Sophie Moore, co-owner of Bill Moore Antiques in Round Top, is feeling the impact of the current coronavirus pandemic along with every other business owner in town. For an area that largely depends on tourism and the twice-yearly Antiques Show, the shutdown of most businesses is less than ideal. While Bill Moore Antiques is open year-round and currently by appointment only, County Line Antique Show, another business she co-owns with her husband, Bill, had to close prior to the beginning of the Spring Antiques Show. But even though her businesses are affected, she respects the decision of local officials to enact social distancing rules. “So many sectors of our economy get a lot of business from the Antiques Show,” she explains. “I applaud them for making the difficult decision to shut it down, because right now the utmost importance is everyone’s health and safety. It took guts and foresight.”

Sophie is originally from Brazil, and she met her husband Bill, who is originally from California, in Europe in 1995. A love of antiques brought them to Texas, and after setting up at the Antiques Show for many years, they opened a permanent location in Round Top in 2010. Sophie says she was drawn to the history and charm of the town and loves that it’s filled with gifted and creative people. Of Bill Moore Antiques, which sells pieces from England, France and Eastern Europe, she explains that she and her husband work hard to list their items at low prices. “We mostly sell wholesale to dealers, and we try to be the most affordable option for them,” she says.

Something that most people don’t know about the couple? They also raise boer goats, a breed of goat from South Africa, as breeding stock on their farm. “They’re extremely loving animals,” says Sophie.

Despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and when shelter-in-place guidelines will be lifted, Sophie has a positive outlook for both the world and the people of Round Top. “We’re all going through something right now,” she says. “But we will survive – the economy will rebuild, and we’ll get through it.”

Follow Bill Moore Antiques on Facebook and Instagram, and visit exploreroundtop.com/antiques for information on the Fall Antiques Show.