Antiques galore as business builds at centre in Morpeth

And the co-owners of Morpeth Antique Centre at 34 Newgate Street have thanked residents in the town for their support through Covid-19 restrictions as they prepare to mark its first anniversary on Sunday.

Due to the pandemic and other reasons, it took a little while for Maria Sibbald and her business partner Steve Dixon to find premises of their own after selling antiques in different places for about 10 years.

They were delighted to open on October 24 last year, with all space full for the first day, but had to close for the second and third national lockdowns in November 2020 and the first few months of 2021 respectively.

However, they have still managed to build up a customer base and the business is now going from strength to strength. There are currently 22 dealers at the centre.

Maria, whose background was engineering, said: “We believed that Morpeth would be a good location for the centre and we’ve been proven right because we’ve received plenty of support from people in the town, and we’re getting quite a few repeat customers.

“We’re grateful that they and the dealers stuck with us during the disruption of Covid lockdowns.

“We feel that the centre complements the existing antiques offering in Morpeth, as well as giving dealers the opportunity to have a permanent location from which to sell their items.

“We’re all passionate about being a dealer and it’s a way of life – once you get into it, you can’t stop.”

Items available at the centre include traditional antiques, vintage clothing, collectables, vinyl, large and small furniture, signage, silver and bird boxes made from reclaimed wood.

Steve, who used to work at Wallington, said: “This first year has been tough, as it has been for all small independent traders, but thanks to a lot of support from the people of Morpeth, and quite a few tourists, we’ve got through it with flying colours.

“We have had a few dealers come and go, but we now have a really good mix with 22 different dealers with quite a variety of goods and styles supporting our venture.”

Morpeth Antique Centre, which is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, can also arrange whole or part house clearances with a local auction house.

Alison and Allan Park, who trade as ParkyPine, said: “We’ve met some great people and have forged relationships with customers, which we hope will continue.

“We love vintage items and started selling regularly at Tynemouth Station. We saw the shop as the next stage and have thoroughly enjoyed selling to both visitors to and residents of Morpeth.”

Colin Gray, who trades as ‘Above the Wall, below the Border’, said: “The shop has become a real presence in the town where regular browsers and buyers have helped develop the very friendly and informative atmosphere that is clearly appreciated by both the dealers and customers alike.”