Carterton antiques dealer Shirley Cameron shut up shop for the final time on Wednesday after more than three decades in the trade.
Mrs Cameron said a Dresden figurine given to her on her 16th birthday had ignited a lifelong interest in antiques and her wonder at "those fragile and beautifulpieces" had persisted, taking her through numerous retail businesses in Wairarapa and Lower Hutt, where she had opened her first antiques store in 1982.
She also had been a long-time charity appraiser and valuer, and was an antiques commentator on Radio Pacific before she shifted to Carterton with husband John and their family in the 1990s to open Country Charm Antiques at the old Clareville Hall. The hall was originally a church and Mrs Cameron restored some of its former leadlight glory. She also had opened the Rose Room Gift Shop in a High St building that likewise had a long and illustrious history after first opening as a cabinet and coffin making business in 1870.
Mrs Cameron, who alongside her husband owns the historic Carrington House in the town, sold the Clareville site about five years ago and shifted Country Charm Antiques to her High St premises.
She had sold close to 95 per cent of her stock over the course of an extended closing down sale, she said, and dealers had shown interest in purchasing the remaining items as a single lot.
Mrs Cameron said she was retiring from the antiques trade to lead tours of the historical gardens she and her husband have maintained, and cherish, on their expansive Carrington House property.
A note on the store counter reads: "I have decided to retire and lead the good life smelling the roses." Mrs Cameron said the change would mean she and her husband could spend time together after a lifetime of hard work in their own fields.
"There's no real sadness about closing really but I will miss the many intelligent and friendly customers I have met ... I will miss the people."
