ROBUCK AND COMPANY ANTIQUES- by Susanna Salk for 1stdibs 

“Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to find something beautiful, live with it a day or decade, and then pass it on to someone who equally appreciates it.” So proclaims Shane Robuck of his passion for buying and selling antiques for the gallery, Robuck and Company Antiques Ltd. He started his Atlanta-based shop in 1993, after his collector father Mike Robuck jump-started Robuck’s career with inventory he had been gathering over the years. “My father was a buyer and he needed a seller. So he stocked me and let me run with it,” says Robuck of his beginnings in the trade. “I knew very little and had nothing to lose. But I watched my clients become passionate about what they saw and soon, so was I.” While the store initially carried a wide range of periods and styles from both continents, Robuck was drawn to European furniture and objects and his focus eventually sharpened to specialize in Italian, French and Spanish furniture, lighting and oil paintings, ranging from the 17th through 19th centuries. “I still have the photo of me sitting atop my first crate from Italy,” says Robuck. “And those three pieces sold within a week.” To maintain quality and quantity, he soon was traveling up to ten trips a year.

As in all serendipitous matters, enter via a mutual friend, Kristen Marooney. “Within five seconds, I knew we would work together,” says Marooney, a native from Connecticut remembers of meeting the Texan-born Robuck in 2000. “But I thought it might just be for a year long internship. My appreciation and tastes have quadrupled in the school of Robuck.” Today, Marooney is a full-time partner. “I knew she had the passion,” concurs Robuck. But Marooney also had the motivation to push Robuck out of his comfort zone and business to the next level.

They share a ying yang partnership with Marooney often playing the role of seller and Robuck as buyer. “We both have very strong, personalities,” adds Marooney,  “and anyone who watches our the back and forth will see that somehow, sometimes just short of drama, we always make it work very well.” Marooney admits she often wears her heart too much on her sleeve when it comes to falling in love with a piece and she knows when to step aside and let Robuck close the deal.

Their symbiotic dialogue is always open to include clients who are as excited about the quest and conversation as Marooney and Robuck are. “We love someone who asks questions but who also knows what they are doing,” says Marooney. “Who appreciates the most basic aesthetic of an object. It’s so satisfying to then help make that connection with somebody. We always want to surprise and impress.”
This duo does exactly that by never being daunted by the constant nitty gritty that comes with the glory of treasure hunting. “As challenging as it is, “says Robuck, “it’s the mystery of this business, the chance of discovering something or someone new and then making that connection that makes getting back on a plane all worth while.”

And whatever the outcome, there is no such thing as buyer’s remorse at Robuck and Company. “I buy with my heart and all things I've bought I would love to have again,” says Robuck. First piece that comes to his mind is a 16th century dark walnut credenza with beautiful hand carvings. “It had such presence,” sighs Robuck. “But the best part is, he knows where it is,” says Marooney with a smile.