While many of Tarrytown’s Main Street signs and shops have changed over 150 years, the essential character and appearance of the street remains the same. Remove the horses, replace them with automobiles, and a photograph taken then could pass for today. Into this mix is Tarrytown’s flourishing antique market, proving that what goes around, comes around.

Hank’s Alley is located in the old firehouse building, about one block north of Main Street, at 24 Kaldenberg Place and just down from the original entrance of the Music Hall. Hank Bucci specializes in the buying and selling of used furniture, antiques and what he refers to as bric-a-brac.

“Sure, you will find genuine antiques here, but you’ve really got to know your business,” he said. When asked about the Bucci name and why it seems to pop up everywhere in Westchester, he responded, “Well, you see, my grandmother had 19 children, and they all had children. That sort of answers the question, doesn’t it.”

Hank has been in business for about 28 years. He’s not sure how long he’ll continue, “but I like what I’m doing. It gives me something to do and gets me out of the house.” He gets his inventory from phone calls from private owners looking to sell, from estate sales, auctions and from other dealers. Actually, there is quite a trade among dealers that goes on all the time. He has a well-known reputation as a good businessman and a seller at fair prices.

“I’ll tell you a story. One day a dealer comes in and buys a table for $700. Several weeks later he returns and hands me $1,000. He said he sold the piece for many thousands of dollars and wanted to give me something in light of his good fortune,” he said. “ I refused his gift because, I told him, I had made a legitimate profit on the original sale to him and I was satisfied. I congratulated him on his sale. Hey, that’s the way it’s done.”

Does he ever hold onto any items that he just wouldn’t part with? “I’ll tell you another story. Some years back I owned race horses. On the way to Pocono Downs I happened to pass an interesting antique/collectible road stop. They had a pair of life-size replicas of the Blues Brothers. I had to have them. He quoted a price but I offered all the cash I had on me. The deal was made. On the way back, after the race, I caused quite a commotion from the honking cars and trucks tailing me. And then a cop stopped me. He said that all they wanted was to take a closer look at the Blues Brothers propped up in the back of my pick-up. Now, those fellas are right here with me and they’re not going anywhere. Along with some photos, prints and a few other things they’re my friends. I’m here almost every day and I want them around me, rather than some strangers who come and go every six months or so.”

Usually, Hank holds a blow-out sale every six months to get rid of excess inventory, which is particularly high now because of the economy. “My father taught me that a fast dollar is usually better than a slow 10!” Future plans call for expansion next store and an upscale flea market, maybe twice a month. By the way, if anyone is interested in 12 place settings of Royal Doulton china in mint condition, for under $800, contact Hank’s Alley.

Located just around the corner, at 9 Main Street, is Juliana Rose, winner of the Best in Westchester Antique Shop Award for 2009. She specializes in antiques and personal gifts which she generalizes as ‘eclectic.’ Her daughter is also her partner.

Though the shop is narrow, each item is displayed with obvious care and can be easily viewed by the customer. Her inventory, like the other shops, is obtained from estate sales, auctions and other dealers. When out searching for special merchandise, she carries wish lists from her clients, just in case she comes across the perfect antique.

Juliana Rose has been in Tarrytown for six years and, before that, five years in Chappaqua. Her business is generated by taste and merchandise that is popularly priced to sell, so that it doesn’t stay around too long. As far as the competition along the street, she welcomes it. The more, the merrier. One or two shops bring additional business, five and six bring even more.

M.S. Antiques is located at 19 Main Street. It is owned and operated by Maurice Steiker and his son Alex, who hopes to continue the business. The shop has been situated in the village for seven years, but their family’s Paris business roots span about 30 years. The French connection remains ongoing today, although the importing of French and European antiques has slowed because of the present exchange rates. Alex explains their collection as mainly decorative including paintings and furniture, both classic and modern.

As to what is IN and what is NOT and if there is an antique cycle, he has an interesting observation. “Obviously, those antiques priced out of this world and prized by the wealthy collector are always in vogue. But, for the average buyer, peak interest is spiked by the ebb and flow of a style cycle. And, he feels that today’s buyers are younger and motivated to some extent by nostalgia, which gives demand another style-turn of the wheel. What we remember as kids and what made us feel comfortable is what we look to re-acquire today.”

His inventory, besides the French connection, comes from the usual sources. His sales are augmented by having booths at antique shows around the country. Because the economy has not rebounded yet, he buys cheaper and tries to keep his prices in proportion. “After all, the ultimate goal is to place each piece in a house, not to make it more difficult.”

Michael Christopher Antiques is located at 23 Main Street. It has been in Tarrytown for 25 years, at various addresses up and down the street and is run by partners Michael Farley and Christopher Brazil. “It seemed like a depressed area when we settled here, but look at it now. That growth is what we anticipated. We hoped to be among the many new shops that attract many people who are curious and want to buy.” The shop, itself, sparkles like a collection of jewels with beautiful crystal hanging everywhere. Their specialty is classic: Empire (1825-1845) and Formal /Regency (1700-1810).

What makes them different from their competitors is that they do their own restoration. Therefore, they are able to buy some items at more favorable prices from dealers who don’t have that additional talent. That talent has been developed from scratch. Neither partner was able to do restoration in the beginning, but mastered it over the years. They had no knowledge of the antique market either, but mastered that too. It started with an interest and a dream. They still have it after 25 years.