BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The thrill of antiquing is the moment shoppers stumble across a gem amid the rubble.

Finding Cornerstone Antiques feels much like this thrill.

“We are very particular,” said owner Ted Draybik, who opened his first antique business in 1986 — on the advice of his antique dealer father who said there was good money in it. “Style is the most important thing. No matter what the condition is, if the style isn’t popular, you can’t sell it.”

Draybik’s staff preps and cleans the furniture before it makes it to the 9,000-square-foot showroom.

The store opened 12 years ago on Greenspring Avenue about 10 doors down from its current location.

Draybik is planning to expand into a neighboring space in March, which will add another 6,000 square feet to the store, he said.

“I knew I had to move into a location with a lot of traffic in order to do type of pricing and markdowns we wanted to do,” he said of initially choosing Timonium for the store.

“And you better be in an area with a lot of traffic to be fair to the consignors.”

Store Manager Dennis Kendall does the majority of house calls and furniture selection. He has been in the antique business for more than 27 years.

“We are big into Potthast, an old German furniture-maker from Baltimore. We try to have as much of it as possible in the store at all time,” said Kendall, adding that Kittinger and Statton also are popular with customers. “Baltimore is a traditional town,” said Draybik, of his customers’ interest in mahogany and dark cherry pieces.

“But I do think the overall market is moving toward the more casual style like the lighter woods.”

The inventory at Cornerstone changes daily. Some customers come in on a monthly or even daily basis.

“On average, people probably stop in two to three times a month for the year they are furnishing,” Draybik said. “After that, sometimes we’ll just see them a few times a year.”

The owner’s favorite items on the floor were a Biggs inlay table, and a Potthast corner closet.

So was his father right?

“I would tell my dad that it’s been a good business,” Draybik said. “For five years, I didn’t make any money, but if you get great at it and learn it well and keep your customers first, you’ll be successful and that is good a thing.”

aminkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com

Cornerstone Antiques

» 2175 Greenspring Drive, Timonium

410-561-3767

» www.onlycornerstone.com