Our Story

Kati’s remarkable adventure began in the 1940s in Northern Finland. Kati’s love for beautiful handmade textiles started at a young age. Her large, traditional family always valued anything handmade, and at home she was taught how to sew, knit, crochet, weave and needlework. She grew up designing and making her own dresses and other garments. You could say Kati’s career truly started when she would make clothes for her school friends to earn pocket money.

At the age of 19, Kati moved to London and lived just a few minutes' walk from world-famous Portobello Road Antique Market. She found the market fascinating and fell in love with all of the incredible and unusual things, but she was particularly drawn to the stalls that were selling antique lace and linen. Kati started her passion by regularly buying her own clothes from the market (she still does...).

In the early 1970s, whilst shopping at one of her favourite shops, Kati decided to ask if she could have a table outside to sell antique lace and linen. Little did she know this would be the beginning of a long love affair…

In what seemed to be in a short period of time, Kati became one of the most well-known antique lace and linen dealers, with customers coming from all over the world to view her stall. From customers flying in from Japan to appreciate the beauty of exquisite lace, to Arabian royalty becoming regular buyers, every day seemed to bring a new and exciting memory. Kati began selling to famous designers, directors, theatre costume stylists and television wardrobe buyers. Whilst simply doing what she was truly passionate about, Kati had unintentionally sourced textiles for some of the world’s most important people. Kati knew she had found her calling, and she realised “work” didn’t feel like work.

"If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life."

One summer’s afternoon, in the busy crowd of Portobello Road, Kati met another antique lace and linen dealer who, against all odds, was also from Finland! It was the beginning of not only a life-long friendship, but also a unique business partnership. Kati’s new friend was well-known in Paris and America and introduced her to a unique circle. Together they travelled the world, working hard whilst sipping champagne to celebrate new milestones.

Before she knew it, Kati was a world renowned antique lace and linen dealer, receiving invites to antique fairs and exhibitions from all over the world. From Norway to Japan to the USA, Kati found a new level of gratitude and admiration for the diverse customers her business brought her. She found herself attending VIP showings in Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong and became the ‘go-to’ lady for supplying the rarest and most exquisite antique lace and linen.

50 years later, Kati is now an “antique” herself, with a plethora of knowledge and jaw-dropping stories from her career and travels. She is nowhere near retirement and still has the most incredible collection of antique lace and linen, which she continues to sell at Portobello Market and around the world. As times have changed, with the help of Kati's granddaughter, they are bringing her well-established antique store into the online space! 

This is how Antiques by Antiques was born, and we are incredibly excited to share this beauty with more people around the world...

We're so happy to have you here.