Antiques Shop – Which Providers Should You Consider?
Whether it’s as a financial investment or merely for aesthetic reasons, buying antique pieces is a terrific idea.
It is a long-standing yet still very popular decorating trend, especially when it comes to furniture. Not only does antique furniture have a timeless quality, it’s also elegant, stylish and even environmentally friendly!
Given its current demand on the market, there are a fair few antiques shops around at the moment. But that doesn’t make it easy to find the right one, which means a shop that can give you both quality and value for money. What you don’t want is to end up putting your faith in the wrong store.
Our top tip, though, is to always take quality, cost-effectiveness and the store’s reputation into account when you are researching your possible options.
Driscolls Antiques Ltd
Today, one of the leading antiques shops in the United Kingdom is Driscolls Antiques Ltd. It is a family run business established over 25 years ago, and is currently managed by James and Rebecca Driscoll.
They specialise in selling a vast selection of fine English antique furniture of the highest quality, and they offer great value for money too. Their antiques range includes pieces made in Britain from the Victorian, Regency, Georgian and Edwardian periods, offering traditional, classic designs to all their customers.
Driscolls Antiques Ltd are LAPADA and Cinoa members, guaranteeing that the pieces they sell are of the highest quality. What’s more, every piece they bring to the market has been carefully restored using traditional techniques in restoration.
This helps to ensure the piece is in keeping with its original look while also maintaining the patina that develops over time. The company scours auctions, markets, shops and other outlets to bring the very best of items to their customers’ attention, saving antique hunters a lot of time and energy they’d otherwise spend in searching by themselves.
The company caters for trade as well as private clients, providing a door-to-door delivery service for purchases throughout UK and all over the world.
Customers are guaranteed to receive their orders in perfect condition as Driscolls Antiques Ltd is highly experienced and ensures all items are packaged safely and securely.
What’s more, this antiques shop Clitheroe based also offers a 28-day money back guarantee, so customers have peace of mind when buying from the website. Online antiques browsers will find that each of this company’s products is accompanied by clear pictures and detailed descriptions, as well as the item’s price.
If you prefer to view your purchases in real life before parting with your money, Driscolls Antiques Ltd has huge warehouses in Manchester, close to Preston, Lancashire, and Harrogate in North Yorkshire that is open to visitors.
Collectors, dealers and anyone who appreciates quality antique pieces of furniture are welcome to send any queries they may have to the helpful team.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which town has the most antique shops?
One of the very best towns to do your antique shopping is Petworth in West Sussex. This place is notable for being one of the key locations outside of London to host a tremendous array of antique and art dealers.
Other towns you might like to consider with a strong antique feel to its shop collection are Tetbury in Gloucestershire; Hungerford in Berkshire; Frome, which is in Somerset; Honiton in Devon; and Brasted and Westerham, in Kent.
Where is the best place to buy antiques?
Some of the best places to source quality antiques are online marketplaces, live online auctions, antique centres, antique fairs, flea markets and car boot sales, and finally, everyone’s favourite rummaging place – bric-a-brac and charity shops.
Which town in the UK has the most antique shops?
Most tourists in the UK may be unaware that one of the prime destinations for antiques hunters is the town of Petworth, which is something of a mecca for enthusiasts of old furniture and other pieces.
With at least 100 dealers and 35 antique centres in the town, Petworth really does offer the biggest choice and highest quality old furniture as well as antiques of all sorts from the UK and the Continent alike.
Where can I find cheap antiques?
One of the most common places to find affordable antiques is yard and garage sales. These are the ideal spots for bargains, and there’s often a chance to haggle for your desired items.
Likewise, charity and thrift shops are also great places to trawl, as there are often plenty of hidden gems on the shelves in these shops that are priced to sell quickly most of the time. You can also check for auctions and private sales online, or even at jumble sales, for instance.
What should I look for in antiques?
This quick read gives some great ideas for some of the valuable items that you may be able to find easily in an antique store. Among the items mentioned are silverware, depression glass, jadeite, antique guitars, perfume bottles, antique Christmas ornaments and canning jars.
Do antique shops buy items?
If you have an eye for a quality item and know your market, then antique and vintage goods can be sound investments for re-sale at a later date. Selling your items to a local antique store can bring you fast cash, but perhaps not as much as you might think, as dealers have to turn a profit too. That means you may find you are offered less than the item’s actual worth.
Can you pawn antiques?
