01Move
DNA dimensions
Average sale ticket (£280–£8,400), inventory turn (90–180 days target), trade vs retail mix, fair revenue (Decorative Fair / LAPADA / BADA), Instagram followers, international shipping share.
All playbooksSmall business
Antiques dealer playbook.
An independent UK antiques dealer running a curated single-site showroom with online + fair trade. The 2026 win is balancing destination Cotswolds / Bath / Petworth footfall with high-margin trade buyers and global Instagram-led shipping.
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Reference fit-out · Antiques dealer
Overview
A UK indie antiques dealer in 2026 runs three engines: showroom retail (£280–£8,400 ticket, 32–48% margin after sourcing + restoration, 18–32 sales/month), trade (32% of revenue at 18–28% margin, 8–14 trade buyers on the books — interior designers, set dressers, hotel groups), and online / international (Instagram-led, 1stDibs + Vinterior, 22–32% of revenue, global shipping via Constantine + Mailboxes Etc). Maths: 24 retail × £840 = £20k + £14k trade + £12k online = £46k/month at a strong destination site. Fair revenue (Decorative Fair Battersea, LAPADA Berkeley Square, IACF Newark) adds £18k–£68k per fair × 3 fairs = £80k+ annual. The 2026 strategy is the Instagram + 1stDibs catalogue — destination footfall is great, but global online buyers pay 40% premium for the LAPADA / BADA trust mark and pro-grade shipping.
£840
Avg ticket
32%
Trade share
140 days
Inventory turn
What you'll need
Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.
Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.
01
Showroom + display
Lighting (track + accent + picture lights)
£8,400–£18,000
Showroom rugs + display platforms
£3,400–£8,400
Climate control + dehumidifier
£2,400–£6,400
Display cabinets (period + bespoke)
£4,400–£12,000
Security (alarm + CCTV + safe)
£3,400–£8,400
02
Photography + cataloguing
Camera + 24–70mm + macro lens
£3,400
Backdrop + lighting + tripod
£1,400
Catalogue laptop + Shopify subscription
£1,800 + £29/mo
Provenance / condition record templates
£280 setup
03
Restoration + workshop
Conservation workbench + tools
£2,400–£6,400
French polishing + wax kit
£420
Upholstery sub-contractor (per piece)
£280–£1,400 per chair
Clock + bronze + silver specialist outwork
Variable
04
Shipping + logistics
Constantine UK + international shipping
£480–£3,400 per piece
Mailboxes Etc partnership (small items)
£12–£140 per piece
Packing materials + bubble + crating
£280–£900/mo
Van hire for fairs (3x/year)
£640–£1,400 per fair
Where to set up
Location is half the business.
Destination + tourism
Bath / Cotswolds / Petworth / Tetbury / Brighton Lanes / Suffolk
Antiques is destination-led — locals don't sustain high-ticket trade.
Showroom footprint
100–280 m² + 30 m² storage
Stock + walk-around + display platforms need real volume.
Ground floor + double frontage
≥6m frontage
Window display sells the average piece.
Ceiling height (≥3.5m)
Display tall furniture + chandeliers
Chandeliers + tall cabinets are signature stock.
Climate + insurance
Stable humidity + alarmed unit
Insurance + conservation depend on stable conditions.
Area tier
Rent / month
Notes
Cotswolds / Bath / Petworth (destination)
£2,400–£6,400
Tourism + trade buyers. Premium ticket.
London (Pimlico Rd / Lillie Rd / Battersea)
£4,400–£12,000
Trade heartland. Designer + set dresser buyers.
Regional county town (Stamford / Saffron Walden / Hungerford)
£900–£2,400
Mixed local + tourist + trade. Sweet spot.
Antiques centre / shared unit
£420–£1,400
Lower risk entry. Curated stand inside multi-dealer centre.
Licences & registrations
Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.
UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.
