Historic Baden building finds new life as global auction studio

A production crew from Ballinran Entertainment works behind the scenes during a Miller & Miller Auctions livestream event at the historic Baden building. Contributed photo

By Amanda Nelson

Once a space for hidden gems and antiques, 8 Foundry St. in Baden – the Miller Antiques building – has been transformed from a former family-run antique shop into a studio for Miller & Miller’s livestream auction broadcasts featuring high-value collectables, art, antiques and other treasures.

The building has been part of the Miller family's history for decades. Originally a hardware store, it became an antique shop for much of the 20th century. It was owned by Hap Veach, who married a granddaughter of Castle Kilbride founder James Livingston. Through that connection, Veach acquired many artifacts from Castle Kilbride, which he sold from the shop.

“James was the famous Castle Kilbride Flax King,” said Ethan Miller, owner. “When Hap married, his wife came with all of the treasures from Castle Kilbride. So, they spent a lot of their life selling those relics that they found stored in the attic.”

In the mid-1970s, Jim Miller, father of current owners Ethan and Justin Miller, purchased the building after first working for Veach refinishing furniture. The building then became home to J.C. Miller Antiques, and many original features, including the light fixtures and antique storefront sign, remain today as part of the family's identity and heritage.

“The joke was Hap wanted my dad to purchase the shop with the inventory at the time, and my dad said I'm happy to buy the shop, but you're on your own with the inventory, so he wasn't too happy about that,” said Ethan Miller. “I know that the two of them had a great relationship, though.”

The family business began as a traditional antiques dealership, buying and reselling antiques through industry connections. However, the arrival of eBay dramatically changed the antiques industry by creating a centralized online marketplace. Sellers no longer needed dealers to connect them with buyers, forcing many antique businesses to adapt.

“The antiques industry has changed dramatically over the last 25 years,” said Ethan Miller. “Dad's cohort of people could make a living buying and selling antiques, and they did so because of something economists would call information asymmetry. In other words, they knew where inventory was, and they knew where the buyers were, and so they were able to pair the two and make a living out of buying something for a low price and selling it for a high price.”

“Around 1995, when eBay came out, all of those asymmetries related to information started to disappear because there was the centralized marketplace where people could bring their things, and suddenly all of the secrets that at one time were powerful to know disappeared.”

After Jim Miller passed away in 2011, the family briefly tried to revive the building as a destination antique store but realized retail antiques had already declined significantly.

Instead, they shifted to an auction model, acting as agents on behalf of consignors rather than purchasing inventory themselves, which led them to their warehouse location in New Hamburg.

Today, Miller & Miller Auctions has grown to about 19 full-time employees, led by Ethan and Justin Miller, and Ethan Miller’s wife, Aki Ohtsuka.

The Miller brothers kept the original building in Baden, knowing the space's history could be used in some capacity. Now, the team at Ballinran Entertainment from Stratford has transformed the space into a live auction venue, noting the historic site is ideal for broadcasting across North America and worldwide.

Rather than housing inventory, the studio serves as a professional broadcast space where auctions are livestreamed to bidders around the world. Items are displayed digitally on screen for bidders, with everything handled behind the scenes.

“The building was empty for so long and walking into this space and seeing it bustling with activity; there were people taking bids, there was an entire production crew, there were some assistants that were doing phone bids, there could be as many as 20 people in here,” said Ethan Miller. “To walk into a space that has been, in some ways, lonely and lost; it was really neat to open the door and to see that life and energy.”

Keeping the historic J.C. Miller Antiques sign and preserving the building was important to the Miller brothers because they reflect the family's roots. On auction days, the space now fills with auctioneers, production staff, phone bidders and media crews — sometimes as many as 20 people — bringing energy back into the building.

“This building is a part of our identity; it's a part of our heritage,” said Ethan Miller. “It's a building that means a lot to us, and certainly having that signage there speaks to the fact that we have great memories of this place.”

Ethan Miller said that while his father may not have agreed with every business decision along the way, he believes he would ultimately have appreciated how the family successfully adapted the business while honouring its history.

“He was always trying to predict how interesting the next five or 10 years would be,” said Ethan Miller, speaking about his late father. “I think in some ways he would be absolutely shocked. He would probably say we made decisions, many that he probably would have disagreed with, but when all the dust settles, and you stand back and you look at the result, I think he would nod his head and say it all made sense.”