For decades, has surrounded himself with antiques, many of them precious and centuries old, others more recent finds.
Now it’s time to clean house. And when your “houses” consist of a 20,000-square-foot building at 451 Broadway and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in west Denver, it means you have a lot of stuff to sell.
Johnson is working with to hold an auction and tag sale this weekend of more than 1,000 pieces of furniture and decorative arts.
“He has a massive inventory and the sale will represent a good-sized chunk of it,” said Maron Hindman, managing director of the west and southwest office for the Chicago-based auction house. The sale will feature something for everyone interested in art and antiques, with prices from $100 to $5,000 and up. Tag-sale items are cash-and-carry; auction items will be sold Saturday and Sunday. Previews of the sale are Wednesday-Friday and the auction catalog is online at lesliehindman.com.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity; we’ve known Eron for a long time,” she said. “It’s a good way for him to revamp his inventory.”
Johnson — who carries fine furnishings and art from the 17-20th centuries, as well as Asian art and architectural pieces — said he had been planning to sell off a lot of his inventory. He wants to shift gears and showcase more contemporary works and host events in his Broadway location.
“Realistically, when I hit 60, I said I’m not going to keep doing this,” he said. “I am ready to get rid of quantity and get back to what I really like.”
Johnson said he’s been taking ceramics classes and enjoying music.
“I want to do art shows,” he said, “and not just worry about merchandise.”
The antiques dealer, who grew up in Wheat Ridge, is self-taught in the business.
“I have about 2,500 books, and while I haven’t read all of them cover-to-cover, I have learned a lot,” he said. “One of the best ways to learn is to start spending your own money on things. I made many mistakes and learned a lot.”
The sale will feature English, continental and American furniture and decorative arts, paintings and prints, Asian works of art, architectural antiques including American and European garden statuary, wrought iron, interior and exterior lighting, and doors.
Many of the auction items will be sold without a minimum price.
“If I paid $5,000 for something, I might put a $1,000 reserve on it, but there are going to be a lot of bargains,” Johnson said.
The tag sale will include garden statuary and fountains, fireplace surrounds, lighting and doors.
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
ERON JOHNSON ANTIQUES LTD.
The auction and tag sale will be Saturday and Sunday at 389 S. Lipan St. Previews are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Lots 1-560 will be sold beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, and lots 561-978 will be sold starting at noon Sunday. For details and the online catalog, visit Eron Johnson Antiques main showroom is at 451 Broadway; 303-777-8700. eronjohnsonantiques.com
