Th’e perfect road trip companion

Collectors Anonymous is the most comprehensive guide to vintage boutiques, second-hand bookshops, antique stores, retro and mid-centu‰ry dealers, auction houses and opshops in New Zealand.

You’ve spent years seeking out resale stores the length and breadth of New Zealand. What’s your top tip for shopping smart in second-hand stores?

Always look high and low. I’ve found some of the best treasures bundled in boxes that were stu ed under tables and right up the top of shelves out of normal lines of sight. You have to work for the gold, but it’s worth it! Get to know the store owners and share what you’re looking for with them so they can keep their eyes out for you. They are the experts!

What’s your advice to collectors when using your book? Make sure you flick between the front and the back of the book as the vintage and second-hand retailers are up front, then opshops and charity stores are at the back. We’ve carefully laid it out to work in a logical geographical trail in both sections so it’s nice and easy to plan road trips, whether you’re a vintage hunter, an opshop queen or both!

Would you recommend stores in this book as great places to find Christmas and birthday gifts, and why? Absolutely! Any resale store is a great place to buy gifts as it means you can find unique pieces that have already had a life and you’ll be able to continue their story. There is normally way too much waste involved in gifting. Buying second-hand keeps items out of landfill and it makes for much more personalised presents.

What would be your advice for anyone doing their Christmas shopping this way?

Have a list of people you’d like to buy gifts for in Notes on your phone, then you can keep an eye out for special treasures that would suit them just so and tick them o as you go. It means you can get your shopping done at a leisurely pace throughout the year, rather than a last-minute mad rush that’s really stressful and often leads to regretful (and wasteful) panic buys.

While you’re there, make sure you grab some old sheet music or fabric remnants so that you can wrap your gifts beautifully and sustainably as well.

Gifting ideas recommendations?

Glassware is always a winner, particularly amazing sets of colourful retro tumblers, or cut crystal decanters and ice buckets. Most stores in our guide would have a decent selection to choose from.

Beautiful old books with intricate covers are as much a piece of art as they are a thing to read. They make a lovely gift and there are nearly 100 pre-loved bookstores in our guide to choose from, many of which are specialists in particular genres.

A gorgeous ceramic or cut-glass vase filled with fresh flowers is a stunning gift that keeps on giving even after the blooms have faded. There always seems to be an abundance in op shops or you can find more collectable examples in one of the 50 mid-century stores around the country.

If you want to splurge on a special someone, Retro Radios fit wireless bluetooth technology into beautiful old vintage radios giving them a new life. They are certainly a step up from your bog-standard portable speaker and much more stylish!

Does calling ahead help if you’re on the hunt for something in particular?

Definitely, particularly at specialist vintage, antique and collectibles stores. These retailers are experts who really know their stu and if they don’t have what you’re looking for in store, they can often hunt down exactly what you want.

“Glassware is always a winner, particularly amazing sets of colourful retro tumblers, or cut c‰stal decanters and ice buckets.”

Do you collect anything in particular for your home?

We always keep an eye out for unusual glasses but the sideboard is full now so we might have to instigate a one-in, one-out policy. Rose loves finding old textiles and making throws, cushions and the occasional dog coat for Benedetta, our Italian greyhound. Matt collects vintage posters, first editions and children’s annuals from the 20s and 30s.

What are some of your best finds?

We’ve been collecting for well over 60 years between us, so there are almost too many to name but there are a few that stand out. Rose discovered a collection of vintage wedding dresses from the 1930s-1950s (some of which still had tags attached) by Kathleen Fuller, a pioneering designer and businesswoman who owned stores around New Zealand. We have some excellent examples of ‘good bad art’ paintings that we have lovingly collected over the years from numerous opshops. One in particular of a bay with boats in it has so many conflicting perspectives it’s almost disorientating but worth repeat viewing. It delivers something di erent every time you look. And we have a wonderfully disapproving bust of Jesus we found in Nelson on one of our trips for Collectors Anonymous. The commitment to the expression of disappointment by the maker is so total that although you know it’s not real you can’t help but feel slightly guilty every time you catch its eye. collectorsanonymous.co.nz