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 dealerEditorial — not a real client

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

№ 01 / 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.

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

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

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

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

№ 02 / 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.

№ 03 / 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

£12

Same day

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

№ 04 / Build-out timeline

From decision to open in 12 weeks.

Phase 0 — Site + LAPADA application

Weeks 1–16

Site search in destination town
LAPADA / BADA application
AML registration with HMRC
Specialist insurance broker

Phase 1 — Fit-out

Weeks 12–20

Showroom lighting + climate + security
Display platforms + cabinets
Photography corner setup

Phase 2 — Stock + supply

Weeks 16–24

Opening stock buying (auctions + house clearances + dealer trade)
Constantine shipping account
Shopify + 1stDibs + Vinterior listings

Phase 3 — Soft launch

Weeks 22–26

Instagram catalogue build (200+ posts)
Trade buyer outreach (designers + set dressers)
GBP + reviews + LAPADA badge

Phase 4 — Open

Week 26+

Open Wed–Sun
First fair booking (Decorative or IACF)
Quarterly stock refresh + content

№ 05 / 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

№ 06 / Numbers that compound

How a antiques dealer actually looks on a chart.

Interactive projections rebuilt from real UK operating data — toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.

12-month revenue ramp

Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)

High Low

Source · NAVIZIX 2026 UK LAPADA / BADA dealer cohort (n=18 destination + London showrooms)

№ 07 / 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.

№ 08 / What's inside

DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a antiques dealer.

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.

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.