People often ask us, ‘where do you find all this stuff?’ and our answer is usually 'flea markets, antique fairs and the odd car boot!' but this collection has a much better story and one that deserves to be told.
Earlier this year, a lovely lady and her nephew visited the shop and mentioned they were clearing her late father's house in Manchester. This is unfortunately the reality of our trade and it can be a difficult process for families but we hope our approach makes a small difference. It’ll never be ‘just stuff’ to us and we like to honour the things people collected, used and looked after.
Fast forward a few months and an email dropped into our inbox, with photos of what can only be described as a treasure trove of DIY tools, the likes of which we rarely get lucky enough to find. We quickly made plans to pop over to Manchester to see everything in person.
It’s a privilege to be invited into someone's home, and what a home this was. Decorated with an array of patterned wallpapers, brightly painted fixtures and some amazing 1960’s carpets, we were shown upstairs to the landing where the family had laid out the best collection of new old stock paintbrushes we’ve ever come across!
The term ‘New Old Stock’ refers to items which are vintage or antique but have never been used. Needless to say, it’s rare to find something in this form. It gives you the incredible opportunity to hold in your hand something made 50+ years ago, but which looks and feels like it was fresh out of the factory only yesterday.
As we began to look through boxes and carefully unwrap some of the items, we were stunned to find the original bill of sale for the Noble brand brushes, complete with company seals and prices (in old money of course!) This really adds a level of authenticity and tells the story of an item's production, the owner and its journey to this point. To be the next stage in that journey is something really special to us and something we love to involve customers in too.
Our day was far from over as we were shown into the next room, where an artist's case sat above the fireplace. It was filled with materials for signwriting, painting and even a few scraps of paper containing rough sketches. At this point we were starting to build up a picture of a resourceful, creative person and this was punctuated by the home-made brush box we found, crafted out of an old cigar box.
We were kindly invited to poke around the rest of the house and quickly zeroed in on the garage where we admired oil cans and rusty tins that had lived their life but which still gave us joy to see. This was where we spotted some of the tools that make up part of this collection. There was evidence of leatherworking, gardening and mechanical work carried out and all the equipment needed was top quality as we’d come to expect by this point.
With our treasure hunt complete, we loaded up the van and thanked the family for their kindness. As we made our way through the industrial city and back to our own, we pondered the extent of this collection, appreciating that things were made to last and that people like Len, cared deeply for the things they owned.
If you're intrigued, pop to instagram to watch the full video of our escapades: Manchester Housecall Reel
We’re so glad we can share the evidence of a life well lived - head to the collection if you want to continue the story of one of these beautiful, useful things.