Susanne and I had been married for 20 years. We shared similar passions for collecting antiques and other interesting things from the past. We both had full-time jobs but the call of retailing was strong and we found ourselves buying an old shop in the main street of rural Kapunda in South Australia and opening ‘Shilling Antiques and Collectables’, a wonderful venture to occupy our weekends.
That was in 2008. Business was good, but circumstances caused us to up stakes and move everything to the idyllic Meander Valley in northern Tasmania in 2015. Three container loads of belongings came with us, to what was then a derelict historic flour mill on the Liffey River in the village of Carrick.
We set-to transforming that perfect template into our new residence and shop, the perfect marriage of lifestyle and business. The ground floor of what was to become Carrick Mill Antiques quickly filled with all sorts of collectable treasures, literally something for everyone! We opened our doors in 2017 and have never looked back (well, actually, we are always looking back) and it has been wonderful.
Our shop does not specialise, although we have an extraordinary amount of books and the largest assortment of old postcards in Tasmania! Susanne and I love our old-fashioned shop and the ability to meet and chat to customers face to face, but we also established our business online (during the pandemic) and this has exceeded our expectations, expanding our customer base throughout the world!
Here in the shop we are surrounded by lovely things, historic architecture (built 1846), delightful customers and the satisfaction that comes from assisting in the preservation of the past. Life is good!
