Tom

“Be careful in here, okay. Look with your eyes and not with your hands”, I pleaded with my children as we tiptoed through the door.

“I never have a problem with Children”, Tom said. “It is grown ups that I have the most problems with.”

I liked him immediately. He asked my son to hold open his hand as he rifled through an old drawer and pulled out a coin from the early 1600’s for him to hold.

Stepping into this magical place was like entering Alibaba’s cave with treasures and trinkets piled floor to ceiling. It was an art form all in itself and Tom was the artist. He curated centuries of treasures and knew the history of each one. I was in complete awe.

We visited his shop over 3 separate days and on the last of those days, I took this portrait. My girlfriends and I bought one last treasure to take home with us. Something to remember this beautiful day.

Tom presented my children each with a gift. A jaguar brooch my boy had been eyeing up and a little pottery container my daughter fell in love with. Then he walked us over to the cafe across the street and insisted on treating us to coffee and cake.

My daughter marvelled at a single blue speck in her pottery that she thought was so beautiful, and my son named his jaguar brooch, nibbles and wore it proudly as he whispered in its ear.

This is Tom. He is the beautiful soul over at Ashburton Real Antiques. The last real antique store and the only one of its kind, I am sure.