Lily Barfield can barely keep furniture in the rooms, or on the walls, of her charming boutique hotel, the Marlene Inn, in Montrose.
“People ask to purchase antiques from the hotel all the time,” she told the Chronicle. “Most memorably, a luxury designer clothing brand really wanted to purchase the antique blue pastry cabinet from Paris that anchors our lounge. They wanted to use it in their showroom.”
What visitors don’t understand is that some of the larger pieces tucked into the Marlene’s public spaces, and even across its nine guest rooms, fit their spaces to the inch. Not to mention, they’re one of a kind. Barfield, well-known on Instagram as @LilysVintageFinds, and her mother, Tracie Aguillard, spent years sourcing objets d’art in the South of France.
“People walk in here and say, ‘I love the art. I love the table. I love the commode. Can I buy it? ‘” Barfield explained.
She fends off weekly offers from guests wanting to buy the furniture in their suites or around the grounds. Barfield declines, though a couple of proposals were so tempting she nearly couldn’t refuse.
As a compromise, she reimagined the Marlene’s former lobby and check-in space as an antiques shop roughly six weeks ago. The mini-emporium is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Other public areas are accessible until 11 p.m. on weekends. There’s a rotation of framed artwork for sale, too. It was an elegant solution — in theory.
On Wednesday evening, the shoppable space was flush with vintage table linens, chairs, French oak commodes, mirrors and more for a New Orleans-inspired lifestyle pop-up.
“We had someone come in and purchase several pieces this morning, so it’s super empty,” Barfield said on Thursday. “I’m working on getting the pieces replaced ASAP.”
Fortunately, she has storage units filled with goodies from mother-daughter buying sprees abroad, plus finds from Round Top and River Oaks resale boutiques. Barfield somewhat famously struggles to pass up an antiques mall or flea market when traveling with her husband as well.
She curates and prices these treasures thoughtfully in the Marlene’s gift shop. Some items are a steal; others will cost a pretty penny. It makes no difference. After a couple of cocktails in the hotel’s Art Deco-influenced Bar Madonna, merchandise tends to move quickly. People just start buying.
So much so that Barfield no longer posts antique drops on social media. Sometimes the turnover is only a few hours before she has to replenish the goods.
Aguillard chimed in, reminding her daughter of the 30 French olive grabbers they sourced during a buying trip. They sold out in three days.
“I want you to feel like you’re discovering something,” Barfield said. “And find a piece that was meant for ya.”