They spent years searching back roads, estate sales, and flea markets for things they loved. Then they opened Red Bull Antiques.
For Jenn and John LePore, antiques were part of life long before they became a business.
John grew up working alongside his father, whose antique shop in upstate New York was called Red Bull Antiques. Jenn, who grew up in Wiscasset, also had antique dealers in her family: her great-grandmother and great-aunt both worked in the business.
“We both feel like it’s in our blood,” Jenn says.
Together, the couple spent years traveling and collecting, drawn less to a particular period or style than to pieces they found beautiful. “We buy what we love,” Jenn says. Their finds might include an 18th-century French farm table, Italian chairs, a mid-century lamp or a painting by an artist they’ve never encountered before.
Eventually, they knew they wanted their own shop.
They were looking for a historic property where they could live, open their shop, and operate an Airbnb when they found the place they wanted in Jenn’s hometown. The Federal Street property held an added connection: Jenn had been inside the barn as a child, when it housed a knitting shop and ice cream was sold through a window overlooking the neighboring Sunken Garden.
The property wasn’t for sale. They waited anyway.
After purchasing it in the spring of 2022, Jenn and John moved to Wiscasset full-time and married on the property that September. They also revived the name of John’s parents’ business, Red Bull Antiques, to honor them after both passed away in 2020.
Today, the barn at 8 Federal Street holds a constantly changing mix of American and European antiques, vintage and mid-century pieces, art, furniture and home décor. Red Bull also offers sourcing, interior decorating, custom upholstery and reupholstery.
There’s no strict formula for what makes the cut. “If we love it and we think it’s beautiful, it just works,” Jenn says. In fact, many pieces live in the LePores’ own home before making their way into the shop.
John handles much of the styling and curating; Jenn often greets customers and remembers them when they return years later. She has been known to write visitors lists of places to explore around Wiscasset or even call local restaurants to help them land a reservation.
John says that instinct is central to who she is: “Jenn puts people first before sales, because they’re more important.”
It may also explain the refrain Jenn says they hear most often from people who walk through the doors of Red Bull Antiques:
“They feel welcome.”
Famous for:
Mixing centuries, styles, and stories under one roof.
8 Federal St in Wiscasset, ME | redbullantiquesanddecor.com
photos by Peter Logue
