Angela Neuerburg shows where an interconnecting piece of an antique wardrobe needs to be repaired. She and her husband, Raoul Solfa, restore furniture from as far back as the 1700s and sell the pieces and much more at their shop, Angel Antiques, near Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
If you search the far corners of the internet or Ikea for a Dutch wedding cabinet from the early 1800s, you won’t find a replica of the one on display in the showroom at Angel Antiques.
Made of red tigerwood and ebony, the cabinet was handcrafted by a master artisan and fastidiously restored by the husband-and-wife team of Raoul Solfa and Angela Neuerburg.
The stunning piece is part of the vast inventory at their shop on the outskirts of Herforst, a village near Spangdahlem Air Base in southwestern Germany.
Visting Angel Antiques is akin to going on a treasure hunt in a grandmother’s giant attic. You can find keepsakes from the early 1700s to the mid-1900s ranging from towering, solid oak wardrobes with storage space to rival a modern walk-in closet’s to dainty silver cake forks.
The assortment includes clocks, mirrors, china, lamps, artwork, wall decor and a variety of furniture, from an old wooden sleigh to a dining room table with a full set of chairs.
An oak dining table with 10 matching chairs is already set for Easter dinner at Angel Antiques, a shop near Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, that sells antique furniture and other collectibles from all over Europe. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
The antique wardrobes at Angel Antiques near Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, were built to be easily assembled and disassembled. It was common for pieces built in the 18th and 19th centuries to be held together by wooden dowels or pegs. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
The couple’s clientele includes collectors and people looking to own something unique, including Americans stationed with the U.S. military in Germany.
An American told Neuerburg she heard of Angel Antiques while in Japan from another military family who had previously been in Germany and bought furniture from her, telling her, “ ’If you go to Spangdahlem, you have to go see Angela,’ ” Neuerburg said.
My discovery of the shop came via Facebook, where Neuerburg regularly posts photos of the couple’s recent finds and projects. They’ve caught my eye often enough that I decided to make the 90-minute car trek from Kaiserslautern.
The shop is in the middle of nowhere but impossible to miss, situated at the corner of one of the few main roads in the area.
Angel Antiques in Herforst, Germany, sells antique clocks that are functional, including this one from the 1850s. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
Browsing was easy, too. Items are spread across a single floor with ample natural light from large windows, and Neuerburg was on hand to answer questions and offer a cup of coffee. The collection embodies the couple’s love of antiques, Neuerburg said.
“I think you can’t do it otherwise,” she said. “It’s too much hard work in the background.”
The process begins with finding special pieces, mostly by word of mouth from other antique dealers at estate sales in France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and England, Neuerburg said.
That’s when the real work starts. Much of the vintage furniture they pick up needs major restoration, she said. Often that involves washing, drying out and oiling the wood numerous times to bring out its natural color. It can also include fixing broken locks and forging new keys.
Some of the furniture they find has been neglected for years, Neuerburg said. An English oak hutch engraved with the year 1712 is the oldest piece currently in the shop. It was stored behind piles of junk in a shed with a dirt floor.
“We give it a real good second life,” Neuerburg said, adding that with care and upkeep, antique furniture is everlasting.
“I just love the way the old masters thought before they built something. It had to be easy to take apart, easy to set together, and it had to be functional.”
This English mule chest from the early 18th century is one of the pieces for sale at Angel Antiques near Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. The chest has a top compartment with an authentic period lock and drawers at the bottom that were used to keep house shoes. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
The antique Dutch wedding cabinet at Angel Antiques in Herforst, Germany, is from the early 19th century and showcases intricate, hand-carved motifs. It’s made from red tigerwood and ebony and was professionally restored. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
All furniture from Angel’s comes with a certificate of authentication, she said. And customers receive video instructions on how to assemble and disassemble larger pieces and how to care for the wood. Delivery is available for an extra fee.
I didn’t buy anything during my first visit, which was more of a scouting mission.
After visiting a number of antique stores and flea markets in the region, I can say with certainty that this is the place where I would feel comfortable spending several hundred euros or more on a unique European heirloom.
The care that the owners put into restoring treasures is evident, and a piece from their store would be an everlasting memento of my time in Germany.
svan.jennifer@stripes.com; @stripesktown
Angel Antiques
Location: Beilingserstrasse 1, Herforst, Germany
Hours: Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Information: angelantiques68@gmail.com; www.facebook.com/angelantiquesherforst