Requirement
Who issues
Cost
Lead time
ReqCompanies House Ltd
Companies House
£100
Usually 24 hours
OptLAPADA membership
LAPADA
£640–£1,400/year
16 weeks (vetting)
OptBADA membership
BADA
£1,800–£3,400/year
24 weeks (vetting + interview)
ReqMoney Laundering Regs registration (HMRC)
HMRC AML
£300/year
8 weeks
ReqCITES permits (ivory / shell / coral)
Defra / APHA
£59 per permit
4–8 weeks
ReqIvory Act 2018 exemption certificate (per item)
APHA
£20 per item
4 weeks
ReqPublic + product + stock liability + transit
Hiscox / Aston Lark fine art
£1,400–£4,400/year
1 week
ReqICO data protection
ICO
£40–£60/year
1 day
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
Phase 0 — Site + LAPADA application
Weeks 1–16- Site search in destination town
- LAPADA / BADA application
- AML registration with HMRC
- Specialist insurance broker
02
Phase 1 — Fit-out
Weeks 12–20- Showroom lighting + climate + security
- Display platforms + cabinets
- Photography corner setup
03
Phase 2 — Stock + supply
Weeks 16–24- Opening stock buying (auctions + house clearances + dealer trade)
- Constantine shipping account
- Shopify + 1stDibs + Vinterior listings
04
Phase 3 — Soft launch
Weeks 22–26- Instagram catalogue build (200+ posts)
- Trade buyer outreach (designers + set dressers)
- GBP + reviews + LAPADA badge
05
Phase 4 — Open
Week 26+- Open Wed–Sun
- First fair booking (Decorative or IACF)
- Quarterly stock refresh + content
Budget
Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.
One-off · Startup
Setting up the shop
Lease + deposit + 3 months
£8,400 → £28,000
Showroom fit-out + lighting
£18,000 → £42,000
Climate control + security
£4,400 → £12,000
Opening stock (auction + trade)
£68,000 → £280,000
Photography + IT + POS
£3,400 → £8,400
Branding + licences + insurance
£4,400 → £12,000
Pre-launch marketing + first fair
£4,400 → £18,000
Working capital (3 months)
£28,000 → £68,000
Typical total
£139k–£468.4k
Recurring · Monthly
Keeping the lights on
Rent + service charge
£1,400 → £8,400
Business rates (after relief)
£0 → £3,400
Utilities + climate
£420 → £1,400
Stock replenishment (52–62% COGS)
£14,000 → £42,000
Wages (owner + 1 assistant)
£2,400 → £8,400
Restoration outwork
£900 → £4,400
Insurance + memberships + fairs
£900 → £3,400
Marketing + Instagram + content
£420 → £2,400
Typical total
£20.4k–£73.8k
Numbers that compound
How a antiques dealer actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
First 90 days
Dates that actually matter after opening.
01Day 1
Soft open: 42 visitors, 2 sales (£1.8k), 8 Instagram enquiries.
02Day 7
First week: 280 visitors, 8 sales (£12k), 4 trade buyers visited. £14k take.
03Day 30
Steady: 1,200 visitors, 26 sales, £32k revenue. LAPADA badge live, first international shipment to NY.
04Day 90
Full ramp: £52k/month, first Decorative Fair done (£24k take). 1stDibs catalogue at 180 pieces.
05Day 180
Mature: £64k/month + £80k from 3 fairs. Trade buyer book at 14 designers. Stock turn at 140 days.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a antiques dealer.
02Move
Suggested route
Apply for LAPADA or BADA membership for trust signal, exhibit at 2–3 fairs a year (Battersea Decorative, LAPADA Berkeley Sq), build an Instagram catalogue, partner with 1stDibs / Vinterior for online retail, offer worldwide shipping via Constantine.
03Move
Automations
New stock alerts (segmented by interest), saved-search match, fair preview-day VIP invites, Instagram product tagging, holding-deposit follow-up.
04Move
Integrations
Shopify + 1stDibs + Vinterior + LAPADA marketplace, Stripe, Klaviyo, Pirate Ship / Constantine for international, Xero.
05Move
Benchmarks
Avg ticket, trade share and inventory turn vs LAPADA / BADA dealer cohort.
06Move
Advisors
Encore advisors from LAPADA, BADA, ex-Sotheby's / Christie's specialists.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a antiques dealer often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
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