Portsmouth’s ever changing business scene has been damaged of recent running popular establishments and pubs out from issues beyond their control.
Throughout Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the Cost-of-living crisis few businesses have stood as resilient as the antique store scene of Portsmouth with several shop’s near to each other managing to stay afloat despite the circumstances.
An example of such resilience can be found inside the doors of Brocante, an antique store selling French furniture acquired from flea markets.
David Evans has run Brocante for the last 10 years of his life. David would travel back and forth from France to seek out antiques and to take them back with him where he would sell and restore the furniture himself.
However, Brocante’s French import store suffered its first setback after Brexit forcing David to adapt. “I’ve got three families who bring me stuff, so I don’t travel anymore because of the expense and the paperwork”.
But even with this adaption costs around exporting & importing after Brexit increased costs and delayed furniture from reaching David’s shop.
Brocante also had to deal with the Covid pandemic. In this David managed to ply his skills as a antique restorer to help keep afloat. David added he was able to stay at home in his workshop and performed small jobs on the side as revenue for Brocante.
On a positive note, while David admits the business isn’t doing well during the cost of living crisis he believes Brocante can weather this storm and flourish. But at seventy-seven David is hanging up his hat for good soon, he said “I’m coming to an age now where I gotta consider retirement, pass it onto a younger member that would make good use of it”.