Well, it’s certainly been three years we won’t forget in a hurry.
Opening our doors at Antiques on High, in Fore Street, three years ago - December 1, 2018 - was considered a bold move, as the traditional antiques centre tends to be one-person, one-shop. However, the people of Sidmouth welcomed us and we hope that so far, we have served you well.
It has been challenging for any business and as we opened the door for the first time three years ago, who could have foreseen what lay ahead?
We have quickly instilled our innovative style of business on the local antiques trade, with a warm and comfortable environment for those to venture into and enjoy. With the opening of our third store in Bowness on Windermere in May, there is a tremendous opportunity for antique dealers to have their stock in all three stores at subsidized rates, without having to travel further than their nearest store.
Despite the temptation and the allure of Sidmouth, we still live in Bournemouth and most people baulk at the mileage we do. Both Lesley and I regularly put in more hours than most people would have thought existed in a week, but I believe that if you know what you’re doing, you get out what you put in.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is, without doubt, the ability to adapt quickly in order to maximize the potential of any situation good or bad, something we all need to be more aware of as we head into 2022.
We continue to progress, offering stock from around the country in any store and all available to view live via our camera feeds, which have provided much amusement on more than one occasion.

We are equally conscious of the fact that in retail terms we are probably the ultimate recyclers, as our stock is many years old and not so easy to come by as stock from a regular retail outlet. Although our infamous tea towels designed by Oxford’s Jane Donnelly are obviously brand new, we do everything we can to do our bit wherever possible.

Inevitably there will be those who may jump up and say, ‘Well, you still use bubble wrap and that’s plastic’. Yes, we do, because sadly no one has been able to come up with a viable alternative and please, if anyone can provide one, we will be only too pleased to use it, as all our other wrapping is paper, including our own-branded carrier bags.

So, as we charge forward to a fresh new year, all of us at Antiques on High would like to say thank you Sidmouth, we look forward to being here for many more years.