STAIR
STAIR is a privately held, family-owned regional auction house in Hudson, NY, founded in 2001 by Colin Stair, conducting 30+ live sales per year across furniture, fine art, decorative arts, Asian works, and fine jewelry, with an integrated restoration subsidiary and global online bidding reach.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersHudson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What STAIR does
STAIR (legal name Stair Galleries & Restoration, Inc.) is a privately held regional auction house founded by Colin Stair in 2001, headquartered in a 25,000 square foot gallery at 549 Warren Street, Hudson, New York. The company conducts 30+ live auction sales annually across five core categories — Furniture, Fine Art, Decorative Arts, Asian Works of Art, and Fine Jewelry & Luxury Goods — and runs a calendar of named sale series including Thursday Morning at STAIR, Mid-Week at STAIR, The Fine Sale, Americana at STAIR, Art + Design, 20th Century/Modern & Contemporary Fine Art, and the newer Design: 1860–1910 series added in 2024. The underlying technology stack is a standard online auction platform integrated with third-party bidding marketplaces Invaluable and LiveAuctioneers, plus a proprietary real-time online bidding interface on stairgalleries.com with live streaming; there is no described proprietary technology moat. Stripe is used for KYC and card verification at registration.
STAIR earns revenue primarily through a tiered buyer's premium (31% on hammer price up to $50,000; 25% on the portion above $50,000; +5% for bidders using Invaluable or LiveAuctioneers) and negotiated seller consignment commissions, with proceeds paid to consignors 30 business days after sale. The company reports a 97% sell-through rate overall and 99% for single-owner sales. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Stair Restoration, provides conservation of fine antique furniture and paintings, creating an in-house restoration capability uncommon for a regional house. The customer base spans high-net-worth private collectors, prominent interior designers, antique dealers, and institutions, with marquee single-owner consignments from collectors such as the Getty family, Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue, Aso O. Tavitian, Carole Harris, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and the Walker Art Center.
STAIR firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STAIR
- Legal name
- Stair Galleries & Restoration, Inc.
- Website
- https://stairgalleries.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- STAIR is a privately held, family-owned regional auction house in Hudson, NY, founded in 2001 by Colin Stair, conducting 30+ live sales per year across furniture, fine art, decorative arts, Asian works, and fine jewelry, with an integrated restoration subsidiary and global online bidding reach.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STAIR industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Auction Services
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (459920), Jewelry Retailers (458310)
- SIC
- Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Estate Jewelry & Collection Liquidation Services (CRAKAKAJ)
Keywords
Where STAIR is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hudson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
STAIR business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Buyer's Premium: STAIR charges a buyer's premium of 31% on the hammer price of a lot up to and including $50,000. For any hammer price exceeding $50,000, the buyer's premium is 31% on the portion up to $50,000 plus 25% on the portion exceeding $50,000. When bidding through third-party platforms (Invaluable or LiveAuctioneers), an additional 5% premium is added.
- Seller Consignment Commission: STAIR takes a commission on items sold on behalf of consignors. Commission terms are tailored to each individual consignment based on the total value of the consignment. Proceeds are sent to consignors 30 business days after the sale. The company reports a consistent 97% sell-through rate.
- Restoration Services: STAIR Restoration, a related company under Colin Stair's ownership (brother Brian Stair operates Oxford Restoration), provides restoration services for fine antique furniture and paintings. This is offered as part of the auction house ecosystem.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Buyer's Premium - Lots up to $50,000 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Tier - Portion exceeding $50,000 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Third-Party Platform Premium |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
STAIR product offering
Product offeringCore offering
STAIR operates a regional auction house from its 25,000 square foot gallery at 549 Warren Street in Hudson, NY, conducting live and online auctions of fine art, antique furniture, decorative arts, Asian works of art, and fine jewelry/luxury goods. The company runs 30+ sales per year with multiple bidding modalities including in-person, live online, telephone, and absentee bids, and earns revenue through buyer's premiums, seller consignment commissions, and ancillary restoration services.
