NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Meet the last of Auckland City's treasure hunters

By Sarah Downs
Canvas·
16 Dec, 2017 12:00 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Malcolm Grover says most antique stores have had to become more eclectic over the years to survive. Photo / Sarah Downs

Malcolm Grover says most antique stores have had to become more eclectic over the years to survive. Photo / Sarah Downs

Sarah Downs meets the last of the city’s treasure hunters.

Thirty years ago, Manukau Rd did not belong to the hordes of bumpers, instead it hummed with antiques. From Green Lane to Greenwoods Corner, an enclave of dealers congregated, all as dotty as their customers about old things. Today only a handful still remain open.

"The late-80s was a period of absolute hysteria over antiques," says Malcolm Grover, owner of Country Antiques. "Everyone was collecting something. Royal Doulton or corkscrews, you name it." Now the mania has gone for anything peaking a century, he says.

In his elegant clock shop, London Antiques — all damask wallpaper and olive carpeting — Dick Oord agrees. "Everything has changed. All of a sudden antiques are in and then they're not." Further down, Yvonne Saunders reflects on 45 years in her eponymous store. "There used to be 21 dealers in this street but now there are six. That tells you what's happened."

Perched on a grand armchair, Saunders ticks off an exhausting list: "Colonial, Victorian, English pine, country, French …" Every 10 years strikes a change in style, she says. "Originally we just had colonial furniture, kauri, kerosene lamps and brass beds. Well, all that's gone right out of vogue these days." Her tightly packed store is now accented with interior design.Chandeliers, metal mirrors and garden statues keep buyers trickling in.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Fashion is an awful, fickle thing," says Grover. "For a start, chiffoniers and mahogany were the rage but no one wants anything brown now." Country Antiques opened in 1980 to a roaring demand for pine furniture. "It just exploded. I had three guys working for me, stripping, sanding and polishing. Every morning there'd be people waiting and by the afternoon we'd have to shoo them away." But all those days are over, he says. "The traffic through the door has died." His now eclectic assortment includes mid-century and retro wares, which is in bigger demand. "We've had to evolve into something different because the market's changed. I'd love to see a return to real antiques, like Georgian furniture, but right now there's no interest." It's a generational thing, he says. "People don't want to be doing what their parents are doing."

"They're not interested in collecting," says Oord, who is surrounded by old clocks. Some chime on the hour. Others tick rhythmically. The Dutchman opened 43 years ago, selling container loads of stock to young buyers. "They loved antiques but now, unfortunately, I'm still selling to people in my age group." It's hard to spark new interest, he says. "Today, people think 'I've had that for three years, it's time to throw it out.' If you have a beautiful item and nobody wants it you can't make them want it. If there is no demand, there is no demand."

It's a problem for all small shops in Auckland, he says. "Retail as we know it will disappear. If you know what you want, you can get it online." But the web only insults antiques, he says. "You can't see the patina, the age, or the condition. With photoshopping, these days you can make a broken-down thing look terrific."

Manukau Rd used to entice airport-bound shoppers, but that's scarce now, says Lorraine Reading, the youngest seller on the block. "Exposure to the right market is the key to survival," she says. "There will not be many antique stores in the future, only the best will last."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Yvonne Saunders still works in her 'dream shop' six days a week. Photo / Sarah Downs
Yvonne Saunders still works in her 'dream shop' six days a week. Photo / Sarah Downs

Reading opened Art and Industry 28 years ago, with a fondness for decorative art. Besotted with botanical life as a young girl, her hunt for exotic objects has never left. "It's about recognising things that are exquisite and wanting to pass them on to people. It might connect to a person's memory or just the fact they want to display something that takes the human spirit up."

For Oord, it's the old-fangled and inessential. "I'm selling items nobody needs. If you want to know what time it is, you buy a watch. You don't need to spend $2000 on something that also tells you the time."

But you fall for things, he says, marvelling an 18th century red-marbled and gold clock.

"What happens in this shop is people fall in love."

When luck does strike, Saunders urges shoppers to buy immediately. "You don't see the same thing twice. It's lovely to have something the whole world hasn't got." The trade is still as thrilling to her as it ever was.

"I never know from one day to the next who will offer me what. It could be trash or it could be treasure."

To stick around all this time, takes dedication, says Grover. "There have been hundreds who have tried to set themselves up as antique dealers in Auckland. Some of them last three, four, five years but most disappear. You need to be committed and not just in it for the money and you've got to know how to work." The pensioner still puts in 80 hours a week. "I don't consider it work, I'm happy in what I'm doing. But I'm not getting any younger. We will abandon here and this will become apartments. The land is too valuable to be sitting here as a dusty old shop."

The antiques, however, will never leave his system. "Old dealers never die, they just fade away."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

Why the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60 (and how to stop it)

03 Jul 12:00 AM
Lifestyle

Affordable superfoods: How beans can boost your health and budget

02 Jul 11:57 PM
Lifestyle

Woolworths issues major recall of contaminated mince

02 Jul 10:36 PM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Why the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60 (and how to stop it)

Why the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60 (and how to stop it)

03 Jul 12:00 AM

Telegraph: A new study challenges the traditional idea that we steadily age over time.

Affordable superfoods: How beans can boost your health and budget

Affordable superfoods: How beans can boost your health and budget

02 Jul 11:57 PM
Woolworths issues major recall of contaminated mince

Woolworths issues major recall of contaminated mince

02 Jul 10:36 PM
Princess of Wales opens up about cancer recovery's 'new normal'

Princess of Wales opens up about cancer recovery's 'new normal'

02 Jul 08:02 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP