Episode 47 | Always Buying Always Selling: Life as a Full-Time Antique Dealer with Laura Saville

Episode 47 | Always Buying Always Selling: Life as a Full-Time Antique Dealer with Laura Saville

Author: Matt Ledbetter January 5, 2026 Duration: 1:17:13
House of Folk Art
ArtsHistoryVisual

In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter sits down with longtime friend and full-time antique dealer Laura Saville for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about what it really means to make a living in antiques.

Laura has spends all her time buying, selling, filling booths, working shows, and constantly moving inventory. Inspired by early memories of her grandfather’s Milwaukee saloon to a career at Nordstrom that sharpened her eye for curation and merchandising, Laura explains how every chapter of her life quietly prepared her for this work.

Together, Matt and Laura talk about the rhythm of the antiques business, the reality of selling full time, how dealers decide what to hold and what to let go, and why shows like Liberty feel so special. They also reflect on how the trade is changing, why younger dealers are entering the field, and why it is never too late to start if you truly love it.

This episode is part storytelling, part shop talk, and part encouragement for anyone curious about life as a full-time antique dealer.

Chapters
00:00 | Introducing Laura Saville 
02:20 | Knowing Each Other Through Shows and the Trade
05:50 | Always Buying Always Selling
09:40 | Filling Booths and Keeping Inventory Moving
13:25 | No Antiques Growing Up, Except Grandpa
17:45 | Grandpa's Milwaukee Saloon and the Worner Bottle 
22:10 | From Nordstrom to Full-Time Antique Dealer
26:30 | Curating, Presentation, and Retail Instincts
31:10 | What to Sell, What to Hold Back
35:40 | Liberty, Shows, and the Energy of the Field
40:05 | Is Being an Antique Dealer Still a Job
44:30 | Younger Dealers and Finding Your Way In
49:20 | It’s Never Too Late to Go Full Time
53:30 | Closing Thoughts on Loving the Work

Where to Find Laura Saville
Laura Saville is based in North Carolina. You can find her regular booth at The Antique Marketplace, located at 6428 Burnt Poplar Rd, Greensboro, NC 27409. Laura’s booth is the first booth to the left behind the counter.

More information: https://antiquemarketplacegso.com

Laura also regularly sets up at regional antiques shows, including:

The Tarheel Antiques Festival
April 10–11, 2026
226 North Lloyd’s Dairy Rd, Efland, NC 27243
https://www.tarheelantiquesfestival.com

Liberty Antique Festival
April 24–25, 2026 (final Liberty show)
2855 Pike Farm Rd, Staley, NC 27355
Laura’s booth: M5
https://www.libertyantiquesfestival.com

Fishersville Antiques Expo
May 8–9, 2026
227 Expo Rd, Fishersville, VA 22939
Inside the first building
https://www.heritagepromotions.net

Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:

houseoffolkart@gmail.com
(919) 410 8002

Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.

Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, adventures, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.


Matt Ledbetter lives in a world of vibrant paint, carved wood, and compelling stories. In House of Folk Art, this Gibsonville, North Carolina auctioneer and collector pulls up a chair to share that world, drawing directly from his deep connections within the Southern folk art community. His perspective is unique; because he organizes renowned quarterly auctions, Matt often knows the artists personally and has handled their work firsthand. This isn't a distant academic lecture. Instead, each episode feels like a conversation about the objects and the people who make them, exploring the intricate history behind the creations and the profound, often very personal, motivations that drive the artists. You’ll hear about intimate encounters and the small details that give this art its soul, from the choice of reclaimed materials to the narratives etched into the surface. Tuning into this podcast means getting a backstage pass to a living tradition, where every whirligig, portrait, or memory jug carries a fragment of cultural history. Matt’s guidance helps unravel the rich tapestry of this creative landscape, making the stories behind Southern folk art accessible and deeply engaging for anyone curious about the visual heritage of the region. The House of Folk Art podcast builds, piece by piece, a vivid understanding of why these works resonate so powerfully.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 58

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Podcast Episodes
Episode 58 | Matt and Kyle Get Back to Folk Art [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:28
Matt and Kyle are back at the Auction Gallery in Gibsonville after a run of antique shows. Liberty and Fishersville were fun, but this episode gets back to the roots of House of Folk Art: self-taught art, pottery, carvin…
Episode 57 | Van Side at Fishersville Antique Expo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:10
Fishersville was a great show this year. Friday was packed from the start, dealers were moving material early, and by Saturday morning Matt was already back at the van digging through the pile of things that he’s taking…
Episode 55 | Riding Out to Liberty with Matt Ledbetter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:42
Matt Ledbetter sits down before heading out to Liberty, North Carolina to set up Wade's tent for the last Liberty Antique show.Held twice a year in Randolph County, the Liberty Antiques Festival has long been one of the…
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Matt Ledbetter and Kyle sit down with a table full of pieces from the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival and break down what they picked up over the weekend.Held once a year in Hickory, North Carolina, the Catawba Valley Po…
Episode 53 | 10 Picks Inside a 15,000 Sq Ft Folk Art Warehouse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter and Kyle walk through the newly expanded Ledbetter warehouse and put it to use right away. With over 15,000 square feet of material to dig through, they each pick out…
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Duration: 1:06:13
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Episode 50 | Rare 1990s Folk Art Footage from Tom Wells [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:19
Before museums and collectors caught on, Tom Wells was documenting Southern folk artists on VHS in the early 1990s.In this episode, Matt Ledbetter sits down with the longtime dealer to revisit those tapes and reflect on…
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