In the Press
Listed as 1 of the top 150 Women Entrepreneurs to Know in Amsterdam, The Antiques Diva® & Co is defined as being “Vibrant, Youthful and Timeless.”
The Examiner: Shopping in The Netherlands October 2010
On The Antiques Diva® Dutch Tours I was reminded of the phrase made famous by the 1980’s television series Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous - champagne wishes and caviar dreams. In fact, a bottle of champagne is exactly what you get when you take a Diva Tour, because, really, what’s a diva without champagne?
For The Love of Vintage: Victoria Magazine June 2010
Charmed by the old classics, these visionary women entrepreneurs have turned their passions for the past into successful businesses for today.
Paris – 1 City// 5 Ways – Sky: Delta Airlines Magazine, June 2010
There’s more than one way to discover a destination. For the History Buff: If it’s a weekend, tap into the expertise of The Antiques Diva®, who conducts tours of Porte de Vanves and the Marche aux Puce de Saint-Ouen, Clignancourt and other Paris flea markets.
Be A Reinvention Queen – Fearless Woman Magazine May 2010
Throughout time, women have proven themselves to be certifiable queens at the art of reinvention. Whether as a result of a company redundancy, a domestic or international relocation, their off-ramping to have children, an unexpected need to become primary caregivers to ill family members, a painful divorce or widowing, or for any number of reasons, stories abound of women who have switched hats, careers and/or lifestyles and done so very successfully
Shopping: Paris 3 Ways – Travel & Leisure, October 2009
From antiques-filled flea markets to cult designer boutiques and hidden bargain stops, T+L navigates Paris with a trio of locals. When I am in the City of Light, I rarely set foot in a gallery unless it has a gift shop. My favorite place to dine is the department-store cafe, with the frites stand at the flea market a close second. But recently it dawned on me that even a world-class compulsive shopper like myself has a tendency to visit the same markets, the same charming boutiques, the same venerable department stores. So on my latest trip I decided to consult three shopping gurus two natives and one honorary citizen about their favorite local haunts.
The Foreign Edition: The Careerist News, Gear and Get-Ahead Tips: The Cool Girls’ Employee Handbook: Marie Claire, Oct 2009
Despite the global recession, it’s still a great time for gals to make the leap overseas, says Richard Balderrama, author of The Expat Checklist. Here, his six questions to ask before you start packing… Toma Haines, an Oklahoma native says…
Blogging for Business – The Swiss News, Aug 09
When she moved to Paris from the United States so her husband could pursue a job opportunity, Oklahoma-born Toma Haines knew she’d be labeled a “trailing spouse”. But within a few months of moving to Paris, “trailing spouse” was replaced with a new label, inspired by Haines’ blog The Antiques Diva®. A year later the blog, which focuses on where to go antique shopping in Europe, had over 50,000 subscribers….
Venetian Dreams, Sogni D’Oro – Art Beat, Aug 09
“When I was a child my mother spanked me for wanting to go to Venice. I was 6 and had read about the pallazos, bridges that sigh and streets made of water. Pepe Le Pew further played a role in reinforcement as did my parents subscription to National Geographic. I remember sitting on the floor behind dad’s recliner surrounded by scads of golden-framed issues, sneaking the heavy World Book Encyclopedia off the shelf above my head and the book falling open to a well-marked page - an image of the Grand Canal sweeping me along in a river of dreams. Slowly I sounded out each word of the caption, tasting each letter as I do today when studying Italian – “Mi dispiace, non parlo l’italiano molto bene” … words rolling around my mouth as if I were in Piedmont tasting Barolo. Venice tasted good and mom wouldn’t let me go…”
Brussels Flea Market – CNN iReport, Video - appeared on CNN.com homepage
The Antiques Diva® has decided to hit the streets again, diva style, in this special Diva News Network episode on Brussels Place du Grand Sablon. This posh square boasts an upscale weekend antiques market every Saturday 9 am – 5pm and Sunday 9am – 1pm. Lining the square you’ll find lively cafes, chic designer shopping, interior stores and enough high-end antique boutiques to see why the Place du Grand Sablon is considered “THE” place to be for weekend Belgium entertainment…
Business Idea of the Month – Expat Women.com
