In Patagonia, Chile, Belmont resident Josemaria Gonzalez’s grandfather leaned over countless clocks, meticulously repairing their broken insides so they could keep time once again. The antique clocks filled the house with a symphony of sounds.
“Every Sunday morning, you would feel like you weren’t sure if you woke up at home or if you were in a church—It was very loud, but it was soothing,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez’s grandmother also carefully curated the home, decorating it with antique pieces of decor, including a collection of china dishware.
Today, Gonzalez and his mother, Rosa Sanhueza, are continuing the family tradition of collecting antiques.
Together, they operate Belmont Hills Bazaar—an online shop that ships antiques to clientele from around the world, including buyers in England, Canada, Australia, Dubai, Switzerland, and Germany.
The duo sources these items primarily from residents in the process of moving, many of whom are physicians.
“We’ve been very fortunate that we have good contacts in the medical community,” said Sanhueza. “We go to those houses and we have the first view of things that we want to buy.”
On Saturday, Sept. 27, the shop will host its first in-person event at the historic Homer House.
For a $5 admission—which will benefit the Belmont Women’s Club—attendees will be able to shop the collection. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A Growing Passion
Although Belmont Hills Bazaar initially focused on clocks, it now boasts an extensive inventory of lamps, glassware, porcelain, and ceramic figurines and sculptures, many with Western European origins.
“These kinds of antiques aren’t dying, but they’re not being made,” Gonzalez said.
He said refurbishing the pieces gives them a chance to “come back to life,” adding that the level of craftsmanship evident in antiques is now rare to find.
For example, some sets of figurines in the shop could have taken more than 100 hours to craft, according to Gonzalez’s estimation.
“You can see details in the hands [and the] facial features,” he said. “There are certain pieces [in which] you can see the wrinkles in the face.”
Gonzalez carefully packages each item, drawing on his experience working at UPS.
Sanhueza recalled him intricately preparing a set of Japanese figurines to send to customers in Canada, using a combination of styrofoam, paper, and different kinds of bubble wrap to secure the individual pieces.
“Those people put a review on eBay … that they have never seen anything like that in all the time they have shopped on eBay,” said Sanhueza.
Gonzalez, in part, credits this level of care with the shop’s growing customer base.
“We treat those things with respect, and people understand that,” he said. “Now, we realized that the operation is becoming bigger than we anticipated.”
A Priceless Experience
Hearing customers express appreciation has been one of the most gratifying parts of operating the business for Gonzalez and Sanhueza.
“Since people know where I work, people will come into the store just to give thanks,” he said. “I’ve had people crying because they found pieces that maybe a grandfather had, that they hadn’t seen in so long.”
Among many memorable customers was an elderly man who was very sick.
His daughters were fighting over a lamp that had belonged to his wife, after the other lamp in the set had been broken years earlier. He was able to find an identical lamp at Belmont Hills Bazaar.
“The email he sent—those things don’t have a price,” said Sanhueza.
Gonzalez said he dreams of one day opening a physical store in Belmont to continue connecting with buyers.
“This is one of the few places in the whole U.S. where you actually do know your neighbors,” he said. “I could talk to them about where we got this piece, why it matters, why it’s important, [and] why it’s different.”
At the end of the day, the joy that Belmont Hills Bazaar brings to customers fills both Gonzalez and Sanhueza with a sense of purpose.
“You just feel like you’re doing something right to make a living, but [at] the same time, you’re making people happy,” Sanhueza said.
More information about Belmont Hills Bazaar can be found at belmonthillsbazaar.com.