Michael Bruno to Speak at Design Bloggers Conference

Michael Bruno is the founder and chairman of 1stdibs, the world’s largest online luxury marketplace for antiques and vintage design.
Bruno, whose motto is “decide what you want, believe in it and then get ready for the ride of your life,” launched the company in 2001 from his Paris apartment armed with just a clipboard, translator, web programmer and photographer. Today, over twelve years later, 1stdibs, based in New York hosts the finest dealers in furniture, fashion, jewelry and watches and fine art from the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Europe and has revolutionized how rare and desirable objects are purchased online.

Bruno began his professional career as a luxury real estate broker in La Jolla, CA and in the mid-1980’s moved to San Francisco where he continued to sell high-end properties. During this time Bruno, developed a passion for buying and restoring old homes, culminating in the restoration and successful sale of a magnificent Pacific Heights mansion in 1998. That same year, at the height of the dot com boom, Bruno began to search for his next venture. Keen to be part of this web revolution, he bought the domain name 1stdibs.com.

Today with Bruno at the helm of the company, in 2013 1stdibs is on target to achieve $1 billion in sales as reported by 1stdibs dealers with nearly 11,000 items reported sold monthly.