Meet your Instructors

The Business of Antiques Online Training Course is lead by

Toma Clark Haines - CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co and her colleague

Margaret Schwartz - Founder of Modern Antiquarian.

Toma Clark Haines

The Antiques Diva & Co equips and empowers entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed in the Business of Antiques. Since opening in 2008, Toma and her team provide a variety of services for antique dealers from antique buying tours in 16 countries helping you source antiques in Europe and helping you ship antiques from Europe to America. They offer Business Coaching Services for Antique Dealers, an annual in-person Antiques Dealers Educational Retreat in England and this Online Antique Dealer Training Program which teaches you how to become an antiques dealer.

Toma is The Antiques Diva, owner of the world's largest antiques touring and sourcing company. After speaking at ADAC their marketing director Melissa Wilson was quoted as saying, “She shouldn’t be called The Antiques Diva but rather The Antiques Maven!” because Toma knows simply everone and everything in this business. A favorite part of her job is sharing her knowledge whether by taking clients on an antiques buying tour in Europe or Asia or teaching readers through her popular podcast The Busines of Antiques. She is a renowned public speaker in both USA and Europe and writes for numerous publications.

Working with some of the top names in antiques and design, Toma is in the unique position of being able to forecast trends in design based upon noting the plethora of requests for certain pieces and periods.

She is originally from Oklahoma but has lived over 2 decades in Europe and currently divides her time between Venice Italy and Tuscany. Before becoming The Antiques Diva, Toma worked in marketing and advertising with some of the leading brands in America - including Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds and Target.

Margaret Schwartz

Margaret discovered her love of interior design during her four years at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, where she developed an eye for timeless style and refined detail. In 2014, on a family trip to London, she joined a one-day antiques tour that sparked an instant passion. By the end of the day, she knew she was destined to become a dealer.

Today, Margaret specializes in English and French gardenalia, complemented by furniture, lighting, mirrors, and accessories that create a cohesive, curated look. Her work has been featured in House Beautiful, AD Pro, Town & Country, Homeworthy, and numerous design podcasts. A career highlight was being selected as one of just seven dealers invited to participate in the Chairish Emporium at Bergdorf Goodman. An honor she describes as a "dream she never knew she had."

With a deep commitment to sourcing from the most respected dealers in Europe, Margaret delights in importing inventory of the finest quality and helping clients develop heritage collections of antiques to invest in and enjoy. She has been a proud member of LAPADA, the international association of over 550 dealers across the UK, Europe, and a select few in the US, since 2016.