About

The History

A sense of exploring was vested in husband-and-wife owners Jan and Tilly since the beginning. Jan is originally from the famous tulip bulb-growing region of Lisse, and Tilly was raised in Amsterdam. Jan learned the art of sailing on the high seas as a mate at a young age, and his hunger for travel and adventure never ceased. He met Tilly, who was working as a stewardess at the time, on a KLM flight. During their travels they came upon the beauty of East Asian Art and furniture leading to the founding of Clipper Trading Company in 1998.

The Storefront

Clipper Trading’s original location was off the beaten path in an old 4,000 square feet warehouse on the outskirts of Savannah. Wanting to expand their clientele and collection, Jan and Tilly opted to move in 2003 to the current location in the heart in Savannah’s Historic District. Here they offer a 12,000 square foot entrepot of shopping space with a magnificent collection of merchandise including South American Cow hides, wood slab furniture, Italian leather sofas, Polish glasswork, and an extensive collection of contemporary and antique goods from Southeast Asia and China.

The Mission

Jan and Tilly pride themselves on keeping up with the latest trends in furniture design and décor. They offer a large selection of eclectic furniture and art ranging from antique classic design to modern Asian fusion. When you buy from Clipper Trading, you are assured the piece you purchase was carefully hand selected and appraised before it even made it to the storefront. Part of Clipper Trading’s philosophy is to support Fair Trade practices as much as possible. There is an undeniable link to the hands that make a piece of art or furniture, and it’s important for a buyer to know the handiwork is fine quality and the artist was paid fairly.

A great amount of knowledge is required when purchasing pieces in Asia; every province has its own unique design. From plain farm tables to very large armoires, historic pottery, elaborately carved tables, doors and windows, textiles and old Chinese games, there are literally countless regional and artistic variations. Jan spent the last several years perfecting and honing his craft as an educated and ethical buyer in the exotic landscapes of East Asia.

From Gansu province and Mongolia Jan brings fine examples of painted sideboards and cabinets. From Tibet he purchases very colorful painted cabinets and boxes, often related to Buddhism in their design.

Jan concentrates mostly on the northern region of China for antiques. In these colder climates trees grow slower and therefore develop denser, high quality woods. He also likes to buy in the north because the antiques he finds there are authentic, not newly mass produced and made to look old. From here he brings home classic antiques such as altar tables, cabinets, porcelain, and ancestral paintings.

In Southeast Asia, he finds beautiful British Colonial teak furniture from Myanmar (formerly Burma) and old Burmese lacquerware including food vessels, betel boxes, trays and more. He also selects other interesting items for the home or collector such as authentic religious or spiritual objects including Buddha statues and spirit houses.

The Northern part of Thailand provides very nice handicrafts, woodcarvings, silks, rice boxes, and Hill Tribe textiles from the Akha people who are world renowned for their artistry.

In 2000, before its rise in popularity, Clipper Trading started to develop the Green Line furniture. They have a large selection of wood slab tables, bars, benches and a wonderful choice of root wood furniture made of the roots of ancient teak trees that have fallen. They currently carry Enterolobium, Teakwood, Rosewood, Makah, Lichee, Mango, Tumten and Ebony.

Most of the Clipper Trading collection is made up of one-of-a-kind pieces. There is no printed catalog, but the website is frequently updated to serve as the merchandise catalog for those who cannot come to the storefront in person. Please contact Clipper Trading with your requirements or inquiries. If you cannot find it here on the website, chances are they have what you are looking for in the showroom or warehouse and if not, Jan can try to find it for you on his next buying trip!

Happy Browsing!

We invite you to visit our other sites:
www.WoodArtandFurniture.com
www.BurmeseAntiques.com
www.TibetCollectibles.com