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London's antique shops are under threat, protect them here

Leon's Militaria

The Mall Antiques Arcade
The wildly eclectic wares and whimsical characters of Islington’s Mall Antiques are a quiet world away from the noisy traffic jams and chain stores of Upper Street’s shopping centre, N1, just over the road. The Mall comes alive on Wednesday and Saturday mornings when all of the shops are open selling an intiguing mix of treasures, from vintage crocodile skin handbags to war memorabilia (including, rather macabrely, genuine Nazi helmets) to twentieth-century jewels and collectable Lalique glassware.

The arcade – originally built as a tram shed in 1850 – became an electricity sub-station in 1940 and, after lying derelict for a few years, opened as an antiques mall in November 1979 with 35 specialist antiques dealers. Collectors come from all over the world and interior designers regularly plunder its furniture, glassware and ceramics shops for treasures.
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Count Alexander von Beregshasy at Jewels by Count Alexander

Jewels by Count Alexander (020 7354 0058/www.countalexander.co.uk), an insanely decadent little shop within the arcade specialising in sparkling tiaras and reproduction royal jewels, epitomises its quirky atmosphere. ‘I get people from all over the world visiting; Saudi Arabia, Russia, across Eastern Europe,’ says the exuberant owner Count Alexander von Beregshasy, who is due to celebrate the shops tenth anniversary next year. The clientele here is as varied as the stock.On the other side of the arcade, Leon Shrier’s compact shop Leons Militaria (0798 9649972/www.leonsmilitaria.com) specialises in militray memorabilia including decorative antique guns, old canons that still work, war medals, swords and, alarmingly, daggers. There’s even a spectacular Napoleonic sword selling for £14,000. The shop has been attracting specialist collectors from around the world since it opened six years ago; a man from Athens has just ordered a silver sword dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

Medals at Leons Militaria

While the Mall’s new owners, Atlantic Antique Centres (AAC), assure us it’s ‘business as usual’ and haven’t put rent up since they took over five months ago in an attempt to keep the independents, some of the traders are worried the general demise of nearby Camden Passage’s antiques trade could take its toll. In Camden Passage, the big chains who can afford the newly high rents – like Tesco, Foxtons and, most recently, a spanking new branch of All Saints – have moved in, sitting uneasily with the old-guard antiques traders. When Reiss moved into what was the Georgian Villages (which until recently housed well over 50 traders) last year, locals and fellow traders were saddened.

Camden Passage: antiques dealers are under threat due to hikes in rent

Octagon Assets, the property developers who own chunks of property in the area, haven’t renewed the leases on two of Time Out’s favourite shops, Eclectica and Cloud Cuckoo Land, when they run out in May, meaning both will have to shut up shop. Annie Moss of highly regarded Annie’s vintage dress shop is already feeling the pressure since they put up the annual rent from £16,000 to £28,000 last year.

The Mall, it would seem, is at least sacred for now but a mild panic is in the air among traders. ‘We [traders] are fighting to preserve and protect the area,’ explains the passionate von Beregshasy. ‘Lots of people have already moved out of Camden Passage due to the rent going up, but we want to stay and keep the area’s 50-year antiques heritage going. If Islington loses its antique trade altogether, it will be a tragedy.’ Maggie Davis

The Mall Antiques Arcade, 359 Upper St, N1 (020 7823 3900/www.themallantiques.co.uk) Angel tube. Open Tue 10am-5pm,Wed 7.30am-6pm,Thur 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm. www.camdenpassageislington.co.uk

Best for Furniture, glassware and ceramics plus art nouveau and art deco.

London's antique shops are under threat, protect them here