"It was a good business for us, a fantastic business. We opened after the '87 crash when there was so much stuff being sold by receivers. It was also an amazing social event to be part of - we developed some great relationships with clients," said Mr Cutforth.
"When builders had a lot of work we always did well - but we could also do well when the economy was struggling."
Mr Cutforth said Thomson Bagley Auctions had at times been at the cutting edge of auctioneering.
"We were the first in the country to introduce buyer premiums - we were nervous that could be the end of us but the business really picked up after that."
Thomson Bagley Auctions was also the first to computerise auction contents. Mr Cutforth said the business could at times struggle but there was always something to be positive about.
However, he had a lot of sympathy for Mr Hodson being forced out of the business through ill health, but said he understood high rents had not helped the business' viability.
The business was first set up by Eric Thomson and Les Bagley in a three-storey building opposite the Town Hall. Mr Cutforth believed the auction house was on three other sites in its 93-year history, moving from Bank St to Lower James St, then Reyburn St before its current site in Port Rd.
He said the advent of small secondhand shops had not helped the auction business but the major factor had been the advent of online auction websites.
-The closure leaves just one auction house in Northland - Northland Auctions in Awanui, just north of Kaitaia.
Brad Jackson, who has owned Northland Auctions for six years, said he was sorry to hear Thomson and Bagley was closing as he had had a great relationship with Mr Hodson - the two had worked together on several projects. He said several people had suggested he set up a branch in Whangarei but he was not interested. "The fishing up here is too good - I'm here for the lifestyle, not the stress."
He said the oldest auction house in New Zealand was George Walker, which opened in 1908.
