The Value of Showing Up: Why Antiques Fairs, Talks and Events Shape Better Interiors
There Is Always a Reason Not to Go
I am in my mid-to-late forties, with children, a dog, a business to run and a client base doubling quarter on quarter. On any given week, I can easily find a reason not to go to an antiques fair, a flower market or a talk at the V&A. There is almost always something that feels more strictly necessary.
But the past few months have reminded me that the things that feel surplus to requirement are often the things that move the business forward. They are where ideas and inspiration quietly brew.
A season of showing up
Since the start of the year, the team and I have been out a great deal, building up the community and events arm of Queensdale. Talks at the V&A. Frieze. WOW!house. Treasure House Fair. PAD London. Pimlico Craft Week. Columbia Road. Ardingly Antiques & Interiors. London Original Print Fair. Chelsea Flower Show.
Arguably, none of it was strictly necessary. But getting out from behind our screens is the reason new ideas land. It is the reason our supplier directory stays current. And it is the reason members tell us they joined Queensdale in the first place.
When we go, members are invited to come with us. Not as spectators but as part of how we work.
You see what we see, meet who we meet, and walk away with a clearer eye for what is worth investing in and what is not.
The part that is easy to underestimate
This side of the membership is easy to overlook. We often focus on the trade access, the suppliers, the savings tracked on a member's ledger, all the elements that show how membership pays for itself. But the part that makes membership genuinely worth being part of is the going out together. The sense of community. The doors that open to events typically reserved for trade.
I recently went to a Retrouvius talk at the Victoria and Albert Museum. There is something about being in a room of people who care about the same things you do that cannot be replicated online. Running your own business can be quiet in a way people do not always realise. You can spend whole days inside your inbox before you notice. Walking into a room of people who were genuinely curious about salvage, materials, history and craft was the most energising hour of my week, and reminded me why I started doing this in the first place.
Why it matters for sourcing
It is also how our supplier directory stays alive. Days like Ardingly are where we vet new names for the little black book.
Pieces seen in real life have a weight, a finish, a texture and a true colour that no screen will ever capture.
The dealer has a story to tell. You ask better questions. You buy better things.
On our recent trip to Ardingly, one of our members picked up a jug for £25. She looked it up afterwards and it turned out to be worth more than £100. That kind of moment does not happen behind a screen.
Productivity, reconsidered
The longer I do this work, the more I think productivity is not really about being at your desk.
It is about being in the right rooms. If you are already a member, you can register your interest in upcoming events through the portal. If you are not, and any of this has resonated, we would love to hear from you at queensdale.co.uk.