Curio shop is up for sale
One of a dying breed of Black Country curio shops has been placed up for sale.
Forget eBay, suited-and-booted antiques dealers, or even sports memorabilia shops, every town in the region used to have somewhere like Ivannas in Wednesbury.
Packed from floor to ceiling with things that someone somewhere no longer wanted but considered far too good to throw away, curio shops were a haven for cash-strapped antiques hunters, or anyone else looking for something unusual to fill an empty corner of their home.
But now great-grandad Ivor Hutchison is looking for a new owner to take over his Lower High Street emporium of the interesting and strange.
In his double-fronted shop, Mr Hutchison showcases unwanted brass-band instruments that rub shoulders with 1950s vases, unwanted medals, Chinese ornaments, and one off displays – such as a mounted and glazed set of brewery barrel taps.
And it all leaves barely enough room for more than three people to stand up.
But after 22 years at the shop – titled after the combination of Mr Hutchison's first name and that of his wife Anna – the 77-year-old is looking to sell the business.
"It's a shame to be calling it a day, but I'm not as young as I used to be and now seems like the right time," said Mr Hutchison, who was born in India to a Scots father and a Spanish mother.
"I don't own the shop, but I do own the business and everything we sell, and any new owner would be able to reach an agreement with the landlord over the lease.
"This business might suit someone right down to the ground. I've had some very happy times running the place.
"I've had a good few people come in and make me offers, but it's just a question of getting the right one."
Former RAF and Press photographer Mr Hutchison is currently undergoing treatment for a form of cancer, but has been told he stands an excellent chance of making a complete recovery.
Despite undergoing regular therapy, he still opens up the shop for two or three hours a day, where customers can skim the surface of the thousands of items of ephemera he possesses. Mr Hutchison can be contacted on 07974 473110.
