Cave could go down under

By ADAM MORRIS
Published on Wednesday 25 January 2012 12:05

FROM second-hand furniture to sheet music, unusual bric-a-brac to paintings, its jam-packed shelves have proved a firm favourite with bargain hunters for more than a decade.

But the future of the city’s distinctive Steptoes shop hangs in the balance as its owner announces plans to sell up and move to Australia.

Tim Jones, 52, said: “I’ll be sad to leave the shop – and Edinburgh generally – behind.

“But the time is right for me – I need to do this while I’m young enough.”

Steptoes has turned heads in East Preston Street, Newington, for 13 years since Mr Jones set up the Aladdin’s Cave-style business.

Students, homeowners and landlords have made the basement shop a roaring success, enjoying not only a peak at street level, but the mountains of treasures to be found down its quirky winding stair.

Mr Jones’ partner has secured a nursing job in Australia and he too is hoping to go, awaiting confirmation before putting the “for sale” sign up on his beloved business. He said: “People are fond of the shop because there aren’t many like it in Edinburgh.

“You can see people passing and staring in, wondering what could possibly be inside.

“I named it Steptoes in a semi-witty way, and the business is to turn over second-hand goods for profit, it’s more a market than an antique dealership.”

Over the years, Mr Jones’ shop has become a popular outlet for shoppers in Edinburgh seeking not only eye-catching second-hand furniture, but other unusual items he happens to come across.

“It’s certainly off-the-wall as shops go,” he added. “You get all kinds of customers in, and being at the heart of the student area has helped.

“People slag them [students] off but I’ve loved dealing with them – no-one consumes furniture quite like them, and I’ve had a great relationships with landlords and collectors too.

“You often get the same faces, people who have gone out for the day round charity shops and second-hand stores looking for bits and bobs.”

While he said he would like any new buyer to retain the feel of the shop, he said it would be suitable for a number of uses.

“Of course it would be nice to keep it going in its current format, I might even look into doing a similar thing in Sydney,” he said.

“It would be perfect for someone who has perhaps done a bit of car booting and is wanting a premises or to go full time, but I’d speak to anyone about if they wanted to buy the stock too, or simply just the shop to do what they want with it.”

Southside/Newington Conservative councillor Cameron Rose said: “It’s certainly a quaint contribution to the local retail offer and I’m sure he will be missed.”

Student Emma Logan, 22, who lives nearby, said she too would miss the shop.

She said: “It’s one of these places you don’t expect to find, a real hidden gem.

“I’ve bought countless bits and pieces from in there over the years.”

FINDERS KEEPERS

HE’s seen hundreds of items come and go in his Steptoes shop, but two deals remain prominent in Tim Jones’ mind.

“I remember buying an old desk from someone for £10, and one of the drawers was jammed,” he said.

“I eventually got it open and in it was a gold sovereign. That added £80 to the value of the deal.”

On another occasion he bought a box of paintings, admitting he did not really know what he was getting.

“I found an original 1850 Venetian watercolour which I then sold for £450.”

Related Articles

• There's cash in car-boot clutter, so pitch up and turn junk into treasure

  THEY set their alarm clocks for 5am to find the best buy on the trestle tables, think nothing of wading in mud for potential investments and haggling is their favourite hobby.

  0 Comments

• Second hand pose

  I'M A PROFESSIONAL CHARITY shopper. Of course, I have my day job at The Scotsman Magazine. The rest of my time is spent honing my rummaging skills in various branches of Barnado's, Shelter and Oxfam, looking for that fabled mint-condition Biba dress among the piles of polyester blouses from C&A. My commitment has won me a few prizes – for example, a red Yves Saint Laurent 1970s bag for £2.99, which remained anchored to my shoulder for a couple of seasons.

  0 Comments

• Peter Ross at large: The old curiosity plot

  ST CYRUS, a small village on the east coast, a few miles north of Montrose, is a part of Scotland which, if it can be said to be known at all, is known chiefly for its first-class beaches and as the last resting place of the poet George Beattie, who, in 1893, shot himself in the head after his lover left him for a wealthier man. Now, however, St Cyrus has developed a happier association; it is home to Steptoe's Yard.

  0 Comments

• Make a tidy profit by decluttering

  FROM clothes that don't fit to those you wouldn't be seen dead in. From bags and shoes that you've fallen out of love with to all that clutter and junk that we all have.

  0 Comments

Comments

There are 1 comments to this article

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

1

Curious Yellow

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 01:02 PM

"a semi-witty way"? What's that when it's at home?

• Report Unsuitable

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

Logged in as:

Comment here. Start typing your comment here:

Post comment

Please adhere to our Community guidelines

Your view

Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.