Octopus
Where are you based? My shop is in Viaduct House at the lower end of The Struet, just past the traffic lights leading out of town towards Hay.
When are you open? For the moment I open at 10.30am - 5pm, 4 days a week, closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, but available by appointment at any other times and dates.
What made you open a shop in brecon? I am 86 years old, have a life long interest as a former auctioneer, in pictures and any other stuff that people collect and having moved to Brecon 18 months ago to be near my eldest daughter, I began to trade at local Fairs and other venues, including Brecon market.This was more of a hobby than anything else, keeping me alert and getting me involved in the lively Brecon community. However packing up boxes, displaying their contents for a few hours, then packing it all up again and humping everything in and out of the car two or three times a week became tedious and damaging to my ancient frame.A sports psychologist friend of mine suggested I should open a shop and as he has done wonders for the footballers at Wrexham this season (likely to get back into The Football League again) introduced me to the enthusiastic young person who had just purchased one half of Viaduct House which had a ground floor shop unit. Alex Best and I hit it off straight away, which led to my opening ‘Opticus’ on April Fools’ Day, a date which particularly appealed to my family and friends!
The first few days of Octopus being open more than vindicated my decision, as much for the manner in which my stock left the shop in exchange for cash, as for the dozens of very favourable comments made by the good people of Brecon and visitors to the town who crossed my portals.
What will you find in the shop? My stock is primarily pictures - I have over 50 really good original antique and vintage watercolours and oils, together with scores of prints and etchings, many of which I have recycled using fresh frames and compatible mounts.A number of customers have described it as an Alladin’s Cave where for instance an impressively framed Mona Lisa, hangs close to a limited (No 03) edition print of a landscape by King Charles, flanked by a Van Gogh and a Picasso. In addition to my pictures, I have a large stock of porcelain by Port Meirion, Aynsley, Wedgwood etc, old bottles, clocks, watches. glass and curios - where else could you buy an unopened 70 year old packet of Persil printed in French and in pristine condition or a 200 year old print of the Usk bridge at Abergavenny, painted by Turner?!
All my stock could be described as “affordable”, simply because I have as is known in the trade as “a good eye” where I know items will be generally in demand in any particular price range. House clearance Auction rooms and Charity shops have been a happy hunting ground in collecting together my opening stock, enabling me to keep prices at realistic or even bargain levels (£10/15 for attractively presented prints and £25/£40 for original paintings) which still leave a modest balance to cover my overheads and labour.
Managing Octopus is a fun way of life for me rather than a hard nosed business venture and as Brecon is developing a reputation as a centre for antiques and the Arts, I hope to play my part in this.