"We like the fact that we are sitting with history on an 1820's chair and a 1790's sofa," said Greg Sullivan, who with his wife, Vicki, owns Hudson House in Funkstown, Md.

"These were executed before there was electricity, with a high degree of talent and expertise. The workmen had a sense of balance and style which are unmatched." The Sullivans should know, they have been in the antiques business for over 40 years.

To call their place of business, a shop, would be a misnomer. It feels more like a private, antique-filled home. Indeed Hudson House, a striking Victorian mansion, features five rooms filled with fine furniture, decorative objects, and accessories.

As one explores the room, all kinds of gems appear - a pair of pineapple-topped columns, expressing welcome, marble-topped gilded tables, grandfather clocks, several unique tilt-top tables, one with four beveled corners, a walnut Bachelor's Chest, and a charming and practical red lacquer dressing box with a lamp attached.

Fortunately, the Sullivans are gracious enough to take time with a client, discuss the provenance of an object, and work to find the exact piece that will fit in the right spot.

They have a number of unique Chinese pieces, the result of buying trips to China, Thailand, and the Philippines. One stunning Chinese table combines the simple with the ornate, featuring a relatively plain table with front and side panels of intricately carved flowers.

The Sullivans started in the antique business with their own pedigree. His mother had an antique shop named Hudson House and his brother was also in antiques.

Originally, the two opened an art gallery with 19th century and local contemporary art. But, over time they converted to antiques only. Their rooms are filled with everything from stained glass windows, to chocolate molds, to striking furniture, to wrought iron chandeliers. Chairs abound, informatively displayed with open books nearby discussing their origin, such as the Philadelphia chair with a ladder-back and serpentine arms.

"Antiques are a good value," noted Sullivan, "and they provide an opportunity to learn, especially now as a lot of good research is being done, funded by grants, many books have been published on various periods, and the Internet has become an additional source of information."

Television shows such as the Antiques Roadshow have also stimulated interest in antique collecting, especially among younger people. As they are exposed to more and easier to find information, they bring that knowledge into antique stores and showrooms as they add select pieces to their home decor.

"We are caretakers of all decorative arts and architecture," said Vicki Sullivan. "We enhance it when we can, we repair it, we polish and wax it, we use it, and pass it on," added her husband. "They give us a good feeling."

Hudson House also has a line of reproduction furniture and decorative accessories, sold under the name, The Antietam Collection, which features bench-made antique reproduction furniture.

The Sullivans also appraise pieces, restore paintings, and do their own framing.

The quality of the many items at Hudson House has made it a distinguished attraction in the area. "We are what is known as a destination shopping site, drawing people from two to ten hours away," added Greg Sullivan. "People come in all day long," he noted, and every day of the week.

The Sullivans also keep up on their own research, with books on various styles of furniture conveniently at hand throughout the shop and they attend functions such as the annual Antiques Forum in Williamsburg and similar events at other venues.

Hudson House is located at #1 South High Street in Funkstown, Maryland. It is open seven days a week, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. All major credit cards are accepted. The telephone is 301-733-1632; the website is www.hudsonhousegalleries.com