Meet Frederic Morris of Hot Tops Salon/Huntsville Antique Show

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frederic Morris.

Frederic, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started doing hair 35 years ago, I was 15 years old. I have worked in the Houston and Huntsville area, settling down in Huntsville. I have worked at hair shows for Matrix, some stage work and now have diversified. I started the Huntsville Antique Show and Rusty Chippy Vintage Hippy and Garden Shows about 15 years ago. Between the 19 antique and funky junk booths and the salon, I stay very busy. I love to cook and bake for my Husband. We have been together for over 23 years and still going strong. We are currently working on our “Huntsville Junkers” business identity. The current trends are heading towards re-purposing and slightly away from traditional antiques. Huntsville Junkers embodies the values of today’s youth. A.k.a. tomorrow’s trendsetters.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are always obstacles, there is never enough time when you are holding down four jobs. Lol. From the Estate Sales, Salon, Antique booths and shows… We are always pushing to get things finished. We refuse to paint much, I would rather sell it to another dealer or friend and let them paint it. Wood will be back in style soon and they will be stripping all this painted furniture. I have already done that, almost all of our antiques have been restored by my hand. The other challenge is me being a Cancer. I am always trying to please someone else, whether it is a scheduling issue in the salon or estate sale with a time frame. I usually take the brunt of it.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Hot Tops Salon/Huntsville Antique Show – what should we know?
In any business, if you educate you will prevail. I am still learning new techniques in the hair industry. The Estate Sale business is always changing, the trends drive some prices up and others down. The antique booths seem to suffer the most. With 19 booths, it is impossible to keep track of marking things down to sell them quickly. Which will make room for fresh merchandise. Our Dallas and Houston designer clients are buying up the trendy items faster than we can get them into the booths.

The Huntsville Antique Show and Rusty Chippy Vintage Hippy and Garden Show are two of my proudest accomplishments. When we started them, there were only 3 antique stores. We.now have over 13 antique stores and have become an Antique Destination. Shoppers come and stay for days to enjoy the shops and the shops in the surrounding areas. The town is a buzz a month or more from the show dates. The customers come from. All across country and are so nice to tell me in person about how they love the shows.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My Husband has been my best supporter. He encourages me and tells me I can do no wrong. In the salon, word of mouth has always been the best advertising. With the shows… The support from the community is amazing. We also go to surrounding towns and the antique stores are always so nice about helping get the word out about the shows. Kimm Thomas at the Sam Houston Statue Center has been a wonderful mentor with the advertising of our shows. There are so many friends on Facebook that have helped us in every way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.huntsvilleantiqueshow.com
• Phone: 936-295-4162, 936-291-3737
• Email: fredericmorris@sbcglobal.net
• Instagram: huntsvillejunkers
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000691296154

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.