Authentics Antiques

Not for Authentic Antiques the kind of tatty stuff that some other pre-owned furniture and homeware shops in Glasgow allow to pile up under their roof. With just a small premises at their disposal at the top of Otago Street, owners Paul and Robert fill it discerningly with a carefully chosen selection of mainly nineteenth and twentieth century pieces, many of which they restore themselves. You’ll often find them busily working away during business hours, outside on the steps in the warmer months, inside during winter, when the smell of old wood mixes pleasingly with scents of oil, polish and paint.

The additional mark-up for hand-restored furniture is naturally considerable – if it’s a bargain you seek on a set of ‘40s bedside tables, a colourful ‘50s kitchen larder unit or a ‘60s telephone table, take to eBay and find fixer-uppers instead, since such items here will likely set you back a fair whack. For tighter budgets, there are smaller pieces to be discovered too – ornately decorated tobacco tins, old maps and so on.

Open since 1993, there’s a laid-back, heart-of-the-community feel to Authentics – don’t be surprised if you have to interrupt a staff member busy in conversation with friends to get some assistance. Stock is more traditional than vintage and retro, although with the West End getting hipper by the week, pieces are sourced accordingly. Lovingly arranged window displays tend to highlight the best stuff, and will have you craning your neck every time you pass by. Nothing seems to stay there for long.