30,000 antiques but who replaced his US & European customers in Chiang Mai Thailand

S01E12 Please SUBSCRIBE. Josh and his wife Jennie founded Crossroads Asia in Chiang Mai 32 years ago. The business now has 50,000 square meters of showroom and storage space and 30,000 items of antique furniture, art, textiles and artifacts from around the whole world. When they started their business most of their customers were in North America and Western Europe and their antiques were all sourced outside of Europe. Now they sell almost nothing in those markets and ,instead, Europe has recently become an important source for antique furniture in particular.
So where are Josh and his wife now selling the bulk of their items?
Josh gives us a guided tour of his showrooms and storage areas and talks about how his massive business has evolved over the decades.

[@Teacher-T-Thailand]

What an amazing shop. I will have to visit.

[@ancientbiker]

Yes, it's quite incredible. The perfect place to furnish and decorate an entire home. This is why Josh supplies so many boutique hotels across the world.

[@Bykersam]

Hell that's a lot of antiques, dedication indeed 👍 it's not just business it's absolute passion.

[@ancientbiker]

I think you're right. It shows a real passion and vocation. A real life's work I'd say.

[@yepthatsme170]

A very interesting man I will have to call to his place when I eventually renovate Chiang Rai. I love wood myself all the furniture here is teak love the stuff....keep up the good work.

[@ancientbiker]

Thank you Colin

[@PMLynch]

Thai craftsmen are very good at making fake antiques. Give a top Thai craftsman a sample 1903 Transylvanian bench and he will be able to make you a knock-off "antique" bench that will look exactly like the original.

[@ancientbiker]

That may be true. But, of course, I am sure you are not suggesting that the Transylvanian antiques being stored and sold by Josh are fakes made by talented Thai craftsmen.

[@PMLynch]

@@ancientbiker The owner of a store in Seattle that specialized in Thai and Asian antiques told me about how good craftsmen were in faking old artifacts. He mentioned some problems he had sourcing furniture and furnishings from Thailand, Viet Nam and Indonesia. This was thirty years ago. I'm just saying what's possible. Josh has been around for a long time so that alone establishes some credibility. I would trust him.

[@ancientbiker]

@@PMLynchI do not know Josh well. I met him for the first time the day I shot our conversation. But I am 100% sure that his artifacts all have top provenance. He does have some reproductions on sale and he was completely open about that when I asked him about some of the objects we looked at together (in the video). From what he told me his Chinese clients, in particular, are very discerning and I am sure he would not risk or even destroy his reputation and the efforts of 30 + years in the business by selling fake antiques.

[@idonknowhaha]

ขโมย

[@richardkatze636]

why is this in a biker web site--the audio and visual does not do it justice--it's much too ameteurish

[@ancientbiker]

Actually Richard as I sought to explain when I started this channel and said in my first video, my ambition is to have and show conversations with interesting people in Thailand - many, but not all of whom, have a biking connection. I do not believe that Josh has any interest in or affinity to biking, but I am 100% convinced that the massive business he has built over 30 years is of great interest to many people. I am very sorry that you didn't enjoy it. By the way the most popular video on my channel so far is Corey's house build. A topic which has nothing to do with biking but has been viewed nearly 6,000 times. kzbin.info/www/bejne/enatgHqGjNlpd80

[@richardkatze636]

it didn't show him in the best light. Certainly people wouldn't think to look in biker forum if they were interested in antiques in Thailand. I know crossroads asai very very well--it just wasn't done with a lot of thought. The dialogue was difficult to hear-the products that were chosen again did not show his inventory in the best light --oddly i've driven big bikes since 1972 so the link actually amused me

[@ancientbiker]

@@richardkatze636I take your comments to heart Richard. And I am sure that you know Josh and his products better than I do. To be fair I was following his lead in accompanying him around the storage areas and showrooms chosen by him - not by me. As you know even better than I do - he really does have a vast range of antiques, furniture, art and other interesting items and I think that any relatively short format would probably not do justice to the 30,000 items he has in 50,000m2 of storage.

[@mrmartin2079]

Perhaps you yourself should learn to spell correctly before harshly criticizing and calling somebody else’s video effort “ amateurish “ It’s actually a very interesting video What a pathetic moan from you tho - because such a video could be on a “ biker “ channel - 🙄😂

[@mickjames8143]

Richard you sound like a really nice guy. if you don't like it move on Mr.BigBike