The collector who became the envy of TikTok
How Alexander Widener made antiquing go viral.
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You can never be sure what types of videos will please TikTok’s algorithm. I’ve heard lots of advice over the years—hook people with your first sentence, multitask during the video, edit it in-app. I could keep going, but of all the tips and tricks out there, “talk about a centuries-old English ceramics brand” has never been one of them. And yet, it was this idea that propelled Alexander Widener head-first into the For You pages of over 340,000 viewers.
“I wanna queen out and discuss pottery with u so bad,” one comment reads.
“Alexander, I fear you don’t know the fanbase you have unlocked,” another warns.
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Viewers are not only drawn to the beautiful ceramics Alexander has on display, but his whole vibe as a collector who lives in coastal Maine. Just a few weeks ago, he quit his job at a textile company and moved with his husband into a property in Wiscasset that had been an antique store for the past 30 years. In May, the guest cottage opens to visitors, and by June he hopes to get his shop up and running for his new crew of TikTok fans.
Alexander joined me on Zoom from his much prettier house to chat about his surprisingly warm TikTok welcome, how he’s using social media to move towards his goals, and how the internet was a lifeline growing up as a collector.
How did you get this design knowledge? Has this been something you've been interested in your whole life?
Yeah. I've always been a collector since I was a little kid. My mom brought me to thrift stores and rummage sales and flea markets and antique stores and we were always looking for stuff. I think for me, what I really connect to in an object is something that has soul. I love something that's handmade. If you find a piece of hand blocked fabric from 200 years ago and it's a hand woven fabric and hand printed, someone was making that 200 years ago, now you are holding it in your hand, and suddenly you're connected through time and space to people who came before you. There's something so emotional and powerful about objects that have always captivated me.
Let's talk TikTok. Had you done content creation before or was this all new to you?
So I'm gonna sound really woo woo and like Gwyneth Paltrow so don't judge me, but on Monday my husband made me download this horoscope app, and the horoscope said, “today's the day to put yourself in the public view. If there's something you wanna share with the world, do it today.” And I kind of knew that going out on my own, and especially the last few weeks having no income, I was freaking out. Like, I need people to know about what I'm doing. I knew that I would have to do some sort of social media. And for the last few years, a few different friends have said "Oh, you should make videos. People would love to get inside your brain." But I was always really self-conscious of my appearance and my voice and “Did I know enough? Was I an expert? Surely there's someone who knows more that should deliver this information.” So those were the kind of things that held me back. But when I saw this horoscope, I was like, okay, I guess I'll just do it. So I sat down and made that video. I didn't write a script or anything. I just started talking about Wedgwood, which is a company that I love. And I really like their old stuff. And I just started talking about why I love it. And it seems like I really tapped into something for people and it really resonated. So it was really overwhelming to see the response.
I love a niche topic. What about that topic made you be like, "This is gonna be my first video?"
I didn't think about it. I was like, okay, I need to make a video. And so I practiced. I made a video about propagating a geranium. These are geranium plants that were imported by Thomas Jefferson. And these are cuttings from the ones in his home in Monticello.
Wait, that's crazy.
This amazing flower-potter Guy Wolff, he makes historical flower pots in his studio in Connecticut. He gave me a couple cuttings and now they've blossomed and I like to give them to people. And it's so cool to have a piece of history.
Did you post the video about this?
No, no. That video didn't work out. It was really bad.
People would love it.
That was the test. And so I did that and I was like, okay, this isn't working. And then I just started grabbing my Wedgwood stuff. And I was like, I'll just make a video about this.
What was that experience like? Did it take off immediately?
Yeah, it did. I was really hopeful that people would like it and maybe I would get a thousand views, and then I immediately got a thousand views. And I was like, wow, this is crazy. I went to bed, it had like 60,000 views. I woke up the next morning, it had over a hundred thousand views. And now it's grown to like three hundred and thirty six. It really caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting that, but even more than the views, that first video had a 54% engagement rate. And I used to do marketing, and if anyone on here does social media, they'll know that, like, 3% would be like, you know, throw a party. So what it told me was that people were connecting on something deeper than just the subject matter, and that's really exciting. So that's what I'm trying to explore now and figure out what kind of community I can build and how I can share the stuff that I love with people.
If someone were to sit down and be like, "Okay, I want to grow on TikTok, what should my first video be?" I feel like the initial thinking would be, pick something broad that can resonate with a lot of people. But then in your case it was like, pick something really specific. And then what's good about TikTok is it finds the people who would care and then it's actually a much better tool than it would've been had you sat down and been super broad with it.
Yeah, exactly. And I think, working in brand marketing, that's the power of a brand, is when you dig into the niche and they're really themselves. I know that when you try to be something for everyone, then you just become so watered down and it's meaningless. I was thinking about what my first video could be, and I was like, okay, what, what creators do I follow that I can look for inspiration? What was their first video? And I realized there's no one on TikTok with the voice that I'm looking to have. And there's no one really making content like this. I wanted it to be really approachable and have some personality. I love antiques. I love decorative objects, and I want to bring them forward into today and show people why they're important and why you should go and pick them up at thrift stores, in the antique shop, and bring them home and celebrate them.
