[The Elle article inspired this spotlight on the wicker makers]
Island business seats the stars
Written by Mark Good, Mount Desert Islander
Friday, February 13, 2009
http://mdislander.com/site/index.php...8820&Itemid=36
TREMONT — When Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham relaxes on the loggia of his recently built home in Los Angeles, chances are he settles down into wicker furniture purchased by his interior decorator wife from E. L. Higgins Antique Wicker.
Kristen Buckingham, who has her own design firm, Kristen Buckingham LLC, supervised every detail during construction of the couple’s home, creating what has been described as “haute bohemia meets 1920s.” The home is featured in the March issue of Elle Décor magazine.
It’s not the first time wicker from the Tremont business has helped furnish the homes of the famous. Edward and Linda Higgins count film director Steven Speilberg and actors Tommy Lee Jones and Kristie Alley as clients. But, it is the first time the business received mention in a magazine. The wicker chaise lounge, sofa and chairs from E. L. Higgins are pictured prominently in the article on the Buckingham home along with information on where the items were purchased.
“Usually we don’t get the credit,” Ms. Higgins said, adding that wicker from their company has been pictured in national magazines before. “The excitement for us was to actually get our name in there.”
Ironically, Ms. Higgins doesn’t recall the details surrounding Ms. Buckingham’s purchase. The transaction occurred three years ago.
“I can’t remember if she came in or called on the phone,” Ms. Higgins said. “Most designers find out about us from our Web site.”
The Higgins learned of the Elle Décor article after receiving a telephone call a few months ago from someone at the magazine asking for details about the business.
The antique wicker business began in 1975, after Mr. Higgins injured his back and was unable to continue working at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. The couple started in a small building next to their home in the village of Bernard. As the business grew, more space was needed and they moved a quarter mile down the road to the former Bernard Schoolhouse.
The schoolhouse provides the perfect setting for the couple to display the 800 to 1,000 pieces of wicker they have on hand at any one time. They specialize in products from the “heyday of wicker,” the period between 1870 and 1940. Those products can be quite diverse. Among the wicker chairs, tables and settees in the inventory are wicker lamps, bureaus, desks and even a birdcage. Perhaps the most unusual item they have had for sale is a wicker viewing basket, which held the deceased at a wake.
When the couple started, antique wicker was easier to find; many items were purchased locally and came from summer cottages on Mount Desert Island. Now, other antique dealers seek them out. But not every piece meets their standards.
“I look at 100 pieces and probably buy only the 20 best,” Mr. Higgins said.
After 34 years, Mr. and Ms. Higgins say they still enjoy every minute of running the business. Getting to know their customers is one perk, they said. And there’s always the possibility of stumbling upon a special item.
“You think you’ve seen it all and then a couple of pieces of museum quality furniture comes in,” Mr. Higgins said.
E. L. Higgins is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday during the summer and by appointment during the winter. An online catalog is available on their Web site, antiquewicker.com.