Business & Tech

Have Boots, Will Travel

Two Cherubs owner Jenny Lunney puts miles on her boots while traveling through France to bring antique items back to Collingswood.

Jenny Lunney's well-known for owning the Collingswood-based French antique shop, . But she's gaining recognition for the method in which she collects her inventory. 

The Traveling Boots. 

Texas-born Collingswood resident Lunney makes two trips to France each year, scouring Paris flea markets and French vendor booths. Her mission: to purchase one-of-a-kind antiques, ship them back home, and sell them out of her borough business.

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Lunney's annual trips have kept Two Cherubs brimming with French vintage treasures since she opened in September 2007. 

Now, though—after moving from a Haddon Avenue storefront to her current location at 20 Irvin Ave.—her trips have become a source of public interest.

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"The cowboy boot thing," said Lunney, laughing. "I always wear cowboy boots to the flea markets (in France), because I can wear them all day long, and I'm from Texas. One year, I started taking pictures of my boots at various places, wherever I happened to be in France at the time. I posted them on my blog, and people really responded and loved it—so now the boots are associated with me and my trips."

The latest addition to Lunney's collection: a pair of loud, yet somehow classic, bright turquoise cowboy boots. 

"They'll be accompanying me to my next trip to France," she said of her 10-day trip, which will run Aug. 4-14.

Lunney's trips have drawn so much attention, she started extending invitations to her clients. 

"People kept telling me that they'd love to be with me in France while I went antiquing—shopping for inventory—so I first opened a trip in January of 2011," she said. "It's really piqued the interest of my customers."

Lunney prices the 10-day stay anywhere from $3,000 to $3,500 per person, depending on the current dollar-to-Euro exchange rate.

"A trip (to France with me) means you'd be accompanying me at the Paris flea markets, then we'd head south to some markets the general public doesn't usually know about," said Lunney. "Then we just kind of tool around, my guests decide what they want to do. We stay in a Medieval village. A trip can be customized to whatever the guests want. Depending on the time of year, we can go see the lavender fields, and so on."

The trip's per-person cost is based on single-occupancy, and doesn't include airfare. It does, however, include lodging, transportation—and touring the country with insider knowledge.

"Jean-Pierre Navailles goes with us, and he has over 30 years experience dealing in Paris flea markets. He translates, does the bargaining, and takes care of shipping through customs," she said. "(Navailles) set up my first-ever buying trip, and has since become a great friend of mine."

Lunney leaves in five days for her next French excursion, but said interested travelers can book her next trip, which will occur the week before Easter 2012. 

To learn more about these trips, visit Lunney's blog, at twocherubsantiques.wordpress.com, or email jenny@twocherubs.com.

During her approaching trip, Lunney said the shop will be open on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon. Regular business hours run from Wednesday through Friday, from noon to 5 p.m. 

Clients may also book an appointment by calling 856-287-5185.

Lunney's also trying new ways of incorporating French tradition in her store. 

"In Lyon, France, they have an annual, weeklong festival featuring light shows. They project lighted images on buildings, string lights, and illuminate everything," she said. "We want to do the same thing here, at my shop, by going off of that idea of lights and image-projection."

Lunney's even enlisted the help of Michael Bruce, of Collingswood's Michael Bruce Florist. Bruce debuted a light and shadow projection-themed exhibit at this year's Philadelphia International Flower Show.

We're still in the planning stages, but we're thinking of taking a week in December, around the holidays, to host it. 

And bringing a bit of France to Collingswood is Lunney's life goal. 

"There's so much to find (inside Two Cherubs), from furniture to pottery to lighting to soaps. And most of our items are from France, so you know the history of what you're buying, and its character. If I had to describe a style of what we carry, I'd call it French Country Elegant. It's whatever hits my eye. It's who I am, it's what I like, and I never know what I'm going to find."

To follow Jenny's upcoming trip—and to see images of her boots' travels on previous trips—visit Lunney's Facebook page.


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