Prince Street in Old Town Alexandria is one of the citys oldest cobblestone corridors, running downhill toward the Potomac River waterfront through a stretch of eighteenth and nineteenth century townhouses, and at number 400 sits Cavalier Antiques, a fine antiques dealership with roots that predate most of its current neighbors. The business was founded in 1946 by Robert Ray III and his wife Elizabeth Ray, who opened their first shop across the river in Georgetown before relocating the business to Alexandria in 1960, and it has remained in the same family across multiple generations since, now run by Robert Ray IV. That kind of continuous, multi generation ownership is increasingly rare in the antiques trade, and it shows in the shops focus on genuinely rare, museum caliber pieces rather than general secondhand furniture or decor.
Cavalier Antiques inventory leans toward fine art, decorative objects, and rare collectibles with real documented history, an approach illustrated by two pieces the shop has featured: a seventeenth century oil painting attributed to the Neapolitan artist Baldassarre DeCaro, known for his animal and still life scenes, depicting a group of chickens, and a rare vintage Pilot Namiki fountain pen, an example of the kind of Japanese lacquerware pen making tradition that collectors of fine writing instruments seek out specifically by maker and era. Pieces like these point to a dealer working at the higher end of the antiques market, sourcing and vetting individual items for their history and craftsmanship rather than stocking a large volume of general merchandise, which makes a visit here different from browsing a multi vendor antique mall or a general consignment shop.
Being situated in Old Town Alexandria places Cavalier Antiques within one of the Washington DC areas most walkable historic shopping districts, a few blocks from the Potomac riverfront and within easy reach of the King Street corridors restaurants, galleries, and boutiques, making it a natural stop for visitors combining antique shopping with a broader day exploring Old Towns colonial era streets. Serious collectors and interior designers working on period appropriate rooms often seek out shops with this kind of specialization precisely because a curated, connoisseur level selection can be harder to find than a general secondhand furniture store, and a business that has operated continuously in the same family for close to eighty years brings an unusual depth of institutional knowledge about provenance, restoration, and value to every piece it sells.
Prospective buyers or sellers with questions about a particular item, an appraisal, or the shops current inventory can reach the business directly by phone at 571-225-7722 or by email through its listed contact, a straightforward way to inquire about specific pieces before making the trip to Prince Street. For collectors, designers, and history minded shoppers in the DC metro area looking for vetted fine antiques with documented provenance rather than general secondhand goods, Cavalier Antiques offers a specialized, multi generation family run alternative grounded in Old Town Alexandrias historic streetscape. Cavalier Antiques at 400 Prince Street in Alexandria, Virginia is a family owned fine antiques dealership founded in 1946 and run continuously across four generations, specializing in rare art, decorative objects, and collectibles such as period oil paintings and vintage fountain pens.
