About Sophia du Brul
It started as a passion for art and antiques — and became my life's work.
I grew up in the heart of Chicago, shaped by parents who lived and breathed art and design. Feigen & Co., while my father was a lighting and furniture buyer for Sears. From an early age, they took me to museums, historic homes, and furniture and lamp factories, and I absorbed it all — an instinctive
appreciation for art, history, and the stories that objects carry. My first real job was helping hang and light shows at the gallery. Later, my mother put me to work doing research at the Ryerson Library at The Art Institute of Chicago, where I dug into archives and fell even deeper in love with the world of art and objects.
I went on to earn a BA in Art History from Lake Forest College, followed by a graduate degree in education from DePaul. I set out to teach high school — and I did, eventually, in the Chicago Public Schools, where I taught art history, art, history, and literature. But first, I took a slight detour: I moved to Maine and worked on a lobster boat. That's a story for another time.
Back in Chicago, I spent years in the classroom, and I loved the students. But by 2013 I was ready for a change, and I found my way back to what had always called me — the world of antiques and objects. I began working at an antique shop, buying and selling on the side, and building my eye back up. Then, in 2015, a gentleman needed an estate sale. He wasn't happy with the companies I suggested, and asked if I'd run it myself. The neighbor down the street booked me immediately after. And just like that, a second career was born.
Since 2015, I've conducted over 100 sales — and I couldn't be happier.
