It may be goodbye for now for Albury Antiques Shepparton, but if they can help it, it won’t be forever.
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Owner Roy Raux is saying goodbye to the High St shop after being in the Shepparton community for the past five years, with a big auction planned to send the store off.
“This is the largest antique shop in Australia,” he said.
Over the past five years, Albury Antiques has been the main shop to go to when looking for eclectic furniture, glassware and one of a kind pieces.
Their pieces are sourced from all over the globe, including Australia, France and England.
Decorated to feel like Christmas all year round with baubles adorning the ceiling, Mr Raux said the store brought a lot of joy to the customers who walked through the front doors.
“We have always had good moments because we satisfy the customers when they come in,” he said.
“There’s a wow factor when they see the shop.”
As they continue to pack up, the community and his loyal customers are sad to see the store go.
“They’re very sad, already people have been coming in and giving us cakes and so forth,” Mr Raux said.
“So many people send letters, emails and text messages that they are very happy with the items, and they go and talk about it to their friends.
“It’s not ideal to close.”
With plenty of stock on sale at the shop, Mr Raux has decided to host an auction to give the community a chance to purchase some of their impressive pieces at a price that suits them.
“Our shop in Albury was about half the size (of the Shepparton store),” he said.
“This store is 2000 square metres of furniture, so we have furniture, China, paintings, pianos, everything.
“So because of that, we are putting about 20 per cent of the shop on auction, and there are no reserves, no buyers premium, they need to be sold.”
Hosting auction day will be John Simpson, who some may recognise from the antique roadshows Albury Antiques have hosted in the past.
He will be helping avid shoppers bid on the one of a kind pieces on offer.
“There’s everything from antiques, all types of furniture, lounge, dining, bedroom furniture,” Mr Raux said.
“There’s the rickshaw as well, that’s a special item, and a grand piano as well.
“Grand pianos normally we sell for about $5000, but there is no reserve, so it might even go for $500.”
After the shop officially closes, Mr Raux will be focusing his efforts on his Echuca store, a smaller shop, but he plans not to leave the Shepparton community for too long, next time in a shop a bit smaller.
The auction will take place from 11am on Saturday, February 1 at Albury Antiques, Shepparton.
“You can come and view the items on Friday from 10am to 4pm, and on the auction day you can view from 9.30am to 11am,” Mr Raux said.