Today we’d like to introduce you to James Urias.
Hi James, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a sixth generation Texan, with roots in Austin dating back to the late 1800s. Learning my history has always been difficult since it was never written down and legal documents are scarce, but stories were always a plenty. My family has always lived in East Austin and that is why I chose to come back to my roots when I opened my antique business in the heart of East Austin. I have always been fascinated with history, stories of the Comanche vs The Texas Rangers, The Civil War, and WWII were always my favorite subjects to learn about. I joined the United States Marine Corps at 18 years old, and that being the first time I traveled and experienced other cultures I learned the importance of documenting and collecting my own relics, it was also the first time I had any money so I started my collection with Pre Columbian pottery, soon after that I graduated to Egyptian antiquities, and naturally I was also collection militaria and war relics. In 2019 I decided I was hoarding a bit too much so I decided to participate in City Wide Garage Sale at the Palmer Event Center and surprisingly I did very well and made a lot of connections in the industry that I still have today. I loved the idea of having a space to show off all of my collection, curation was something I felt was lost in the fast paced selling market of setting up at shows week in and week out so I decided I was only going to participate in select shows such as Uncommon Objects and that is where I really got the idea of starting an antique shop, I saw a few of my favorite vendors set up next to each other, Daniel Schmidt (Uncommon Objects) was set up with next to Dhamon (DonnyBrook Vintage) and the wheels started turning. I asked Matt (The Duo Finds) Lloyd and Elizabeth (Sugar Shack Vintage) Dhamon, and Daniel if they would be interested in being vendors at my shop and to my surprise they said yes and I had just successfully got my favorite antique and vintage vendors all under one roof. Then came the hard part of doing all the logistics, I signed a lease on December 12, 2025 and less than 3 weeks later we up and ready for business. January 2nd we opened to the public and January 10th we had a grand opening party to celebrate the start of something we believed in. The Antique Mule ain’t your grandmas antique shop (To steal a phrase from my favorite TV show “Oddities”) we specialize in the rare items you would have to hit the jackpot to find at an antique mall at a reasonable price, from 19th century swords, to John. F. Kennedy’s funeral invitations, we guarantee you’re going to see some pieces that you have never seen and will never see again. Curation is key here at The Antique Mule, we are not the largest antique store in Austin, TX. Through thoughtful curation we are a place for interior designers and any regular person looking to decorate, we carry traditional antiques and paintings, but also have some very funky folk art if that’s what your heart desires and your space mandates.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We have been blessed to have such a smooth road so far but I’m sure we will come to a point where we have some struggle but i think what we have built will keep us going in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are an antique shop collective located at 4929 E. Cesar Chavez St. Specializing in Traditional antiques, folk art, primitives, religious iconography, and hard to find vintage clothing. I believe our love of antiques and vintage along with th0ughtful curation sets up apart from most vintage and antique shops. This is not a cash grab it is a love of history and preserving items we have a high regard for. I want people to think of us as a non traditional antique shop, we bring in what we love not what necessarily what “sells” but we never want this place to be used as a museum with pieces priced to never move. We live in a happy medium with museum quality items at an affordable rate. We will also offer classes such as Victorian hair art, collage, painting, etc… I believe this is not only a retail shop but a place with a pulse that should be utilized to it’s fullest potential, we will have arts, crafts, parties, and anything that sounds off the wall enough has a place at The Antique Mule.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I have many mentors in this space, my main mentor is Mark Thomas, I help him run estate sales and he has taught me the management and ethics that I have brought to my brick and mortar antique shop. My vendors are also my mentors, when I have questions Daniel Schmidt and Dhamon have always been there to help me answer them or to help my confidence in the shop when we weren’t seeing as many customers our first two months. We have had to make big decisions regarding how this business is ran and so far I think we have succeeded.
Pricing:
- When we price our items we like to be under retail but it is not possible for every item, especially regarding rare pieces or pieces from our personal collections.
- Fair pricing is integral to this shop so anything egregious should be brought to our attention
- We buy everything out of pocket, we are not a thrift or consignment store so prices might be higher than the thrift but we always try to be fair
- I believe from what I see at estate sales and other vintage shops we are very fair with our pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theantiquemule.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theantiquemule/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Antique-Mule/100077933782182/#
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-antique-mule-austin?osq=antique+mule