If you are in dire need of money, and fast, then pawning your items is one of your options. Pawn shops value items and offer a certain amount of money in return. However, it’s worth remembering that the price they offer is usually far below the actual value of the item.
You can return to buy your item back within a certain period, but you’ll be paying a much higher price than you received for it in the first place. As a last resort, though, it is a useful source of ready cash.
How do I start buying and selling antiques?
If you’re planning to buy and sell antique goods, there are certain factors you must bear in mind before you get started. These include finding a dealer, buying items you love and being aware of what’s fake and what’s not.
You should also consider how prices are set at auction, as well as understand how buying and selling online works. Most importantly, do as much research as you possibly can about antiques and their value, so every single one of your decisions is informed by knowledge, not guesswork.
Are antiques a good investment?
When it comes to investing in collectables and antiques, it can be quite tough, especially if you are hoping that these items will gain value and provide a good return on investment over time. But perhaps the most important consideration is the personal enjoyment and satisfaction that you can get from collecting these items.
LoveAntiques.com
If you are looking for the number one antique shop online Clitheroe to buy and sell antique furniture online, then look no further than LoveAntiques.com.
Regardless of the type of antique furniture you’re searching for, you will find it within this online marketplace. The variety of antiques they have for sale all come from experienced dealers.
They also have a knowledgeable team of staff who check and approve all postings before they’re entered onto the site. On their website, you’ll be able to browse through a constantly updated list of products.
From Georgian and Victorian period furniture to Edwardian and Art Deco antiques, anyone will be able to find products that will suit their taste, budget and requirements at LoveAntiques.com.
eBay
If you want to give your home a new look, eBay has the perfect range of individual antique items for you. eBay offers an extensive selection of quality antique items, and you’ll even find more modern pieces of furniture here too.
This is perfect for anyone who’s aiming for a minimalistic yet functional interior design for their home.
eBay also sells a large array of vintage clocks that can spice up the whole look of your house, as well as wooden tables, chairs, vintage arts and collections, and architectural antiques.
Regardless of the theme you want your home’s interior to have, eBay is certain to have all the items you need for any living space.
Sellingantiques Ltd
Sellingantiques Ltd is the UK’s biggest online antiques shop, offering a wide variety of pre-loved items from a total of 483 reputable dealers in antiques.
Ever since its launch, this shop has sold over £379,000,000 worth of antique items, and its visitor numbers are impressive too, with around a thousand people viewing the site each day.
It’s a one-stop shop for customers, who can search through up to 58,265 antique items with a total value of over £94,607,000 from the inventories of the UK’s top antiques dealers.
Whether you want to sell or simply buy items from this online antique shop, you can be sure you’ll receive the highest level of service from them.
Antiques Centre York
Antiques Centre York is well-known as the City of York’s biggest, friendliest and most centrally located antiques shop. It offers a wide array of jewellery, antiques and collectables, and offers items of the highest quality to all their customers.
With over 120 reputable dealers, no matter what you are looking for, there’s plenty of choice in each range in this online centre.
Whether you’re a mere gift-shopper, collector, an investor, an aficionado or an antiques lover, you will find something you’re sure to cherish in this shop.
If you get the chance to visit their physical location in York, you’ll be delighted to find they have a cosy café and tearooms called ‘Molly’s’ that anyone can take time out to chill in.
Georgian Antiques
Whether you are a private or a trade customer, Georgian Antiques is absolutely certain to be able to cater for all of your furniture requirements.
This online antique store is located in the historic spot of Leith Edinburgh, and has an impressive floor space with over 50,000 square feet turned over to its stock of antiques.
The company takes great pride in its tremendous selection of antiques, guaranteeing that there will be something of interest to everyone who shops here. The Georgian Antiques showroom welcomes all types of clients, and friendly staff are on hand to give advice and the provenance of any item that catches their eye.
What’s more, Georgian Antiques also maintains a comprehensive online website that’s open 24/7, for customers’ convenience.
Homes and Antiques
For those of you who are looking for the best vintage and antiques shop Lancashire or beyond, Homes and Antiques is certainly one to try. From vintage clothes shops to the largest antique centres, this article outlines 50 of the best stores by UK region, so there’s certain to be one close to you.
To compile the article, they talked to several experts, including homeware designer Sophie Conran, antiques professional and writer Mark Hill, vintage expert Wayne Hemingway, Antiques Roadshow professional Katherine Higgins, and interior designer Nicky Haslam about their favourite choices from the UK’s finest antiques and vintage emporiums.