Expat women entrepreneurs are an inspiration to us all. These are women just like you and me who have decided to take advantage of the opportunities they have abroad, think creatively and start new, portable, careers-in-their-suitcase. Read on, as these inspirational expat women share their real-life experiences, tips and advice for starting a business abroad…
Euro-Fabulous Shopping with The Antiques Diva – Andy Hayes Sharing Experiences
Today’s guest post features some European highlights from my friend Toma Haines. Toma is one fabulous lady who is guaranteed to make you laugh and give you some great tips! I’d dare say there are more shopping suggestions below than any other blog post on the planet! She offers really unique tours…
Entrepreneur Interview with Toma Clark Haines, the Founder of The Antiques Diva Tours – Gaebler.com
Combine a love of travel, antiques and shopping together and you’ve got a great business. That’s what Toma Clark Haines has managed to do, and she has some great advice for anyone who wants to transform their passions into profits.We are pleased to have Toma Clark Haines join us for one of our entrepreneur interviews. She’s a talented entrepreneur who has made a name for herself in the fast-growth shopping tourism industry…
The Expat Focus Guide to Moving Abroad, Expat Focus ebook, 2008
Closing Thoughts section, “5 Tips for Expat Women”: … Toma Haines of The Antiques Diva® agrees. Toma is an American who has lived abroad in France, The Netherlands and now Germany. Rather than looking at the loss of her traditional career as a sacrifice to her husband’s career, she looked at her time abroad as the perfect opportunity to pursue her ideas and passions even if it took her a while to decipher what these really were. To illustrate, before starting The Antiques Diva®, Toma thought about teaching gourmet cooking lessons, becoming a certified picture framer and teaching English as a second language. But when she realised that her recipes never came out the same more than once, she hated measuring things (a disaster for a professional picture framer) and that she would pick up the grammatical habits of foreigners rather than correct them, Toma created her exclusive, antique shopping tour business that now runs in four countries.
Social Networking for the Rich – Wall Street Journal Blog
Rich people have some of the best personal networks on earth. With money comes access and contacts. Yet that hasn’t stopped a myriad of companies from trying to sell the rich even more social networks online….
Gross Domestic Product? 35 tips to help boost your at-home work productivity – WHY magazine
Distractions are all around us, whether we work in an office or at home, whether we find them or they find us. How much you give into them ultimately determines your productivity. What follows are tried-and-true tips from fellow home workers, in their own words, for improving your focus, your efficiency and your effectiveness as you work from home…
Expatica Antiques Diva European Resource Guide
The Antiques Diva explains how Europe became her playground and her house became ‘just her!’ She shares her knowledge of antiques shopping in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland!
Antiques: The Treasures of La Republique! (France) If France is the sun, then antique shoppers are the world. The Antiques Diva takes you on a tour of French flea-markets and antiques’ galleries
Antiques: A Quaint Package Called Little Belgie (Belgium) French antiques, Dutch paintings and Belgian prices influence The Antiques Diva’s claim that Belgium is the best place to go antique shopping in Europe.
Ripe Times for Antiques Bargain Hunters (The Netherlands) In the past few decades, antiques have fallen out of favor with the fashion-forward Lowlanders, but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, writes The Antiques Diva.
Developing An Eye For Spanish Antiques (Spain) In Spain, it is impossible to visit a “rastro” flea market without stumbling over a pile of old plates, pitchers or vases. But beware reproductions galore, cautions The Antiques Diva, who gives some advice on how to develop an eye for the real McCoy.
Antiks, Anyone? (Germany) Persuing antiques in Germany is like being a kid in a candy store: the sheer assortment of antiques, vintage and second-hand home decor on offer is overwhelming, writes The Antiques Diva.
Take Me To The Fair (Switzerland) Forget the high brow and high flouting, simply throw me to the fleas. Swiss brocantes are among the best in Europe, writes The Antiques Diva.
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