Graham loves his old curiosity shop

COLLECTOR: Carterton second-hand store owner Graham Jamieson has been in the business for 20 years.

A Carterton second-hand dealer has celebrated 20 years in the business - and is still loving it.

Graham Jamieson, owner of Bizarre Attractions, says he has always enjoyed collecting things.

The shop stocks just about every item you can think of, from books and records to houseware and garden tools.

A toy bulldog, purchased at a church fair in Lyall Bay in Wellington when he was a child, set Mr Jamieson on the collecting course.

"It was a shilling, a real bargain," he recalls.

Anything "odd, unusual or quirky" is what he goes for when buying for his store, next door to Wild Oats Cafe.

He says he gets "all sorts of people" through his door.

Most of his collected items come from garage sales and church fairs or "from what people bring through the door".

Mr Jamieson says he is not fussy when he makes his second hand-selections and rarely goes for high-end antiques.

"I figure if I like it then there will be someone else who likes it."

He rates a Buddha at the front door and a green stone hanging by the counter as his most valuable items.

"They bring good luck for the shop."

The premises was originally a saddlery shop and still sports hooks on the ceiling used to hang saddles.

The hooks are now used to display collectors' action toys, which Mr Jamieson says are his biggest sellers.

"They bring back childhood memories for people."

Mr Jamieson has lived in Wairarapa for 30 years, he studied for a small business art and design qualification in Greytown, and then got set up on a government self-employment scheme when he found himself out of work. He enjoys doing all sorts of art, from mural painting to bone carving but his store is still his passion.