Studied painting and sculpture at the Art Institute of Boston
Directly descended from the Marquis de Montflabert and heir to the title
Though he was born in France, he grew up in the Upper East Side of Manhattan
Quote: "Always buy with your gut and never, ever say, 'I'll think about it․'"
Quote: "Bowery and Houston is the crossroads of the world․ Even though Billy's is closing--beware․ The ghosts of 'Ye Olde Bowery' still roam․"
An outspoken defender of New York's independent retailers, he opened an antique store in a tent in downtown Manhattan in 2003 and became a local legend
Gained nationwide fame as the host of the reality television show "Baggage Battles" and also as the star of "Dirty Old Town," in which he plays a fictionalized version of himself
Put up a sign outside his shop reading "Euros Only" during the 2008 financial crisis
Was interviewed for the "New York Times" twice in 2011
When he closed "Billy's Antiques & Props," his iconic antique store run out of a tent on the corner of New York City's Houston and Bowery, he held a funeral, placing the tent's tarps in a coffin and painting the metal framework red