Henrik and Mary Follin gave us an exclusive tour of the must-see Round Top Ranch Antiques.
Upon visiting Round Top for the first time “just to see antiques” at the Fall 2018 show, Henrik and Mary Follin had no idea that they would be permanent residents, moving their school-aged children and successful Denver, Colorado-based business to rural Texas in a year’s time, but that’s exactly what happened.
Originally from Denmark, Henrik started buying and selling antiques on the weekends when he was a teenager and grew it into a wholesale business throughout Europe. Ten years later, he moved to America, settling in Colorado and opening Scandinavian Antiques. Over the next 25 years, he became one of the largest importers of antiques in the western U.S.
“Mary and I came to Round Top the first time just to get away from the city and experience the antiques show,” Henrik says. “We had looked for rural property in Colorado for years, I never thought we’d be living here.”
A country boy at heart, Henrik fell in love with the Texas countryside.
“The rolling green hills were very much like Denmark. In the short drive from the Austin airport to Round Top, central Texas had captured our hearts. Soon after that, a friend called and told me about some land that had come on the market. It was a perfect fit for the large scope of what we do, and that’s the land we have now.”
The eight-acre property is now the home of Round Top Ranch Antiques, which consists of three large buildings including the showroom; a few cabins available on AirBnB; and, the original homestead farmhouse that’s been moved to the back of the property, has been restored, and will eventually be available to overnight guests. Henrik and Mary gave us a virtual tour, to provide the full scope of the operation.
“We are down the road from Market Hill, across the street from The Compound, and walking distance to Marburger,” Mary says.
An important part of their business is that they are open year-round.
“We moved the family, the dog, we committed to life in Texas. This is a full-time family business,” Mary says. “One of the first times we went to Royer’s [Round Top Café], JB asked us if we were going to be open year-round, and when we said ‘yes,’ he welcomed us with a warm smile and cherry pie to take home.”
Making our way around the property, we began at Building 1, a 9,000-SF structure made from reclaimed barn wood. It has a beautiful entrance, elaborate doors which lead to an impressive interior with exposed beams and vaulted ceilings. Inside, it’s filled with antiques, all handpicked by Henrik.
“We don’t rent our space to other vendors. We have such a huge inventory of European antique furniture that we need all three buildings to display it. All of our antiques are authentic” he says.
The strength of Round Top Ranch Antiques is in the buying power Henrik has in Europe.
“We have a warehouse outside Copenhagen, Denmark, and another outside Budapest, Hungary,” he says. “I am constantly buying, adding to that inventory. We ship containers throughout the year to Round Top, not only at show time. This keeps our inventory fresh and available year-round for our private clients or designers, whether in the showroom or online.”
“I am constantly buying, adding to that inventory. We ship containers throughout the year to Round Top, not only at show time. This keeps our inventory fresh and available year-round for our private clients or designers, whether in the showroom or online.”
We walked over to the showroom next. Opening the door, Rosie, the shop dog, was sprawled out on the cool floor, enjoying the A/C. The showroom is stunningly clean, airy and bright, styled more like a retail space with the antiques staged in vignettes. When asked which pieces Henrik currently favors most, he says “primitive country” and “oil paintings. “The majority of our clients are looking for the Texas farmhouse/European country look,” he says.
“We also have spectacular large pieces like this wall unit,” Mary adds, pointing to a bookcase along the back wall. “We are unique to Round Top due to the wide range and sheer volume of antique furniture available. Our success with the Denver design community and the Vail/Aspen market was due to the quality, variety and volume of antiques we offer. Whether a client loves rustic, primitive and original painted pieces, or they have more of a classic, sophisticated style, we have something to appeal to everyone.”
We moved onto Building 3, made of all reclaimed metal with soaring 33-foot tall ceilings. It’s also packed with antique furniture, all priced for sale. When asked about how these buildings came to be, Henrik says, they are exactly how he envisioned them.
“I could picture each building in my head. I worked with a local builder from Smithville. What I envisioned he could create with limited architectural drawings. The wood is from two barns in the Midwest. The metal is reclaimed from Smithville. The doors are all reclaimed from Europe.”
“We have clients who browse the barns and others come out here and spend three hours with all there is to see. We tell them to make themselves at home,” Mary says.
As for where they make their home, they actually live in La Grange where their youngest children (13 and 15) are in school.
“It’s great to be in the country,” Mary says, “It’s much more laid back. My kids and I had never lived outside of the city. I thought I would be driving to Austin every week,” she laughs, “but we are happy here. This is our home now. Paul Michael is one of the first people who welcomed us,” she says. “One of the special things about Market Hill is the way it appeals to the trade designers from all over the world.”
“The uniqueness of Round Top is that it has a small-town atmosphere combined with an international appreciation of antiques while being surrounded by natural beauty. We drive by green pastures, ancient oak trees, and longhorns every day on our way to work – it’s amazing!”
“We believe in the potential of Round Top’s future,” Mary says. “We moved our established business of 25 years and our family. The genuine welcome we have received from locals, including businesses like Market Hill, is because we are open year-round, and we are committed to stay.”
Round Top Ranch Antiques is located at 2545 Hwy. 237 and open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. year-round. It will be open daily with extended hours during the fall show. For more info, call 979-249-5100, or visit roundtopranchantiques.com, and be sure to follow along on Instagram @rtrantiques.