About Us

We think the best way to tell you about the Heart of Europe Tours is in the form of a personal letter. Please read on -- we’d like you to hear about what went through our minds as we launched this travel program...




Dear Friends,

When we brought our first antiques and collectibles back from the Continent more than twenty years ago, things were very different. We had no way of knowing then that our interest in collecting would grow to become a passion and spawn a business.

We were experimenting with various antique markets and dealers, buying here and there. The Cold War was on and Central Europe was still divided. The antiques trade in East Germany and Czechoslovakia was tightly controlled -- basically a state enterprise. There was little room for private entrepreneurship, and exporting antiques from Western Europe was costly.

The end of the Cold War and unification of Europe have changed everything, including the antiques trade. People in the East suddenly realized that old furniture -- even everyday items -- that had been slumbering for decades in parlors, cellars, barns and attics now had value. New dealers came on the scene. The market mushroomed as the borders opened.

We were always smitten with the beauty and huge variety of the antiques, decorative accessories, art and collectibles we saw in the Central Europe. And we always wondered why so few American collectors and dealers were buying there. After all, wholesalers from northern Europe, Belgium, France, Holland and Italy were coming to flea markets and antiques warehouses in eastern Germany, Prague and the Czech Republic, where prices were lower than in their own countries. These savvy dealers were trucking antiques from Central Europe and selling them to Americans from warehouses in Antwerp, Paris and Holland’s fabled "Antique Road."

We decided that the western European dealers were on to something good. And to make a long story short, that’s why we launched Heart of Europe Antiques Tours.

We want to give you the same access to quality antiques, furnishings and collectibles in Central Europe that western European dealers have had for a decade or more.   And by pooling shipping and keeping trip costs low, we want to provide you with the best possible value for your money. Before launching Heart of Europe Tours, we did marketing for international and U.S. nonprofits. We organized study tours to Europe, planned exchanges and had several years of experience learning how to do business in other countries. We are now using these same skills to make your buying trip fun and productive. And we’re sharing our access to great trade sources, retail shops, auction houses and markets with you as part of your trip.

We've expanded our offerings with more antiquing expeditions and a Christmas Markets Tour.   We hope you’ll be tempted, and please spread the word.

We hope you’ll join us for one of our wonderful antiquing trips or our great Christmas Markets Tour.  You’ll enjoy your travels all the more when you look back on your visits to markets and dealers, when you remember the Christmas markets you saw, and when you unpack your treasures at home. We hope you’ll feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions -- and we look forward to seeing you on one of our upcoming expeditions!

Warm regards,
Tom Conrad and Amy Gendall

PS.  Space is limited.  We’ll do our best to get get you on to the tour you’re interested in.  But help us help you: Please email us your reservation as soon as possible.