SPOTLIGHT ON TRACE MAYER ANTIQUES
A visit to TRACE MAYER ANTIQUES at 3700 Lexington Road is always enjoyable. Who wouldnât like to peruse English and American antiques and paintings in a laid back setting while sipping a coffee, petting a visiting dog from one of the neighboring shops on this bustling shopping corridor, and learning a thing or two from Trace himself, who is kind, gracious, and so knowledgeable. Recently I stopped in to get a closer look at Traceâs newest ventureâbees. No, heâs not giving up the antiques game for harvesting local Louisville honey, although in a way, he is making a name for himself as a beekeeper of sorts.
Trace began taking parts of antique 19th century giltwood framesâoften destined for the scrap heap after having been resized to house a painting, giving the art the patina and history it deservedâand creating a hanging wood cluster adorned with a gilded brass ornament in the shape of a bee. Bee symbology dates back to the Medicis and Napoleon, and having always been an avid collector of interesting little tokens, Trace had plenty on hand. Thus, the Bee Museum Collection was born. Big or smallâI saw some delicate hangings not much bigger than a golf ball, but most are the size of drink coastersâthey are all priced at $45. When I asked Trace about this price point strategy, I knew I was speaking to both an astute artist, historian, and businessman. If theyâre all the same price, he has put them all on an equal playing field, and when the product is so neutralized, the clients become equal as well, allowing an avid antique buyer and a casual passerby the same viewpoint from which to consider the art. You will then buy what you loveâwhat moves youâand not worry about any preconceived notions of âbigger is betterâ or the like. So smart.
One look at his beautifulâamazing, reallyâinstallation of miniature repurposed frames and you also realize that he has experimented with other adornments besides bees. (For a collector, this makes perfect sense! Do you have a million little doohickeys lying aroundâuse them! Grandpaâs old cufflinks? Your great auntâs earring that sits unused and unloved in a drawer because you lost its pair? These would be amazing examples of how to commission your own personal work of art.)
So now youâll find foxes, insects, Pre-Columbian ceramics, cameos, and of course, since weâre in horse country, Trace has expanded to include horse brasses. So with different sized ornaments come different shaped frames in multiple finishesâsilver, red, black, and lots of the classic gilt wood. On the day I visited, I was particularly taken with some square burl wood beauties and an almost filigree-esque round frame. But you must act fast if you find a frame that strikes your fancy; because each object is made from another antique artifact, no two frames are alike! So while gawking at this unique installation (six feet in diameter!) of hundreds (thousands?) of frames in his shop, I realized how Traceâs display constantly evolves and changes as frames are bought and new (old) frames are hung in their place. Fascinating.
Iâm not the only one smitten with his latest work. At the recent ANTIQUES AND GARDEN SHOW OF NASHVILLE, celebrities and household-name interior designers scooped up some for their lucky clients. After a show in Philadelphia, heâll be in  Charleston March 19-22 at the HISTORIC CHARLESTON ANTIQUE SHOW. Later in the year, heâll visit TSG city Houston.
Weâre delighted to feature Trace in volume one of THE SCOUT GUIDE LOUISVILLE! He makes us proud to shop local!Â