Product overview
STAIR is a regional auction house offering a unified platform for live and online auctions across multiple collectible categories. The core offering consists of proprietary live auction events at the Hudson, NY gallery (including Thursday Morning at STAIR, Mid-Week at STAIR, The Fine Sale, Americana at STAIR, Art + Design, and Modern & Contemporary Fine Art sales) complemented by a real-time online bidding platform at stairgalleries.com. Supporting services include consignment for sellers, View Only and Transactional account types for buyers, and STAIR Restoration for conservation work. Auctions are also distributed through Invaluable and LiveAuctioneers third-party bidding platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Auction Services
- Thursday Morning at STAIR
- Mid-Week at STAIR
- The Fine Sale
- Americana at STAIR
- Art + Design
- 20th Century, Modern & Contemporary Fine Art
- Design: 1860–1910
- Consignment Services
- STAIR Restoration
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% sell-through rate (99% for single-owner sales)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use STAIR
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
STAIR technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
STAIR partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- InvaluablecoreThird-party online bidding platform partnership. STAIR auctions are available via Invaluable, which levies its own commission in addition to STAIR's Buyer's Premium. Invaluable buyers must pay through Invaluable and STAIR cannot take payments directly from these buyers.
- LiveAuctioneerscoreThird-party online bidding platform partnership. LiveAuctioneers charges additional premium and handles payment processing and shipping arrangements for buyers using their platform. STAIR auctions reach millions of potential buyers through this channel.
- UPS Store #4541 (Kingston, NY)minorRecommended shipper for small items and fine art. Located at 230 Kings Mall Court, Kingston, NY 12401. Contact: 845-336-4877.
- UPS Store #5539 (Hudson, NY)minorRecommended shipper for small items and fine art. Located at 160 Fairview Avenue, Hudson, NY 12534. Contact: 518-828-8777.
- UPS Store #4861 (Rhinebeck, NY)minorRecommended shipper for small items and fine art. Located at 6565 Springbrook Avenue, Rhinebeck, NY 12572. Contact: 845-876-3357.
- Sure ExpressminorRecommended for nationwide and international shipping. Contact: 800-335-9997, [email protected].
- Arrow ExpressminorRecommended for nationwide and international shipping. Contact: 888-829-2122, [email protected].
- Cadogan Tate Fine ArtminorWorldwide fine art logistics partner recommended for valuable and fragile shipments. Contact: 718-706-7999, [email protected].
- Meticulous Inc.minorLocal delivery service covering New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Contact: 845-256-7047, [email protected].
- Outward Bound Courier LogisticsminorLocal delivery service covering New England, Southeast, and Midwest to Chicago. Contact: 413-854-3676, [email protected].
- Karl on WheelsminorLocal delivery service covering New York and Connecticut. Contact: 860-499-0406, www.karlonwheels.com.
- StripecorePayment processing provider for credit card verification during account registration. STAIR uses Stripe for KYC processes and card verification. No card details are stored by STAIR.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
STAIR competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
STAIR social profiles
Digital presenceSTAIR financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STAIR leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
STAIR subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
STAIR funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STAIR M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about STAIR
What does STAIR do?
STAIR operates a regional auction house from its 25,000 square foot gallery at 549 Warren Street in Hudson, NY, conducting live and online auctions of fine art, antique furniture, decorative arts, Asian works of art, and fine jewelry/luxury goods. The company runs 30+ sales per year with multiple bidding modalities including in-person, live online, telephone, and absentee bids, and earns revenue through buyer's premiums, seller consignment commissions, and ancillary restoration services.
Is STAIR a public or private company?
STAIR is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was STAIR founded?
STAIR was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is STAIR based?
STAIR is headquartered in Hudson, United States, in the North America region.
How does STAIR make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Buyer's Premium is the primary driver. The others are seller Consignment Commission and restoration Services.
Does STAIR have an API?
No public API is recorded for STAIR.
What industry is STAIR in?
STAIR's product category is Auction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAF, Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry), with a secondary code of CRAKAKAJ, Estate Jewelry & Collection Liquidation Services. Its NAICS code is 459920 and its SIC code is 5944.