There is something particularly exciting about setting out before dawn in search of antiques. No two sourcing trips are ever quite the same, and Belgium with its mix of early-morning flea markets, brocantes, established dealers and trade-only sources remains one of our favourite places to buy.
We have just returned from several days travelling through France and Belgium, sourcing new pieces for Shackleton Fox. These trips may look spontaneous from the outside, but in reality they are carefully planned long before we leave home.
A typical sourcing day starts very early.
Many Belgian flea markets begin around 6am, but by then some of the most interesting pieces may already have changed hands. On certain mornings we are out between 4am and 5am, walking the first rows by torchlight as dealers unpack their vans.
It is one of our favourite parts of a buying trip. You never quite know what is going to appear from the back of the next van.
France has much the same rhythm. Larger professional fairs often begin around 8am for the trade, while local flea markets and brocantes can start several hours earlier.
Coffee becomes rather important.
Some of the driving through Belgium and northern France is beautiful.
Away from the main routes, there are long stretches of tree-lined roads, quiet villages and open countryside, often with remarkably little traffic. When you spend as many hours on the road as we do during a buying trip, the journey becomes part of the experience.
We have also always found the people we meet in Belgium incredibly friendly and helpful. Whether it is a dealer taking the time to show us something tucked away, someone helping with directions or simply a conversation over a piece we are considering, there is a warmth to buying there that we really enjoy.
Of course, the peaceful roads don't last forever. Eventually there is another market to reach, another dealer expecting us or a van that somehow needs to accommodate one more purchase.
Sourcing successfully is about much more than simply arriving at an antiques market.
Over the years we have built relationships with dealers in both France and Belgium who understand the sort of pieces we are looking for. We stay in touch throughout the year, and they will often contact us when something arrives that they think might suit Shackleton Fox.
Some of the places we buy from are strictly trade-only. Access requires evidence that you are an established antiques business and, in some cases, an approved trade account before you can begin buying.
These relationships have been built over time and are an important part of how we source.
We normally travel with an idea of the things we would particularly like to find. Antique lighting is always high on the list, alongside paintings, folk art, early furniture, mirrors and unusual decorative pieces.
The trouble with antiques is that the moment you make a list, you can almost guarantee you won't find anything on it.
You might spend days looking for a particular style of lamp or painting without seeing a single example worth buying — and then discover something completely unexpected that you hadn't even considered.
That is part of the attraction.
We try not to buy simply because something happens to be on our list. The piece still has to be right. Equally, we don't want a shopping list to stop us buying something wonderful simply because we weren't looking for it.
Some of our favourite finds have been things we never set out to find at all.
We try to combine several different ways of buying on every trip.
Flea markets and brocantes are particularly important because they continually bring fresh pieces onto the market. Alongside these, we visit established dealers and larger trade sources, while keeping a close eye on local antique auctions before and during a trip.
The mixture is what makes sourcing interesting. One morning might begin in darkness at a flea market and finish in a warehouse several hours away.
And plans frequently change.
One thing we have learnt over the years is never to build a sourcing day around advertised opening hours alone.
A shop that says it is open may be firmly closed when you arrive. Another dealer might decide to open later that afternoon. Many of the larger places don't open until around 2pm, and days and hours can change without much warning.
Calling ahead is essential.
We therefore plan several possibilities for each part of the day. If one destination is closed, there needs to be another dealer, brocante or contact within reach.
A good sourcing itinerary usually has a Plan B — and quite often a Plan C!
By late afternoon the van can look very different from how it did that morning.
Pieces have to be inspected, measured and carefully packed before we move on. Then there is usually another dealer to visit, another town to reach or another early start to prepare for the following morning.
The days are long, but this is one of the parts of the business we enjoy most.
Buying antiques in person allows us to handle a piece, look closely at its construction, surface and condition and make decisions that simply aren't possible from photographs alone.
And there is always the challenge of working out how everything is going to fit into the van.
Returning home is really only the beginning.
Every piece is unpacked and assessed before it reaches the website. Lighting comes through our workshop for inspection, restoration where required, rewiring using British components and electrical testing. Other pieces may need cleaning, conservation or sympathetic restoration before they are photographed and offered for sale.
Some require very little intervention at all.
Our aim is always the same: to preserve the character that made us buy the piece in the first place.
There is no guaranteed formula for finding good antiques.
It comes down to travelling, getting up extraordinarily early, maintaining relationships, knowing what you are looking at and being prepared to completely change the plan when the day doesn't unfold as expected.
You can travel hundreds of miles looking for one particular thing and come home without it. But somewhere along the way you may discover something far more interesting.
Perhaps that is the best part of sourcing antiques.
You never really know what you are going to bring home.
Discover the latest pieces from our recent sourcing trip in New Arrivals.
Jackie & Jonathan
Shackleton Fox
