My First Antique Shop

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After spending five years in the service of his Majesty, in North Africa and Italy, I was unfortunately disabled just outside Monte Casino, from a motor bike accident which developed into a nasty attack of Thrombo Phlebitis. This entitled me not only to spend a few months in a Naples Hospital, but to be sent to my home town, Torquay in Devon, after a splendid 'cruise' in a beautiful clean hospital ship.

After a few weeks in the Torbay Hospital, I received an official O.H.M.S. letter informing me that I was of no further use to the Army, and was deemed to be Disabled on Army Service, and I had been awarded the princely sum of thirteen shillings and sixpence per week, as long as I could live.

I cannot say, with a hand on my heart, that I was very upset by my abrupt dismissal from my Army Career, and I was quite content to leave the war in the capable hands of Field Marshall Montgomery, having now realised that the war was practically won, and all he had to do was to finish off the Japanese.

I had always planned that if I could survive this war it was my ambition to open a quality Antiques Shop, even though I was severely financially limited, and the only cash I had was £150 that I had saved from my Army pay of seventeen shillings and sixpence a week. I was too proud to ask my Parents for a loan. The manager of the local bank would not advance me an overdraft, as I was an ex-serviceman with no financial history. It was a risk they could not take - more than their 'Job's Worth'.

I was determined however, to open up a shop, and I approached my Sister Rene to join me in a partnership, if she could put up her similar sum. She readily agreed, as she was working in an exclusive gown shop run by an aunt of ours and the wage she was getting was pitiful. She immediately gave in her notice and I then started to look for a shop in a good situation, and with a low rent.

The Government, realising that the war would soon be over, made a law that necessitated that only the holder of an approved licence would be able to claim and take a vacant shop, and that Ex Servicemen especially, would have the first choice. The only problem was that the Government would issue several licences on the same property. The one that received and acted on it first, could claim the shop.

As a disabled Ex Service Man I complained to the powers that were dealing with that department, that there was always someone beating me to the estate agent, with a licence of the same property that I was intended to take. All they could say was "tough luck" and "keep trying", which I did, and eventually I found a nice shop in the Centre of Torquay.

The rent of £9 a week was a little daunting, especially as we were not too flush with money, but at least we could make a start. Of course on the second day of taking the decision, a man came into the premises waving a licence, telling me that "I have a licence for this shop". I was polite to him, and told him to look elsewhere, I also informed him that I had also suffered the same way. We ended up agreeing that the Government, with all the best intentions, were stupid to issue more than one licence for each property. He left mollified, and I was glad to know, a few weeks later that he had eventually obtained his choice.

My first object at starting the Business, was to get an interesting stock of quality, reasonably priced antiques. I was, however, handicapped by a lack of finance to cover the decoration of the shop, pay the first month’s rent and buy some good stock. This was November and we had only to the end of the month to find three months advanced rent for the first quarter.

I had been told that every antique shop had at least one or two bargains that may show a profit. So I travelled all around the local areas and gradually collected a fair amount of stock. All the time I saw fine antiques that I could not buy as my limited cash flow quickly diminished.

My sister and I had to make the shop look smaller, as I had not purchased sufficient stock to make the venture look well. We achieved this by placing a curtain across the shop. After checking up the prices we would sell our stock for, I told my Sister that even if we sold everything we had purchased, we would be unable to find the money to pay for the coming quarter’s rent in advance. I then asked her, as she was the treasurer, "how much money was left of our capital fund"? I was informed that we had Three pounds, seven shilling and sixpence and that I was to take care as we had arranged to open the shop for the first time the next day. I told her that if we were to go down the 'sink', I wanted to use every penny we had, and it would then be in the ‘lap of the Gods’.

I had noticed in the local newspaper, that a small Auction rooms in Paignton was completing a sale this morning. I had not been to view the lots, as I had preferred buying from local dealers. Anyway I tootled off and arrived at the auction room, which was over a shop in the main street in Paignton.

There were about seven elderly gents lounging in easy chairs. The auctioneer was making heavy weather trying to get any bids for the items he had for sale. I suspected most of them had come in for a snooze or were in the market for nothing more than some free entertainment.

As I arrived the auctioneer was holding up a carton, asking if anyone there would like to bid for some second hand teeth. All the audience made jokes. The auctioneer asked for a £1 bid, and told the clients that he would accept sixpence increments. It was lot no 7; which has always been my lucky number, so I examined the contents of the carton, and to my surprise it was full of gold fillings, gold teeth, and many gold full plates. It was owned by a retired dentist, who had collected, and thrown the unwanted teeth into the box. He then handed the box to the auctioneer to dispose of them.

I realised that the contents were quite valuable. The price of gold had risen quite a lot, as the war was now nearing its end. I started the bidding with the proposed £1 bid and just before it was to be accepted a smart dealer arrived and upped the bid to £2. I kept on bidding, and to my surprise I managed to secure the teeth for exactly £3.7.6p.

I took the teeth to a jeweller next door, who weighed the gold and gave me £400.

When I returned back to the shop in Torquay, I threw the money on a table. My sister was astounded and asked me if I had robbed a bank. After telling her what had happened, I decided that we would not open the shop the next day as arranged, but I would spend our good fortune on some more stock.

From the profit on the teeth, I managed to buy, from fellow dealers, a Queen Anne Walnut Bureau Bookcase, some fine pieces of Meissen porcelain, a George III solid silver tea & coffee set as well as quite a few additional pieces of desirable stock.

When we opened a week later, the shop was an immediate success.

I will never know what induced me to attend that Auction Sale, at that particular moment. But the effect of that much wanted effusion of capital, made all the difference to the establishment of the first Russell’s Antiques shop.