A conversation with collector and St. Louis native C.C. Lowery, whose shop is located in the Warson Woods Antique Gallery.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Collector and St. Louis native C.C. Lowery loves to change things up, both at home and at her shop in the Warson Woods Antique Gallery. Since opening Mockingbird Designs in March 2021, she’s started studying retail patterns, paying close attention to what items sell best. 

“It always amazes me what does or doesn’t sell. There is no rhyme or reason. Items I think will sell quickly because they’re hot on Instagram sometimes just sit in my booth. St. Louis has its own design style,” says the 50-year-old entrepreneur. “What is popular with designers in other cities doesn’t always translate here. Of course, a booth in an antique mall is a small audience compared to an Etsy store or Instagram.”

Lowery enjoys the process of discovery: furniture, artwork, wall hangings, mirrors. Finding vintage wicker and rattan furniture is especially gratifying. From bright-white pieces with fanciful scrolls and latticework to the clean, strong lines of natural rattan, she curates and sells it all.

How did you start the business? Five years ago, I started selling at antique malls with my best friend, Liz Arnold. We decorated our houses from antique malls. We’d gone to estate sales together. Liz had a collection of stuff in her basement, and I had things to sell. We sold together for two years; then I took a break. I opened by myself in 2021. 

Why is shopping secondhand a good choice? You never know what you’ll find: It might be a table made in Philadelphia in 1875 or a modern piece. You find things at all price points. 

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts, Styling by Becky McFarland-Cox

Where do you find the things you sell? I go to estate sales outside the central corridor: far north to St. Charles and beyond to far South County and into Illinois. I don’t want to run into potential clients at sales. I want to sell things they haven’t seen. I also go to auctions. I do consignment. When we first started, Liz and I [shopped] Craigslist. What’s good about secondhand furniture now is that it’s so easy to sell. If you say, ‘It doesn’t fit’ or ‘My husband doesn’t like it,’ you can sell anything pretty easily online.  

Your booth features rattan and wicker furniture year-round. Why is that? I grew up with bright-white tightly woven wicker furniture on the sun porch. I love it. It’s nostalgic. I wouldn’t do an entire room in wicker or rattan, though. I like to add touches—a cool lamp or a table, a comfy chair in an unusual, fun shape. I love adding architectural pieces to a living room where everything is upholstered. The great thing is, wicker and rattan pieces come in all styles, Gothic, Chippendale, or coastal chic. If you get sick of it, you easily sell it online. The Serena & Lily catalogs carry gorgeous, expensive pieces…or you can find a $6 chair at a garage sale, then spend a ton of money on fabric for the cushions. 

P.O. BOX 191606 St. Louis, MO 63119 314-918-3000

Copyright 2022 SLM Media Group. All rights reserved.