Daniel Dawson-Gordon, owner of the Norfolk Antique and Reclamation Centre, pictured with some of his antiques stock in Jarrolds, a department store in Norwich in which he now has a shop.
Antiques brocantes and businesses in horticultural centres are quite the fixture now (see Potting and pottering) but an antiques concession in a department store is a much rarer beast.
The family business of Jarrolds in Norwich was founded in 1770 and has a proud history of publishing, printing and retailing in the city.
Down the centuries innovation has been at the heart of this business which now concentrates on retail and recently the store invited Daniel Dawson-Gordon, owner of the Norfolk Antique and Reclamation Centre, one of the largest reclamation sites in the UK, to open a concession inside the premises.
Great partnership
Dawson-Gordon said: “I was asked by Jarrolds to see if we could collaborate in some way and was offered a space on the second floor of the store. Here I created a shop using reclaimed materials to set off curated stock of fine objects from my own collection and the centre.”
He added: “It’s a great partnership. The shop opened in March and is run and managed by Jarrolds. I visit every so often to add new stock.
Norfolk Antique & Reclamation in Jarrolds in Norwich.
“It has full traffic all day and every day and in a very short time has been very successful. It has produced more customers visiting the yard and we have sent customers off to Jarrolds, so it’s a win-win story.”
John Adams, managing director at Jarrolds, said: “We believe this new venture will resonate strongly with our community offering them the opportunity to find one-of-a-kind treasures.”
