Tomlinsons
Hidden away just off the A1, Tomlinsons is one of the best-kept secrets of the antiques trade for over 25 years. The Tomlinson name has become synonymous in the antiques world with fine antique furniture and quality of service. Based in rural North Yorkshire, near York, Tomlinsons has evolved into the largest antique and fine furniture warehouse in Europe.
Tomlinsons’ finest quality, restored antique furniture, comprises the crème de la crème of the antique’s world. Their buyers travel the world for the very best pieces and buy primarily from country house estate clearances. However, they reject 95% of all furniture they see. As a result, Tomlinsons’ customers know that they are being offered only the very top 5% of restored antiques from any period.
More than 2,000 items are brought into the Tomlinson warehouse each month and they carry 5,000 items in stock at any one time. The range of furniture at Tomlinsons is genuinely staggering, including superb examples from the Georgian and Regency period.
At the other end of the scale, Tomlinsons is currently meeting an ever-increasing demand for genuine art deco furniture, which is particularly popular with city-loft livers. The streamlined furniture of this period complements contemporary interiors and is sought after by those who wish to create a distinctive, individual look.
Private customers can benefit from buying through a trade dealership by joining Tomlinsons Fine Furniture Club. All visitors are welcome – so come along and experience an interesting day out.
Membership of Tomlinsons Fine Furniture Club – which only costs £3 to join and the money going to the Sight Savers charity – brings with it certain privileges and benefits including access to the restoration and upholstery service, a regular newsletter, events, special offers and the personal service from the in-house experts.
Over the past decade an incredible 13,500 people have joined all with one thing in common – a passion for antiques. Visitors are welcome to Tomlinsons every day of the week and from Monday through to Friday you can enjoy delicious homemade food in the organic café located in the centre of the warehouse.
Tomlinsons’ reputation in the trade as a treasure trove of fine furniture draws visitors from far afield, with many regularly making the two-hour journey from London to York. “Many of our customers are willing to travel from as far away as the US to buy our antiques because they know that we’ll usually have at least one piece that makes the heart beat faster” says Tomlinson’s Sales Director Sarah Worrall. “Our enormous buying strength and our Yorkshire Location, also allows us to offer sensible prices that are comparatively lower than our London counterparts,” she says.
Tomlinsons location means it is an ideal destination for a day out. A large number of visitors incorporate a trip to the warehouse with a trip to the nearby historic city of York or the Yorkshire Dales.
Tomlinsons was awarded quality assured tourism status in December 2005, which Sarah hopes will make a considerable difference to the number of weekend visitors. “Many of our customers spend hours exploring the warehouse,” she said.
“The layout includes a series of period rooms furnished with high-quality, restored pieces. Visitors can walk into a Victorian parlour, Edwardian dining room or Georgian bedroom, but the difference to visiting a museum is that any of the superb pieces on display can be purchased. This experience combined with our superb organic café makes us a unique tourist destination.”
The volume of antiques passing through Tomlinsons means that prices are reasonable and you can be guaranteed to find what you’re looking for. However due to the unique and magnificent furniture that Tomlinsons offers, many of its customers do not hesitate to spend thousands of pounds on a single item. ‘Our wealthier customers most often want to reflect their individuality in the pieces of furniture they buy,” says Worrall. “Often they are after investment pieces no one else has.”
In addition, Tomlinsons will not hesitate to go out and track down a particular item of furniture for a customer. “What we aim to do for our wealthy clients is make antiques buying pleasurable,” says Worrall. “Usually they don’t have time to source pieces themselves so we take care of all that for them. When an item of furniture arrives in the warehouse that we know is to a particular client’s taste, we will take photos immediately to send to them to ensure they get first option to purchase.”
Part of the bespoke service that Tomlinsons’ provide is to advise clients on what pieces of furniture would be suited to a particular room or even a whole house. “It’s so rewarding for us to see pieces end up in the right environment,” says Worrall. “We’ll usher pieces through from their arrival here, and sometimes their restoration, through to their installation in a client’s home.”
Shipping antiques across the country and even the world is not a problem for Tomlinsons, who regularly arranges door-to-door deliveries for event the most fragile and exclusive items.
However, Tomlinsons is not just about antiques. Applying knowledge of antique style gained over many years, it manufactures a comprehensive range of fine quality reproduction furniture at very competitive prices, offering you the period look at a price that won’t break the bank. High quality oak is a company speciality. A recently launched addition to the range is a series of four beautiful handcrafted sofas and chairs that hark back to a time when Britain was synonymous with true craftsmanship.
Each sofa is hand-built and tailored to individual needs using only the finest natural materials such as horsehair and duck down and all are guaranteed for 15 years.
Tomlinsons’ Sales Director Sarah Worrall, says that such quality of upholstery is rarely available through retail outlets as it requires minute attention to detail, and is highly labour intensive.
She added: “This upholstery range is possibly the most exciting addition to our fine furniture collection for many years. By focussing on true craftsmanship I feel we have created a perfect blend of tradition and luxury, that offers high-quality ‘period build’ furniture which is not only tailored to your needs but is also available at affordable prices. You will be hard-pushed to find such high quality furniture anywhere else.”
So not only will you get an ‘antique’ sofa of the highest quality, tailored to your needs, but also one that really does offer exceptional value for money.
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