Meet Jim and Randy
Jim O’Connell and Randle Batley were born to be antique dealers. Antiques, art, and architecture have influenced their whole lives, so it was no surprise that in 1972 (the year they met!) they embarked on a business adventure together – buying and selling antiquities and real estate, opening their first antique store, Mission Gallery Antiques, in 1980.
Forty-plus years and a lot of experience later, the business is still strong. Ask Jim and Randy, and they’ll probably tell you that this year will be their best year yet!
The business of antiques is not always an easy one. Picture for a moment the number of years in just one century… Now picture the number of things created in that one century! An antique dealer's job is to recognize not only the things created in their specific eras but to also understand the tools and materials used in the production of those objects and their cultural significance. It’s a mammoth job that requires understanding the finer details of antiques and the effort used in their fabrication.
Randy and Jim's Shared Passion
Randy was born in 1950, at the start of the mid-century movement. His mother was the first recognized Historian for the County of San Diego. A lover of things of the past, she was instrumental in preserving and then moving some of San Diego's most important Victorian homes from Downtown to Heritage Park in Mission Hills, San Diego. She designated many of the earliest Spanish Ranchos and the families who built them. Randy’s passion for antiques and their provenance was ignited.
Jim attributes his love of design and history to his grandmother, a San Francisco interior decorator. Both men were born in San Diego and grew up in Mission Hills. It was fate when they met in 1972.
With a dedicated team of researchers and internet partners, Mission Gallery Antiques is renowned in the antique and fine art world, with Jim and Randy at the heart of its success.
