"There's a certain peculiarity to doing business in the heart of the country," says Kansas City, Missouri, antiques dealer Linda Pearce. "Everyone thinks it's cheaper; but it's not. I do a lot of my business with people from the East and West coasts. "Pearce usually finds herself supplying designers such as Thomas Britt, and Michael Smith as well as antiques dealers from out of town.

"She has wonderful, offbeat things, large in scale - that's what I like," says Britt, a Kansas City native who's been buying from Pearce since she opened her shop in 1980. On a recent visit he admired a grotto-style silver painted bench believed to be from a carousel; a pair of venetian tole lights on sturdy wood posts bearing the banner of the Lion of St. Mark, possibly from a dock on one of the canals; mid-19th-century pine library steps thought to be from northern England and a pair of matching obelisks standing on a mirror-topped Art Déco table.

House of Style; That's what Linda Pearce's home is to many antique buyers near and far. Kansas City as Cowtown? Guess again. When it comes to style, our fair city has a great sense of it. And Linda Pearce, aficionada of the decorative arts and antiques whose house is just west of the Plaza, is one person who makes Kansas City a stylish stopping point for buyers all over the country.
From her home-based business, Pearce helps designers stay cutting-edge by providing them with just the right table, cupboard, mirror or bibelot. They call to find out what unique items she has procured and would make their clients swoon.
Friend and fellow Kansas City interior designer Jack Rees calls Linda "a mentor of good taste." "Her knowledge of the antiques extends far beyond the boundaries of this city," Rees said.

All are on display in Linda's two-story home in a rather random fashion. Every room serves as a display area. There's no den here, no formal living or dining room, barely a kitchen, and you'll have to ask to find the bathroom. But it is home, and it fits Pearce's lifestyle quite comfortably.

Kansas City is a very good antiques town, she said. "We have here a varied lot of good dealers." People come from around the country to Kansas City just to stop in and chat and see just what is new and interesting. One such man is a dealer with a shop in California. "Here's a young man," says Pearce, "who has been featured in the best of interior-design magazines, and I'm delighted that he'll drop in at least nce a year."

People often just call Pearce. Some, like a dealer in San Francisco are very specific, wanting things Italian, monumental or important pieces. Some want the hottest garden design such as a limestone bench that weighs 2 tons.
Very few items are dear to her. Oh, perhaps that gilded cow's head or small match striker given to her by Buschmann, but not much else.
"Many folks," Pearce says, "are very savvy buyers. They are now buying for their children, that's how long I've been around, and they know they can come select something highly individualized for themselves or someone in their family."
Cheryle Knight, Kansas City interior designer, said, "I've been coming to Linda for years and know that I can find just that fabulous piece that I probably can't find anywhere else."

A pair of Directoire chairs, a signed Picasso vase, a pair of Victorian cast-iron candelabra, a Knole sofa designed in 1910 - it's here, either upstairs or down.
Pearce knows her antiques, and living among them has enhanced her appreciation for stule that she'll gladly pass along to those who take the time to talk with her in her office, which is an antique table tucked into her second-floor kitchen.
Dick Hollander, a friend of Pearce's for nearly 20 years, says she has a great flair with a slight edge. Although her business is primarily word of mouth and her clientele mostly dealers, Pearce is open to the public. Call (816) 531-6255 to make an appointment. After a cup of coffee or glass of wine, Pearce will show you what she has waiting for you in the next room.