Thursday 3 November 2011

Cosy

It's a bit miserable outside but here at Dairy House, the woodburner is lit and a warm welcome awaits - come and have a look round!  You know you want to!

Sunday 30 October 2011

Dairy House Christmas Market - Sunday 20th November 2011 - 10am to 4pm

We are having our first Christmas Market!  As well as the usual Dairy House traders there will be a few additional stalls outside along with some extra goodies inside and dotted around the place!

Come and join us for a day of good cheer, with the log burner lit and mulled wine and mince pies!



Our address is: Station Road, Semley, Near Shaftesbury, SP7 9AN - Tel 01747 853317- There is a map here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Monday 24 October 2011

Normal Service Resumed ...

At last I am able to say that blogposts, updates and a new website are all very much in the pipeline!

The last six months have been a roller-coaster ride during my husband's protracted illness, which meant I had to step back from day-to-day Dairy House dealings. I'm so grateful to the dealers for ensuring the business continued to run smoothly, but am thankful that I am now able to roll up my sleeves and get back in harness, albeit gently to begin with! To help take us forward it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Woo Gilchrist who will be spending at least 2 days a week at Dairy House. She and I will be working on some new ideas to bring Dairy House Antiques back into the limelight!

Please make a note in your diaries and visit us on Sunday 20 November 2011 for our Christmas Market. More information to follow in the next blogpost, on the new website (hopefully up and running next week), Facebook and Twitter.

We shall be creating a festive atmosphere and many of the dealers will be on hand to chat to you about their stock, and generally add to the enjoyment of the day.

Monday 6 June 2011

Ever Onward ...

The last few weeks have flown by with the brisk sales in May continuing into June. The stock at Dairy House continues to impress and new items are brought in almost daily.

I wonder how many of you have watched the Antiques Road Trip series on BBC2? Another series is in the offing and Dairy House has been chosen as one of the shops in which to film. That is happening next month and should be an interesting day. As far as I know the presenters will be James Braxton and Thomas Plant.

The spell of good weather has meant that garden furniture, pots and other outdoor items have been selling well, and brown furniture is always a good seller for us, regardless of what the media would have us believe. A number of our regular trade buyers have visited from far and wide - the furthest on his regular buying trip from Tasmania.

Here are a few images from the DH archives. I hope to be able to add some new ones soon, but  hope you'll enjoy these in the meantime.





Wednesday 20 April 2011

Time to Grow ...

It's now 3 years since Dairy House took on its new style - 3 years during which we have continued to grow - in the number of dealers, the amount of space and also sales. We know that we have been very lucky but it has not been purely down to luck. 

All our dealers have contributed time and energy to ensure that their stock is replenished regularly and looks its best; and they spread the word wherever they go. We continue to advertise both locally and in the glossies to keep the Dairy House name in people's minds. Our customers continue to support us, with new 'regulars' appearing almost daily! The 2 Vintage Textiles & Costume Days have brought in the crowds, many of whom have revisited and become Dairy House friends. We pride ourselves in offering stock at realistic prices and like to think we have something for everyone. You may have a tiny cottage or a mansion, an old property or a modern home needing a little character. Our furniture and decorative items range in size, thus promising the likelihood of the right item being found.


We like to think we have 'got things right' but, of course, are always open to suggestions from our private and trade customers.


This post has been edited as unexpected family illness has arisen preventing us from going ahead with the planned expansion at the present time. I'm sure all will be well in time, but it is obviously not the right time to be organising new premises.

Hopefully normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.


Sue

Saturday 2 April 2011

Eight More Sleeps ...

Just eight more sleeps before the 2nd Annual Vintage Textiles & Costume Day @ Dairy House!

Sunday 10 April from 10 am to 4 pm


Do come if you can!

Not only have we spent the last few weeks planning for the Textile Day but we have also been playing "musical rooms" at Dairy House. A number of dealers have swapped rooms, thus confusing both our customers and ourselves, but the end result has been worth it. The main entrance has moved once again and is now via the double doors straight into the large main room. This has created a much better first impression and will also help considerably on the Textiles Day, hopefully avoiding some of the bottlenecks experienced last year.

The ten visiting dealers, in no particular order, are Loveday James, Donna Flower, Niki Fretwell, Helen Roskell, Chloe Cyphus, Caroline Bushell, Tamsyn Gregory, Tracey Hewlett, Justine Smith and Diana Marx. They will be joining 10-15 Dairy House dealers who will be 'in residence' on the day.

If last year is anything to go by there will be much fun and frivolity, laughter and merriment!

Do remember, though, that if you are thinking of visiting Dairy House to look for furniture or other antiques rather than textiles, these will be available for sale as normal.

We all look forward to seeing you.

Sue

Monday 17 January 2011

Time Flies ...

We say it so frequently, don't we. Time has flown by since ... we last met/so-and-so was born and so on!

In this instance I'm referring to the fact that it is almost 3 years since I took over Dairy House Antiques. I took over on 1 April 2008 and am truly amazed by how swiftly that time has passed.  It has been an interesting and fascinating time with a couple of milestones along the way.

In September 2009 we opened what we now refer to as the Cheese Room - an extra 500 sq ft of sales space. Our dealer numbers increased and there are now 19 of us - some with large spaces, some with cabinet shelves. There is always plenty to see. We are thankfully very lucky compared to some - always busy, and the mix of stock changes constantly.

In April 2010 we held our first Vintage Costume and Textiles Day at Dairy House, and most of you were either there on the day or read about it on many blogs! And here we are again, just under 12 weeks away from the 2nd Annual Vintage Costume and Textiles Day!

Sunday 10 April from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm

The day is a great opportunity for all enthusiasts to meet a number of costume and textile dealers from the West Country and beyond, and also meet many of the Dairy House dealers who are delighted to talk about the antiques, decorative pieces, vintage and collectable items on display in the shop. The mix of textiles and antiques works well as many of you already know. Today, many more of us like to mix old with new, and create our own individual styles. If you haven't been to a textile fair in an antiques shop before, now is your chance to do so!

Nearer the time I will be able to list the names of those who will be attending. Numbers are limited and there is already a waiting list, but you can rest assured that there will be plenty for everyone at prices to suit all pockets.

We had so many lovely visitors to last year's event, and many have now become regular Dairy House customers. We look forward to seeing all and more on Sunday 10 April.

In the meantime day-to-day life continues at Dairy House Antiques, with stock going out, coming in, regular customers popping in, new customers finding their way around and adding us to their list of places to visit, and all of us looking forward to Spring when the shop gets a little warmer! 

Friday 7 January 2011

Ring in the New ...

A little late, but

All Good Wishes to Dairy House 
blog followers
for a Happy and Prosperous 2011


Thank you for visiting the blog, the website and the shop over the past year, and we look forward to seeing or hearing from you this coming year. 

Details of the 2nd Annual Vintage Textiles, Costume and Antiques Day @ Dairy House to be held on 10 April will follow soon.