Seven year itch in the antiques trade.
Seven Year Itch in the Antiques Trade — or Seven Year Rich
Every seven years or so, something curious happens in the antiques trade. The wind changes, the tide turns, and what was once hot suddenly feels as dated as last week’s flowers. The trade, like fashion, runs in quiet cycles — and if you stay long enough, you start to feel the rhythm in your bones.
I call it the Seven Year Itch — though perhaps Seven Year Rich is kinder on the nerves. Either way, it’s that moment when the market does a full pirouette and the dealer who adapts thrives, while the one clinging to yesterday’s glory quietly gathers dust.
A friend of mine has just reappeared on Instagram with a completely new look — new stock, new vibe, new energy. And I smiled, because I’ve seen her do it time and again over the past thirty years. That’s the secret, really: knowing when to reinvent yourself and having the courage (and perhaps cheek) to actually do it.
When I first started out, it was all Kitchenalia and brass scales, Victorian breadboards and rustic bits of oak. You couldn’t move for them. Now? Try finding a breadboard anywhere — I think we sold the lot! Some even hit hundreds of pounds before quietly vanishing into the great kitchen in the sky.
But that’s the fun of it — the eternal reinvention. One minute it’s pine tables, the next it’s gilt mirrors or 1970s lucite lamps. The clever dealer doesn’t just follow the trend; they prune, re-graft, and grow. It’s not about changing who you are — it’s about refreshing what you do.
Reinvention is like pruning a rose bush: it might feel brutal in the moment, but give it a little time and suddenly you’re blooming again, full of new life and ready for the next seven-year cycle.
So, whether you’re feeling the itch or chasing the rich, embrace it. It’s what keeps the trade — and all of us in it — gloriously alive.
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