Immitation the sincereest form of flattery, but also predicatable and dull
Imitation Might Be Flattery — But It’s Also Boring
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Maybe it is — but in the antiques trade, it’s also the quickest route to becoming beige. If every shop sells the same French armoire, the same zinc-topped table, the same dusty duck egg paint, then the town turns into one soft-focus melange. Nice enough… but utterly forgettable.
That’s why places like Top Banana Antiques matter. We don’t follow the script — we write our own. Fresh-to-the-market stock, fresh dealers, proper antiques mixed with the unexpected. We don’t try to look like Lorfords or Brownrigg or any other shop in Tetbury — because once everyone looks the same, the only difference is price. And unless you’re considerably cheaper or considerably better… why would anyone bother?
Originality isn’t just a style choice in this trade — it’s survival. The dealers who last aren’t the ones copying the latest Instagram trend; they’re the ones brave enough to be themselves, season after season, seven-year itch after seven-year itch.
Because once everything looks the same, the magic goes. And magic — the surprise of finding something you’ve never seen before — is the very reason people still shop for antiques instead of flat-pack furniture online.
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