David Clarke, a man from Macclesfield, is one of the newest arrivals on the High Street and arrived with an ambition to be part of the community here, doing something he loves. At the Refined Antiques & Furniture at number 54, David Clarke sells a magical mix of antique furniture and art, along with some fine contemporary pieces. We met him a few weeks into his new life in Corsham.
How did you start the business?
I was inspired by so many things, but I think mostly my dad. He passed away recently but just a few months before he died he asked me what I was going to do when I grow up! I am in my mid-50s and he was 83, but he told me if I had a dream I should follow it. “You’re going to be my age soon,” he reminded me. And I thought about it and knew he was right – and I realised this was my dream.
And how did you find this shop?
It used to belong to the BBC presenter and antiques specialist Paul Martin and, after I moved down here and started selling antiques at local fairs, we became friends and he gave me great advice. So, when this shop – his shop – became vacant I thought it was perfect. I remember seeing it at Christmas when the High Street was lit up, and it looked like a proper Charles Dickens High Street store with its pillars at the front. I am really excited about the future. After dad died I brought my mother down here to stay for a while and to help me redecorate the place. She was dad’s teenage sweetheart and they’d been together for 63 years so I didn’t want her to be on her own. I’ve got some great videos of us painting the walls which added to the next chapter of the story of this building. She loved it and we had some laughs, too. I think dad would be really proud…
Learning from a variety of jobs that were good experience, but not really me. I was in the forces until an injury caused me to retire, and then in the wine business in the US, a job that taught me how to sell and took me into car sales. But I always knew my heart wasn't in that sort of high-pressure sales and that it wasn't fulfilling me. I knew I wanted to run my own business – and I always loved antiques. My grandfather used to collect a few – nothing expensive, but he'd love telling stories about their history and it fascinated me. So, a few years ago, I bought myself a van and started to buy and sell, online and at antique fairs. That's how it started, and that's how I met Paul and found this shop.
I opened my door on the Wednesday and there were no customers. I sat and watched the world go by. Still quiet Thursday and Friday. But on the Saturday my shop was full and the next week people came back and started buying. I even had an offer for the desk I was working at and chair I was sitting on!
I'll be selling a mix of antique and modern classic furniture, old paintings and some contemporary art. I have arranged the shop carefully, with space to browse so people can walk in and see how these beautiful one-offs could work in their home – how you can mix and match the old and new; how one piece can transform a room. And I know my prices are more accessible than you'd find for the same furniture in big city antique shops. So, in short, the launch was great. Within weeks I'd walk down the street to pick up a coffee and everyone was saying hello or waving to me from across the street. I quickly felt like I belonged here.
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