You mentioned you want to open the store in June. How much do you see TikTok as a promotional tool for that?
Already I've had some opportunities that I never...you know, stuff that's on my vision board. It's kind of crazy. It's such a great way to get my business and my project out there for people to engage. Also, I'm a part of a really beautiful community here in coastal Maine in a village called Wiscasset. And we have tons of great local businesses and shops and I want my community to succeed and I wanna bring people here. And so for me it's more about letting people discover how special it is here.
Your videos have been doing really well, and I know it's early, but have you started to see any trends or signs of what people are interested in and what they want from you?
Yeah, so obviously my design history series is an instant favorite. This is a series where I pick something that people might not know about and I share a little bit about the history, and then if I have any pieces in my collection, I share that. And so people love that. People have gone wild for it. I did my first TikTok live last night, which was kind of weird. I felt like, oh, do I need to get lip filler and have a Stanley cup? But I put the cringe aside and did it because I wanted to connect with all of these people who have been—I mean, my comments have been so kind and so generous, and it's mind blowing. And so I just wanted to talk to these people. And I found that they wanna learn more about me and my personal taste and my journey. And so maybe I'll do a little bit more personal videos. One thing I put on my website today is virtual design advice. I've had lots of people asking questions, so hopefully people will wanna come and chat with me for 45 minutes and maybe I can help them answer their questions, point them in the right direction.
You mentioned you worked in brand marketing. Do you feel like this is in your wheelhouse? Or is it still intimidating?
No, I had never edited a video before. I downloaded CapCut, this video editing software that I see everyone use, and taught myself how to piece things together. Obviously I was a theater kid, but I've never made a video of myself. I have some learnings from going to school and working in marketing, but it's all brand new. Actually, someone that I have followed for a couple years on TikTok, who has some big followers,
, I reached out to her and I was like, oh my God, what do I do? Do I respond to every comment? How does it work? How do I monetize? Tell me everything. And so she's been really helpful in giving advice. But it's a totally different world.What are some other topics you’re interested in exploring through TikTok?
I love textiles, so I want to get into more textile videos. I would love to work with a brand to do a video about their history. I think there are so many special brands, especially in the home space, that have these rich histories that they don't know how to talk about to their audience. Or a mass audience might not find it interesting, but I would really love to shine a light on it. And then I'd love to do designers throughout history. And then some other things outside of ceramics and fabric, but like plants different design eras or styles
I really wanna be clear I'm not an expert on these things that I'm talking about. I'm just sharing stuff that I love. I'll do a little bit of research, whatever I have tucked away in my head, whatever books I have in my library to reference. But I'm just trying to share things sort of in an easy to digest way and not getting too deep into anything.
I love going to antique malls and I don't know literally anything. But even just through that, you start to see patterns. Like there's this one vintage Old Spice shaving cup—there's so many of them, I see them everywhere. Or even, I found this Pyrex and then the person who owned the shop when I was buying it said it was a rare color. And now I'm really trying to hunt down the rest of them.
I know. Isn't it funny how things spark? I've had a lot of people ask, "How do you become a collector? How do you get into it?" And it's what you're doing. It's going out into the market, seeing what speaks to you, buying what you love, and you'll start to learn.
Right. And has the internet been a helpful tool in collection?
I don't wanna get emotional, but I grew up in Pennsylvania. And I was gay. And growing up in Pennsylvania, I had a pretty tumultuous home life. And thank God I was alive in the internet age and had a computer because learning about this stuff really helped me escape from my reality. And I think connecting with an object helped me build a fantasy world around it, and it protected me and it gave me inspiration and hope and courage. This kind of stuff is so deeply ingrained in me and in my emotion and I'm so tied up with it all.
And clearly it's something that other people really want to be part of. You're on TikTok, I know you're on Instagram. Has the response made you think about other platforms you might join?
I've had a lot of people ask me to start a YouTube channel. People are saying they'll watch 30 minute videos. I don't know how I could make a 30 minute video. That's something to think about. I've always wanted to try a book. I would love to write a book. The thing that's a little challenging is I wasn't expecting this to be something. I'm gonna try to make a video every other day. I don't know if that's the right cadence. But how am I gonna, you know, open a guest cottage, open a shop, run an online store, make videos every day, edit them, cook for my husband, walk my dog? I guess I'll figure it out.
And you're opening in June.
That's the loose plan. That's my deadline for myself. We'll see what happens.
Do you think you'll have people coming from TikTok?
I think people will come. I think local people—the algorithm puts your video out to people who are around you. I got recognized the other day. The day after my first video, I was in our local bookshop. It's called Fiction: A Novel Bookshop. So charming. People should come and visit. But I was there and someone was like, "Oh, I saw your TikTok video." And I was like, oh my God. The reality of it struck me in that moment. Like, real people are watching this. Every view is actually a person. I hope that it translates to people coming and discovering me. I've always had a vision and so I really just wanna bring people into my world and give them a little taste. And hopefully I'll have an assortment of products that people might want to take home with them to remember Maine, to remember this world that I'm trying to create.
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