Polished Perfection Helen Buchanan certainly never expected to become one of America's grand dames of antique silver. It just happened that way. In 1959, Buchanan, who answered the phone at her husband's plumbing company on McKinney Avenue, decided to go into the antique business with an aunt. They shared space with the plumbers and began enjoying a brisk business. Soon a specialty emerged: antique silver, which American families once ranked as second only to the Bible as a permanent possession. In the ensuing years Buchanan has learned that nothing's permanent, particularly the ownership of silver, but the public's appreciation of antique sterling and silver plate comes pretty close to being unshakable. She and several friends and family members who work for her (but not her aunt, who retired many years back) preside over a glittering, always polished empire and stay busy manning a 1-800 line for calls from people across the country who are trying to match outdated silver patterns. Customers wanting to buy or sell silver beat a steady path to the Copper Lamp's door, located rather incongruously in the plaza style Preston Royal Shopping Center. "There's a vast audience for silver," says Buchanan, who's a great conversationalist, "and that makes the items we can find easy to appreciate." Buchanan reports that 95 percent of her vast inventory falls in the category of American silver, which is easier to find and sometimes more affordable to own than its European counterpart. "It's what we can find and what our customers want," she explains. Her customers range from bridesmaids to-be to grandmothers, plus a few men as well. All share an appreciation for this art form. "I think people today are more inclined to use their silver rather than store it for the next generation," Buchanan explains. "And that seems right to me. I say to people, 'Use it, polish it, and use it again.'" Copper Lamp New and Estate Silver 208 Preston Royal Shopping Ctr. Dallas, TX 75230 214-369-5166, 800-765-6519