Sidmouth antiques centre turns one

Vincent Page, of Antiques on High, celebrates one year in business. Picture: Antiques on High (Image: Archant)

Vincent Page, who owns Antiques on High, says it has gone far better than expected since opening his Fore Street premises on December 1 last year.

It is his second shop after taking over premises of the same name in Oxford in 2017.

Mr Page and his partner Lesley do not mind going the distance, driving between their home in Bournemouth and two shops.

The businessman says he has been amazed at the trade in the town, which has seen the Sidmouth shop take more money that the Oxford shop on 13 different days.

Following a successful first year, the owner says he has plans for a third outlet but says it would have to be in the right place.

Mr Page said: "The shop in Oxford has been going 22 years and Oxford has 155,000 people.

"Sidmouth is 15,000 and when you compare the size of the shops and size of the towns and on 13 separate days the Sidmouth shop has taken more money than Oxford and that's in our first year.

"We took over on November 1 and spent a month getting it decorated, and it's gone far better than we expected."

The owner prides himself on his centre's modern approach taking to social media daily on six different accounts and trying to dispel the myth the antiques trade is 'shady'.

He said: "We take credit and debit cards and not many other antique shops do.

"If you walk into a shop and you only take cash, it looks incredibly shady and the antiques trade has had a few shady characters - I'm trying to dispel that myth."

He said he hopes to continue to add more dealers to the centre after seeing the number increase at his shop in Oxford from 26 to 47.

To mark the business's first birthday, the owner will give the first five customers who spend more than £30 in the shop on December 1 a bottle of Moët.

The shop will be open from 11am to 4pm on Sunday.