Among their picks are Priestley’s at No 36 in York, The Vintage Showroom in London, and Wolf and Gypsy in East Sussex, as well as a whole lot more to explore across the UK.
Daltons Business
If you have ever thought about starting a business in the antique industry, this article from Daltons Business may be of interest. In this short piece, they share why it’s beneficial to buy an existing antiques store instead of starting from scratch.
Firstly, the stock is all there, ready for you to sell. Most of the time, an antique shop for sale already has an impressive array of items, saving you the hassle of hunting round for the best-priced items to sell in your shop.
Secondly, you can get up and running with a network of local dealers quickly, as the previous owner of the shop will already have an ongoing relationship with them, and they can introduce you to them.
And lastly, you can trade on the existing records held by the shop, knowing what goods are most likely to sell as well as the ideal asking prices for each, helping you avoid buying stock that you can’t then make a good return on.
Alloa Advertiser
In January 2019, the Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser published an article about Alva antiques centre getting the BBC seal of approval!
Despite being relatively new to the industry, owner Tom Muncie was featured on the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip as one of the best antiques shop owners. The programme is known for featuring antiques professionals travelling across the UK, looking for hidden treasures and competing to make lots of money on them at auction.
It’s this kind of publicity that will help get Tom and his shop on the map.
Startups
Startups has shared a brief guide for anyone who’s planning to build their own antique shop online. Given that the competition is quite high, and the current economic climate means your clients often have limited money to spend, it’s not enough just to have a good eye for antique pieces.
At present, truly stand-out antiques are getting harder to find, and the prices for these are elevating fast too, so opening an antique store isn’t always easy.
But this article helps you navigate through some of the minefields to build a successful business in the industry, with top tips about drawing up a sound business plan, how to secure stock, how to promote your business and much more besides.
Good Housekeeping
Buying quality items from an antique furniture shop is like going on a treasure hunt, sifting through cleverly faked junk to find the true gold.
In this article, Good Housekeeping talks to veteran appraisers, Dr Lori Verderame and Terry Kovel, about just what antiques enthusiasts should keep in mind when visiting an antique store.
According to them, finding a gem is tough, but if you do, it could be worth a lot of money. Some of the items these experts consider valuable and well worth looking out for are Victorian Christmas cards, vintage Christmas ornaments, stained glass, costume jewellery, antique purses, Native American baskets, Tin Toys World’s Fair Memorabilia, and so on.
Wikipedia
In the official Wikipedia entry for an antique shop, this authority has defined what truly makes an antique shop. You won’t be surprised to hear that examples include shops on your high street or online stores on the Internet, like an antique shop online Lancashire or Derbyshire based which delivers UK wide.
These stores offer older items that have been much-loved in the past. Such stores can also be found in shopping centres and markets, in a stall or booth, with a seller who’s responsible for managing the place. Stock tends to come from places like flea markets, garage sales, estate sales, auctions, and so on.
What makes them special is the uniqueness and timelessness of the items these shops sell. However, when it comes to quality, there can be a huge variation, from high-end antiques to common or garden tat, and the price often depends on this, as well as the nature and location of each particular store.
Cullens of Surrey
Cullens of Surrey takes pride in being able to offer quality antiques and second-hand furniture items, collectables and retro goods.
It is a family run antiques, probate & clearance business and is considered to be one of the more trusted antique dealers in London and Surrey, providing years of outstanding service and quality items to their clients.
Their physical shop is located at Unit 4 Cartwright House, Wandle Way, Mitcham, Surrey. If you’d like to visit, it’s by appointment and it’s worth noting that Cullens of Surrey refresh their stocklist on a weekly basis, so new items are added regularly, making this a vibrant and exciting place to visit regularly.
Llandovery
Llandovery Antiques Centre is a reputable antique store located in the centre of South West Wales, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. The shop offers vintage tools, furniture, pottery, an eclectic mix of antiques, Welsh blankets, jewellery, vintage clothing, ceramics, vintage & retro toys, and a whole lot more.
With over 2,500 square feet of this antique centre available for perusing, anyone can indulge themselves, no matter what their taste or interest, with the tremendous variety of items the Centre holds.
What’s more, all customers can take advantage of free UK delivery for any purchases. The owners have over 50 years of experience in the industry, so every customer is guaranteed to benefit from the highest quality in all the products this shop offers.
Brownrigg
Brownrigg is one of the better known antique furniture stores around today, and it’s run by David Gibson and Jorge (George) Perez-Martin. Brownrigg has the vision to offer an eclectic mix of the latest decorative and antique items, and aims to
appeal to both the UK and worldwide markets.
