hen Fred and Gail Taylor began restoring their 1928 bungalow in South Tampa, Florida their attention naturally was drawn to older and antique furniture. This eventually led to their full-time involvement in the antique furniture restoration business even though they both had corporate backgrounds.

Over the years, their willingness to share their first-hand knowledge and experience with customers led to the development of a seminar to help enthusiastic but uninformed owners and collectors identify their furniture. This seminar has since been presented around the country at conventions, malls, antique shows and private group meetings for collectors, admirers and restorers of vintage furniture.

Their DVD, "Identification of Older & Antique Furniture," is a natural extension of their efforts and has been very favorably reviewed by such publications as Maine Antique Digest and the Library Journal. It is carried by most major educational and trade distribution houses and is now available online.

They expanded the original seminar to include style and wood identification. Their other seminar currently offered is the "QFX" seminar devoted to demonstrating simple products and procedures that assist the dealer and collector in quickly making an antique more functional and beautiful with minimal expenditure of time, money and effort.

Fred used the seminar and the DVD as the basis for his new book, "How to be a Furniture Detective” which uses the Sherlock Holmes approach to determining the age, style, wood and condition of a piece of furniture. His easy going writing style makes it feel more like a conversation with an old friend than a technical work on furniture although it is loaded with technical and historical information.

The Taylor’s have combined their professional forces to offer a personalized Press Release service to a select group of businesses in the antiques related industry. A Press Release is a primary means of communicating news about your company to the media. Reporters, editors, and producers are hungry for fresh news, and they often depend on releases for their publication’s content. With your input, they will prepare and distribute informational Press Releases to trade publications around the country as well as to local media outlets and significant Internet sites. Pre-event releases pique potential customer interest and participation. Post-event releases show your customers what they missed and encourage them not to miss your next event!

Fred and Gail continue their daily involvement with antiques. Fred acts as moderator for the Furniture category of the “On-Line Forum" sponsored by Antique Week, the largest circulation trade publication in the U.S., as well as writing a syndicated series of monthly articles under the bylines "Common Sense Antiques" and "Questions and Common Sense Answers" for antiques and collectibles publications in the U.S. and Canada.

He has published articles in other major publications including Antique Trader, Chicago Art Deco Society, Northeast Magazine, Victorian Decorating and Lifestyles, Professional Refinishing and The Antique Shoppe Newspaper. He writes in-depth feature articles for major trade publications and he writes the "Wood Works" and “Furniture Forum” columns for Antique Week, the “Focus on Furniture” monthly series for New England Antiques Journal and writes coverage reports for major antiques auctions from all over the country. He is also a major contributor to the semi-annual publication “Antiques and Art Around Florida.”

Additionally, Fred has served twice as the sole judge of the Fine Handcrafted Furniture Woodworking Show at the Florida State Fair.