia to find these pieces and going through the headache of shipping them here would cost us more. And if it's a reproduction -finding an artisan who's can replicate the work and design -good luck finding someone who can do that for any decent price here in the states. Either way, our hearts want the pieces, we go and talk to the owner and strike a deal that we all can live with. Win - win. Never mind these other people complaining about prices. If you want bargain basement, go to Salinas and find the shops with the knitches and knacks claiming to be antiques or vintage. Seriously, I find those kinds of complaints an advertisement FOR antique shops. If people aren't complaining about the prices, it's all just crap. Lol! And as far as returns are concerned -seriously? This isn't ikea or a rent-to-own furniture store. If you don't love something, don't buy it. Common sense folks.
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March 2014 by JOE ORR
While the collection is spectacular, the owner (Mr. Conway) told me a lie to get me to spend $12,000 on a Buddha. My wife and I were on the fence and Mr. Conway said that the price we negotiated was so low that if I purchased the Buddha, he would sign a receipt that he would buy it back after 6 months for the purchase price if we changed our minds. He stated that he will never be able to get another like that and went on selling and selling. We spent the $12,000 because it was virtually a 6 month test drive and this was a guarantee from Mr. Conway personally. We decided that we would sell it back to Mr. Conway for a myriad of reasons. He was traveling the world so we waited for his return. When he returned he sent me an email (did not even call) and said that he could not buy it back due to a downturn in business. He must have hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory if not millions and he is on Ocean street in Carmel. We were lied to and feel manipulated. I am starting legal proceedings with the state and civil. Sad.
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July 2009 by M. O.
I have been shopping in there for YEARS, almost as long as they have been there. I sent my 45 year old sister and 86 year old father in-law in there to get some things I had picked out, mind you, my budget was $22,000 for our new house so this was a serious shop. The moron who was in there that day yelled and scolded my family because my sister was ill and had to quickly use the 'facility'. When she came out, this a****** yelled at them, in front of a customer he was helping (and he ignored them and never offered help or said he would be with them soon), in an attempt to humiliate and embarrass them. They were completely shocked. They left and were upset the whole day. Needless to say, I have gone to another store in San Francisco where I found the antiques I was looking for and bought from them. If I were the woman (older) who was there and heard a proprieter speak to CUSTOMERS like that, I would have left. I will NEVER, go back to Conway's.