The store caters for interior designers as well as antiques buyers, delivering inspirational antique furniture, and painted and decorative antiques. The physical shop is located within Tetbury and Brownrigg also makes its presence felt at London’s Battersea Antiques and Decorative Fair.
As befits its reputation, this stunning shop is often featured in various leading interior design magazines and antiques press and publications as well.
The Lincolnite
The Lincolnite, a local newspaper, shared details about a newly opened antique store in Lincoln early in November 2019. The shop is called My Secret Antiques and it’s owned by Benjamin Jackson, a 41 year old local Lincolnite.
Just to name a few of the weird and wonderful items you may see in Mr Jackson’s shop, the article featured a painting of Abraham Lincoln, a huge pair of buffalo horns, and a model of a circus ringmaster!
The company had its origins in a small storage unit in Washingborough over the two years previous to the article, but has now expanded into its current home in Great Northern Terrace, Lincoln.
Ballinderry Antiques
Ballinderry Antiques is one of the largest fine furniture and antique stores in Northern Ireland. Owned by Donald McCluskey, previously of Oakland Antiques in Belfast, this shop has three extensive floors filled with quality, unique products.
The ranges stocked include a selection of fine antique furniture, glassware, clocks and silver porcelain, as well as other vintage pieces from the Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian periods. Ballinderry Antiques caters to Ireland, Northern Ireland, the whole of the United Kingdom, Europe and further afield.
Staff have over 30 years of experience, so clients and customers can expect to receive the highest levels of service. If you’re interested in seeing more of what Ballinderry Antiques has to offer, their store can be found outside Lisburn.
Avocet Antiques
Avocet Antiques Shop takes pride in its quirky antique products as well as provincial pizazz. Here, you can find a range of items which will be perfect to spice up your home. The shop is a family run business run by antique & interior lovers of chic 21st century style, Phil and Bonnie Royle.
They make sure they deliver the most unique, special, different and above all, cool products to all of their clients. Their entire stock list is hand-picked and they aim to find the very best from the least trodden paths, sourcing treasures from English, Welsh & Scottish antique dealers and auctions.
They also travel across Europe, for instance visiting outstanding yet little known French brocantes in the middle of nowhere. Their aim is to bring their clients the best selection of home interior decorations on the market.
Arse Antiques
Arse Antiques is perfect for anyone wanting to buy antiques online. This antique store sells quirky, unique and exquisite products, aiming to find something to suit everyone’s taste and style. You can browse their website to find out more about their business and their remarkable collections.
For added value, their website has a sourcing service too, so if you have something particular in mind but can’t see it in their inventory, they will look for it for you. This shop also has an ever-changing Instagram account where visitors can browse the collections as well as placing an order.
Society
Society recently published an article about a newly opened discount antiques shop in Aberdeen charmingly called Something Old, Something Brewed.
Aside from its quality, beautiful antique products, this store also serves coffee, tea and tasty pastries to its customers. The owner, Mair Adams, has been passionate about antiques for a long time and decided to pursue her interest by opening a store after 20 years in the retail trade.
This shop is open on weekdays, and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
Sturmans Antiques
Established over 30 years ago, Sturmans Antiques is a family-run businesses located in the exquisite market town of Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. The shop takes pride in providing a fantastic selection of quality original antiques at reasonable prices.
It’s always easy to find fresh, new items in local antique shops like this one, as they restock their amazing showrooms with new pieces on a weekly basis. With over 70 items of furniture of all types, complemented by a stunning choice of clocks and other items, there’s no doubt you’ll find something of interest here.
If you purchase from Sturmans, you can expect a personal service, delivery to your doorstep throughout UK, installation and set-up in your home if required and overseas shipment for customers outside of the UK.
No matter how large or small, how elaborate or simple, every antique piece tells a story. The value of antiques is not least that they are rich with history and heritage, harking back to an era that’s gone by.
Many never go out of style, which makes them a great investment, and because furniture in particular was made by true craftsmen with skill and art, it is sturdy enough to stand the test of time.
Whether you’re buying to decorate a personal space or as an investment for the future, antiques are well worth your time and your money. There are plenty of antiques shop out there, so make sure you explore all your options and choose reputable, reliable sellers who specialise in the kinds of items you’re looking to buy.
If you do this, you can be more sure that you are purchasing a quality piece that will both endure the rigours of daily living and be an asset to you in the future, should you choose to sell it.