Time Travelling for a Living: The Unexpected Perks of Dealing in Vintage and Antiques

Antique & Vintage Specialist | Curator of Curiosities |

www.objetdart-stuff.co.uk

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” – William Faulkner

As someone who spends their days surrounded by vintage treasures and antique oddities, I often get asked what I love most about my work. The answer is simple:

I time travel for a living.

No, I don’t own a DeLorean or a TARDIS—but every object I handle is a portal to another era. A mid-century cocktail set evokes the elegance of a 1950s soirée. A battered Victorian book bears the fingerprints of long-dead readers. A handmade toy carries echoes of a child's laughter from decades past.

In the business of antiques and vintage, you don’t just sell things. You share stories. You preserve memory, material culture, and the artistry of times gone by.

Why This Work Is Time Travel

1. The Objects Are Clues Every piece tells a story—sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden. Whether it’s the maker’s mark on a porcelain dish or the wear on a leather-bound book, we are always piecing together history like detectives of the past.

2. You Learn History in Reverse Rather than starting with big historical events and working down to individuals, we begin with an object and spiral outwards—discovering who made it, who owned it, how it was used, and what it meant. The personal becomes the universal.

3. You Connect Generations When a buyer finds the exact vintage teapot their grandmother owned, or when a collector discovers a lost piece from their heritage, you're not just making a sale. You're restoring continuity—offering people a tangible link to memory.

For Buyers, Too, It's a Journey

Customers who choose vintage and antique aren’t just shopping—they’re curating. They’re choosing character over mass production, sustainability over waste, and stories over trends. They’re shaping their spaces with meaning.

Buying vintage is a conscious decision to honor the past while living in the present. It’s a subtle form of rebellion against the throwaway culture.

Why It Matters

In an age of AI, fast fashion, and disposable everything, being part of the vintage and antique world is a gentle act of resistance—and reverence. It’s also an ongoing education. Every day I learn something new from an object, a collector, a customer, or a quiet detail I hadn’t noticed before.

So yes, I may not wear a cape or carry a timepiece, but in my own small way, I travel through time. And I help others do the same.

Are you a fellow time traveller?

Whether you’re a dealer, a collector, or just someone with a love for the past—let’s connect. Share your favorite object, your most surprising find, or the moment a vintage item stirred a memory you’d forgotten.