For 25 years, Banana Tree in Alexandria, Virginia, treasure hunted Asia for the best in antiques, furniture and artifacts.  The owners, Monique and Bob Bergin, brought to their business a deep knowledge and appreciation of Asian art and culture, acquired over years during Bob’s Foreign career and yearly buying trips to Asia.

Bob wrote extensively for magazines and journals (see Bob’s author page) on the history of aviation in Southeast Asia and China, OSS operations in the China-Burma-India theater in WWII  and on the AVG Flying Tigers.

He published four novels set in Asia.  Monique, who has an MA in Asian history from Georgetown, is a long-time student of yoga, T’ai Chi and Ikebana.  Banana Tree was featured in Architectural Digest, the Washingtonian Magazine and the Washington Post which cited Banana Tree as a leading source for Washington designers.

In 2011 Monique and Bob closed Banana Tree but continued their fascination and love of Asia through frequent travel.