How to Interview a Fellow Dealer for a Feature
A practical guide to interviewing a fellow dealer or collector so you can write a community feature that does their story justice.
Published May 20, 2026
Some of the best community stories are written by people inside the scene, dealers and collectors interviewing each other rather than an outsider parachuting in. You do not need to be a journalist to do it well, and being a peer is often an advantage: you speak the same language and know which questions matter. With a little preparation and genuine curiosity, you can capture a story that does your subject justice and adds to the community record. Here is how to interview a fellow dealer for a feature.
Step 1: Do a Little Homework
Before you meet, learn the basics: how long they have traded, what they specialize in, any milestones or features worth mentioning. A few minutes of research means you spend the interview going deeper rather than covering ground you could have looked up in advance. It also signals respect, which puts your subject at ease and tends to loosen better stories. Agree a relaxed setting too, the workshop or the shop floor, where they will feel at home rather than interrogated.
Step 2: Ask Open, Story-Shaped Questions
- How did you first fall into this trade?
- What is the find you are proudest of, and why?
- What is the hardest lesson the business taught you?
- What do you wish more customers understood about what you do?
Open questions invite stories instead of one-word answers. Then listen more than you talk, and follow the tangents; the best material almost always comes from where the conversation wanders.
Step 3: Capture It Accurately
Record the conversation, with permission, so you can quote accurately rather than scribbling and missing the good lines. Jot a few notes on the setting and the person too, the cluttered workbench, the way they handle a piece, since those details bring a written feature to life.
Step 4: Shape It and Check It
Write the piece around the strongest story, not in strict chronological order. Lead with the most compelling moment, the unforgettable find or the night they nearly quit, then fill in the background around it. Keep your own voice light; the subject is the star. Crucially, send the draft to your subject to check for accuracy before it goes anywhere, since misremembered dates and misattributed quotes are easy to fix now and embarrassing later. Get their blessing, then submit it to the community to share with a wider audience.
Know a dealer with a story worth telling? Set up a coffee and start asking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What questions get the best stories from a dealer? +
Open, story-shaped ones: how they started, their proudest find, the hardest lesson, and what they wish customers understood. Then listen and follow the tangents.
Should I let the subject review the interview? +
Yes. Always send the draft to your subject to check for accuracy and get their blessing before submitting it to the community to publish.
Got a story to capture?
Interview a dealer or collector you admire and submit the finished feature to the community.
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