Business & Tech

Moss & Moss Downsizing into Tyler Florence Shop

And Moss & Daughters is moving into the former Moss & Moss space.

For the past three years, plenty of regulars have been coming into Moss & Moss Antiques not to shop, but to demonstrate their musical ability on the store’s
85-year-old Chickering grand piano.

“That was kind of the heart and soul of this place,” said owner Marjorie Clark. But last week she and her husband Larry Moss closed up shop and moved the instrument, along with select pieces from their antique collection, over to the Tyler Florence Shop on 59 Throckmorton Ave.

“We’re ecstatic,” Moss said. “It’s been great fun and we’ve met an incredible amount of people, but after three years we want to have more freedom.”

Shop owner and celebrity chef Tyler Florence is married to their daughter Tolan Florence, who is also moving her antique shop, Moss & Daughters, next door into her parents’ former and much larger space.  Moss & Daughters is vacant for now.

“It’s a very harmonious situation,” Florence said.

For Moss & Moss, it will be a big change downsizing from the large 18 Sunnyside Ave. space tucked into an alleyway next to El Paseo.

“It’s been a special spot,” Clark said. “But we’ll still have a place to go.” 

You’ll be able to find their condensed collection in the back room, or library of Tyler Florence. Clark said they plan to add to it and refresh it every week as they do now. They’re putting more emphasis on smaller items, but anything that won’t fit in the space will likely find its way into Moss & Daughters.

“I’m sure their stuff will be mixed in,” Florence said.

The couple opened Moss & Moss around the same time their daughter and Tyler Florence opened the kitchen shop. Clark began hunting for unique items that would look good in the store, but got a little overzealous with purchases like a Victorian viewing basket historically used to display corpses. With no place for something like that in the house, her kids suggested she and Moss open a store.

“We said ‘we don’t’ know anything about antiques, the economy is tanking and we have no retail experience,'"Clark said. “So why not?”

She and Moss had been retired for four years before the starting the business, and signed a three-year lease, which is now up.

“That was good timing because we were getting worn out,” Moss said. “We said the moment it starts to feel like work, we’re done.”

Although it hasn’t quite gotten to that point, they’re not pushing it.

“We’re just really ready,” Clark said.

They’re looking forward to spending more time with their family, particularly their grandchildren who are two-months, four, six and 16-years-old.

The best part about Tyler Florence, Moss said, is it's open seven days a week and they have sales people, which means he doesn’t have to be there.

“My major job will be to pop in every now and then to play to the piano,” he said. His renewed love for the instrument also let to his first CD, “Blame It on My Youth," which was released last year. 

“And Marjorie,” he said, “will continue shopping at estate sales.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here