Today we’d like to introduce you to Martin and Monica Norkowski.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Martin and Monica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Being born and raised in Europe, surrounded by the fine arts and antiques, was fundamental in forming my love for the arts. This love has become my life, my hobby and my passion. It is also the reason why I became an artist (I do contemporary paintings. This allows me to step aside from the vintage and antique objects I work on daily and to immerse myself in the modern art for a change).
After coming over to America (specifically, to Los Angeles, CA) in the mid 1990’s, I began working professionally with antiques and fine art pieces. Los Angeles was a great starting point – it gave me the ability to familiarize myself with United States, learn the language, and get to know the people.
In the mid 2000’s, I met my future wife through an acquaintance at a restaurant in LA. Problem was, she lived in Texas (Houston, to be more precise) …. It didn’t take me long to pack up all my belongings and move to Texas too! We got married in 2006 and after living together in Houston for a year, we decided to move yet again. We knew that we wanted to stay in Texas, but we weren’t quite sure which city to pick. So, we randomly placed our fingers on the map and fate had us coming to Dallas in the spring of 2007. After settling in the new city, with an addition of a newborn, and working for other people, it has become clear to us that we wanted to open our own business very soon. The timing couldn’t be worse, as the country was just coming out of deep recession and there wasn’t a lot optimism around. Nevertheless, we took a gamble and filed all the necessary paperwork to form and open our business.
Antique Restoration Masters, LLC opened its doors in June of 2011 and it has since become our second baby.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When we opened in 2011, the country was in the very early stages of the recovery from the bad recession. We weren’t sure how it will all play out. There was a lot of unknown and uncertainty.
After all, antique and fine art repair is not a necessity. It is considered to be a luxury service (believe it or not, even though our fire, water and transit damage clients would tell you otherwise).
Online statistics for new businesses aren’t too optimistic either. Only about 20% of nee businesses survive past their first year of operation, and then only about half of those survive past their 5-year mark. Betting our money on this venture was risky, but deep inside we believed it would work out just fine.
We knew that with dedication, hard work and persistence, we could build this business from grounds up. We also knew that the kind of services we would provide were very unique and therefore, we could become successful.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Antique Restoration Masters – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a family owned and operated business – a husband and wife team. We work on all the projects ourselves to ensure the quality of the finished product. We pay attention to details and we care about our client’s items as if they were our own. We use only quality, professional grade materials. We strip items by hand only (no dipping in tanks which causes damage to furniture joints and veneer). We believe in quality work and we have set high standards for ourselves to follow. In modern world, where often times work is rushed and projects are done just to pass as “good enough”, we are dedicated to take the time and to work on our projects the right way – for that “wow” effect. We listen to our customers’ needs and often times provide suggestions as to the best route to proceed with in order to achieve the desired effect. We believe in doing things “the right way, or no way at all”, and we choose quality over quantity any day. We strive to provide our customers with 100% satisfaction and the best compliment we can receive is a referral of us to their friends and family, as well as having them as repeat clients. We also provide many extensive services for a large scope of antique restoration needs that are not provided by many other businesses. We work not only with furniture, but also with paintings, sculptures, frames, mirrors and decorative arts. We have worked on vintage barber chairs, cash registers, wagons, juke boxes, Victrolas, brass hardware, steamer trunks, marble statues, ceramic figurines, vintage toys, metal signs, Coca-Cola memorabilia, neon sign, coffee grinders, riffles, swords, classic cars wooden trims and other interesting and unique items.
We work with in and out of state private owners, collectors, re-sellers, designers and antique dealers, as well as international clients. We have proudly worked for: George W. Bush Presidential Library, Texan Theater, The Mansion at Turtle Creek, Lake Austin Spa, Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Betty Lou Phillips Interior Design, Vintage Living by Lisa Luby Ryan, Antiques Moderne, Bear-Hill Interiors, Blassingame Designs – just to name a few.
We pride ourselves on our positive online reviews. We really appreciate when customers are inclined to leave feedback for us online, for this means that we have met or even exceeded their needs or expectations.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Honesty, we do not have a lot of time to concentrate on future plans at this point. We are trying to get caught up on all the projects that our clients entrust us with for the restoration. We feel lucky each and every day to be able to do what we love and get paid to do it too. We also enjoy the excitement of never knowing what new and interesting object (or a person for that matter) will come through our door next. We look at each new day and project as an opportunity to further ourselves and our business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10203 Plano Rd., #114, Dallas, TX 75238
- Website: www.antiquerestorationmasters.com
- Phone: 469-432-3417
- Email: antiquerestorationmasters@yahoo.com
