Stagshead Antiques Ltd T/A Steve Sly Japanese Art

My passion for antiques and the business of buying, selling and collecting them began when I was a teenager. Coming from a modest background and seeking my fortune I spent many of my younger years trawling the numerous antique and “bric a brac” shops in and around Bournemouth on the south coast of England. It was great fun learning the business from the absolute “grass roots”, dealing in anything and everything that took my fancy.

I was lucky enough to meet Mike, a well-known and respected member of that trade who had a special interest in Oriental antiques. I subsequently spent the next 20 odd years working for Mike, handling all manner of high quality Oriental Art on a daily basis. I was slowly building up my knowledge and experience particularly in the field of Japanese works which appealed to me on so many levels. Mike was generous with his time and his extensive knowledge and we became firm lifelong friends - but also rival collectors! I was now able to buy things for myself, all the while striving for better and better quality.

It was during one of the tougher periods for the trade I decided to branch out on my own - an inevitable event. In parallel with my continued trading and collecting antiques, I successfully built up and subsequently sold a large car dealership and garage business and also became heavily involved with AFC Bournemouth, my local football team who are now in the English Premier League, ending up as co-owner and vice chairman.

Moving on from these various adventures enabled me to fulfil a lifelong ambition - to open my own family owned and run Antique shop in the beautiful New Forest area of southern England. At the same time I began exhibiting at the prestigious Olympia Fine Art and Antiques Fairs in London and at the hugely popular Antiques For Everyone Fairs held at the NEC in Birmingham. Throughout this period I have continually focussed on high quality Japanese works, travelling all over the UK and indeed the world in search of undiscovered treasures. I have also been fortunate enough to purchase several high quality private collections as a result of contacts made at the exhibitions.

However no market is immune to the rapid changes brought about by advances in technology and the opportunities afforded by the Internet. The marketplace is now truly global with no barriers to easy international trade and communication. Thus my shop has given way to the new Online phenomenon, whilst at the same time I continue to exhibit successfully at the aforementioned shows where it gives me great pleasure to meet face to face fellow enthusiasts of these wonderful works of art. It is not only a privilege but also a highly pleasurable experience to be able to source and pass on these wonderful things. I hope that you will share in that enjoyment.