Julia and Paul’s new shop delight

Julia Watts inside the Cygnus Antiques shop on Castlegate. Picture by Canon Alan Hughes.

It was a whirlwind process for Paul MacNaughton and Julia Watts, and they are pleased with the response so far after opening Cygnus Antiques at 57 Castlegate two-and-a-half weeks ago.

Paul has been an antiques dealer for many years but whilst Julia is a collector of antiques, this is a new venture for her.

The shop includes printing blocks, china, paintings, taxidermy, clocks and buttons.

Julia said: “We’ve been working together at a shop in Selkirk and we had discussed opening a shop together, although it was a spontaneous decision to call the landlord for the unit in Berwick as it was on the same day that I noticed the sign saying ‘shop for rent’.

“We had a look around a couple of days later and it did not take long to agree to take it on because it was the right size for what we needed, it’s in a good location and it has a lot of potential.

“I think that combining the eclectic taste with the decorative taste in the shop works well and people have been very complimentary since we opened.

“We want people to expect the unusual and a lot of people nowadays are looking for something a bit different and meaningful, and hopefully they can find something to fit that criteria in the shop.

“We’ve also set it up as a friendly and welcoming place that can provide something for everyone.

“I like seeing people's reactions to things, so it’s great to have the shop as you can’t get that online.

“We’ve been busy so far and hopefully that will continue because our goal is for the shop to be in place for the long term.”

Cygnus Antiques is one of a few new shops to open in the town centre over the past 12 months and it is not far away from HattBoxx, which opened earlier this year.

As reported in the Advertiser, Heather Haswell is selling her hand knitted bespoke hats at 65 Castlegate and her growing reputation means she now has sent off her unique hats to people in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and even Japan.

Julia said: “We’re enjoying being part of the Berwick business community.

“It seems that there is plenty of positivity about the town at the moment.”