Ma!hew Holder, "6, London
the antiques trade. I did Photography at college and was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. In 2011, my dad lent me £ 500 and I started buying on Portobello Road and selling online. I showed at Olympia, then took a stand at Portobello in October 2011. I moved to London from Essex in November that year. I owe a lot to the Portobello community. I’m surrounded by knowledgeable, caring people.
‘ When I # rst started I had to get the train everywhere. I was going through two suitcases a month because the wheels would buckle and break. I’d have sweat pouring o$ me – a rucksack on my back, a suitcase in one hand and a bag in the other. I once bought 50 perfume bo! les at auction and they were spilling out everywhere on the journey home. It was a good way to learn how not to do business.
‘ I get to go on buying trips all over Europe. I go to museums, see beautiful architecture and learn about the surroundings from which the objects I deal in originate. At one fair I walked 38km in two days. Shoes don’t last me six months and my average bedtime is 1am. I daren’t work out my hourly rate.
‘ I recently found a 15th- century English processional cross that is almost identical to the one found at the Ba! le of Bosworth Field. There are only two on the market and I have one.
‘ When you’re young it can be harder to build up trust. Being a member of LAPADA and BADA helps. I think one advantage of being a young dealer is that I’ve
This gilt bronze processional cross is extremely rare because it’s English, possibly made in London and dates to the 15th century. There are only a handful known and one of them is the Bosworth Cross found in 1778, reportedly on the site where Richard III fell. That particular example has the York family crest.
got the energy to run around and I’m adaptable.
‘ Instagram is my main source of income and I owe threequarters of my business and my knowledge to the internet. I’ve found lots of American clients via Instagram, so that means no VAT when I export. At the start, if I saw something at a market I’d never seen before I would look it up on my phone. I could become an expert in 20 seconds % at and # nd its worth.
‘Some older dealers like to regale you with stories of old when business was great. I like to focus on the positives. It’s never been so hard to buy a house, but this business has allowed me to save up and buy one.’