Man with a Van: My Story

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I like Drew and I enjoy his programmes, I think he is very knowledgeable and has a brilliant eye for quality – which is just as well, otherwise I might be thinking he is a bit of an arrogant ****** after reading this.

In July North Wales Live reported that Drew's former antiques emporium was being converted in a restaurant by the chain Dylan's. The two main categories are form and quality but I also like history and patination.” Drew Pritchard for Barker and Stonehouse – Foxley 4 Seater SofaTV star Drew has found fame through being an antiques dealer and appearing on Salvage Hunters. He published a book in May called How Not to Be an Antiques Dealer: Everything I’ve Learnt, That Nobody Told Me. And the skill in recognising those things is, he says, down to having good taste and a good eye. The former, he says you can’t teach, the latter can be honed with practice.

If like me you were the kid who preferred skips to school and learnt more from lost relics in sheds than lessons – you might be interested in my first book..... "Man With A Van". In some respects, the move simply reflects his old mantra about antiques dealing – that items are worth nothing if left unsold in storerooms. Better to move on, get the deal done, and progress to the next item. His collection of classic cars was jettisoned – he had 13 at one time. He stopped drinking two years ago. This summer he told the Telegraph: “I’ve had a blip in the middle where everything just got too much for me, which I’m over now and working on. I’ve started again from scratch. I’ve completely binned my old life and started afresh.” So I ask if, perhaps it was a “worthless” piece of furniture and it’s made someone happy to paint it so they can keep using it where’s the harm?Having simplified his life, Pritchard has big plans in the pipeline. There’s a house in Bath that he is currently restoring, which will take him away from his beloved north Wales.

I was talking to a dealer friend the other day who said so far this year he has turned over a million quid but he said he hasn’t made any money at all because he just keeps buying more stuff. And that’s what I do. It’s a passion and it [the selling] allows us to keep hunting for more” The main thing is that I want people to be enthused. They might be terrified for half of it but then they might suddenly go, ‘You know what? I could do that.’ I want people to have a go. The only time to start is now. Right now.” If a generation raised on antiques shows believe the antiques trade is all about Cash in the Attic, then Pritchard wants to assert his passion for the aura of an item. And so Pritchard is searching for the next “it” item. “I’ve been around a while. I’ve done a lot of stuff and seen a lot of things. Everything used to be really cool for a while. But everything that’s cool becomes passé. And that’s where I’m at. So I’m just working harder at what I’m doing and being honest with myself.”

Drew Pritchard set himself up as a dealer when he was a teenager, rooting around in scrapyards, working out of a shed and getting about in a ropy old Transit. Now he's a leading figure in the antiques trade with an international online business, and he's hugely popular presenter of hit TV show Salvage Hunters. But he's still as driven by the thrill of the find as he was forty years ago. Everyone sees everyone trying to get a bargain on the telly but don’t do that because the next time they won’t be there for you to try and get a cheap price off. Give them their money you will still be getting something of value. Finding and selling antiques is in his blood, and he can’t imagine ever stopping. He only wishes he knew as a young man what he knows now. For this reason, in May he published a book, “How Not to Be an Antiques Dealer: Everything I’ve Learnt, That Nobody Told Me”.

Viewers of the show have been wondering where Pritchard’s good friend is since they last saw Tee during its 8th season. Many questions were raised by the fans since there is also no announcement regarding his leave: “Will Tee ever return to the show?”“Did Drew and Tee have an argument that resulted in his unexpected disappearance?” His father was a sign writer who collected old bits and pieces to restore motorbikes and cars from spare parts. It fostered Drew’s interest in reclaimed antiques and vehicles. He had, he said, been brought up in a family where it was “normal to have a Manx Norton with its wheels off on the kitchen table and be taken to school in an XK120 with the exhaust held on with baling twine”. He's known to millions of viewers around the world as the star of Salvage Hunters. And, for Drew Pritchard, digging out treasures has been with him since childhood. Everything else goes out the window,” says Pritchard, who has one grown-up son who tends to avoid the limelight, before swiftly adding: “Children come first – and then antiques.”It clearly irks him that people can be sniffy about Salvage Hunters but Pritchard believes he has shaped the market as it stands today. He started pushing brown furniture 10 years ago and now it’s the norm for young people to be dealing in it. Whether you are a professional dealer or an amateur enthusiast, and whatever your budget, Drew's on a mission to show you how to enrich your life with beautiful things, that have their own unique story and that bring you joy. And then how to part with them for cash! What he can’t teach is taste and experience. You’re born with the former, and the latter you have to do for yourself. What he’s tried to answer in simplest terms is how to do “this”. All the questions you felt too embarrassed to ask. They would return with oars, bicycles and car badges, which they'd sell by the side of a road. The resulting cash would be spent on sweets and magazines. Put your hand on it, say you love it, smile and say you will take it away that day and I guarantee you will get the best price possible.” Drew Pritchard for Barker and Stonehouse – Harling Snuggle Chair