Man with a Van: My Story

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Which Pritchard is. The boy who left school at 16, with no qualifications, has built a respected business as an international dealer in fine antiques, art and furniture: “How the hell did that happen?” Pritchard asks, somewhat disingenuously. Craig, who has been in business since the 1980s, said this came at a time filming was ending for Salvage Hunters. He has apparently been told he was "too good" at his job, although he will be missed by many fans of the two shows.

It clearly irks him that people can be sniffy about Salvage Hunters but Pritchard believes he has shaped the market as it stands today. He started pushing brown furniture 10 years ago and now it’s the norm for young people to be dealing in it. His collection of classic cars was jettisoned – he had 13 at one time. He stopped drinking two years ago. This summer he told the Telegraph: “I’ve had a blip in the middle where everything just got too much for me, which I’m over now and working on. I’ve started again from scratch. I’ve completely binned my old life and started afresh.” Between the 1940s and 70s, he explains, the Americans bought all our best antiques (presumably while we were investing in G-plan and mid-century modern furniture by designers such as Robin Day and Ercol) and they hung on to them and all that remained in the UK was a “load of old toot” from after the Second World War. He opened up about his childhood and how he found his passion for antiques. He said he and his friends would go and look in sheds in his home village in Glan Conwy, Wales. Opening your own antiques shop might be your goal. And of course it was Pritchard’s too. Aged eight, when his mum took him to buy shoes on Conwy High Street, the idea of his own double-fronted domain was beguiling. He eventually succeeded, and by coincidence it turned out to be the very same premises where he bought those childhood shoes.I love the fact that it impinges on every aspect of my world. I want it to. I want it to soak into my bones. I like that. It’s a brilliant life, but you’d better be ready to work your a--- off. The work never stops.” The two main categories are form and quality but I also like history and patination.” Drew Pritchard for Barker and Stonehouse – Foxley 4 Seater Sofa And so Pritchard is searching for the next “it” item. “I’ve been around a while. I’ve done a lot of stuff and seen a lot of things. Everything used to be really cool for a while. But everything that’s cool becomes passé. And that’s where I’m at. So I’m just working harder at what I’m doing and being honest with myself.” His opinion of the value of his vocation extends as far as to say that antiques dealers do more good for the world than any other trade associated with housing and interiors. “We save more, we understand more, we fix more. And we teach more than any other trade. Nobody comes close.” Pritchard asks me to imagine how much art and culture society would have lost to landfill but for the enthusiasm of the antiques dealer. “To me it’s a service. Yes, we make money out of it, but so does a roofer. So does the butcher.”

It covers an overview of what the business is all about, what you’ll need, how to buy, sell and also etiquette: how to do things the right way. He posted on social media: "Apparently nothing is a challenge for me and I always manage jobs without a problem where as if you are not that good it makes for better TV."And yet, when Pritchard started out, antiques was a closed shop. “It was like the Mafia.” It’s not quite the same today, but with his advice he hopes he can get anyone through the door and give them a start. “The rest is down to what you make of it. That’s what I love about it.” Whether you are a professional dealer or an amateur enthusiast, and whatever your budget, Drew's on a mission to show you how to enrich your life with beautiful things, that have their own unique story and that bring you joy. And then how to part with them for cash! Read more Look Inside Details

He told Quest: "I was just utterly fascinated with it and it’s never left me. It’s not something I can explain why, I just had to be around this old stuff all the time. My parents are still digging up boxes of old rubbish I found when I was a kid – I’d drag it all home. They even built another shed for me as I’d filled all the sheds in the garden with junk." Talking about the current crisis, he said: "The rising cost in materials, utility bills and having to increase labour rate to cover our cost of living means we cannot compete with the large furniture manufacturers that mass produce. Currently we have had to loan the business personal money to keep it going and therefore are having to look at what would be financially beneficial to us and seriously consider our future. In the past year Pritchard, the star of Salvage Hunters – 22 million viewers in around 52 countries – has slimmed down his business model. You’ve taken something that was worthless and made it worth even less. It’s an embarrassment to this country that we do this. Along with pebbledashing.

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One is a property developer who buys incredible houses, fills them with antiques and then sells them as is. “She does it all around the world. It’s astonishing.” The TV star went to an open viewing and made an offer on the spot last year, which was instantly accepted. He has now been putting a lot of blood, sweat and tears into revamping the property from five separate flats into its former townhouse glory, although he will be holding onto his cottage in Conwy. I understand where his dislike of Ikea and upcycling comes from, but nobody appointed him the head of the furniture Stasi, as far as I am aware. I’ve had a blip in the middle where everything just got too much for me, which I’m over now and working on. I’ve started again from scratch. Rebuilding myself again.”

I'm keeping my Conwy cottage, but this is a big move I'm making. It has cost me all the money I've ever had." The emporium helped cement Conwy's position as a top destination for shoppers wanting independent stores and attracted visitors from around the UK and further afield.In it I share my story for the very first time on how I’ve managed to turn my passion into a successful and highly rewarding business of finding and restoring antiques. Viewers of the show have been wondering where Pritchard’s good friend is since they last saw Tee during its 8th season. Many questions were raised by the fans since there is also no announcement regarding his leave: “Will Tee ever return to the show?”“Did Drew and Tee have an argument that resulted in his unexpected disappearance?” A star on hit shows Salvage Hunters and Salvage Hunters: The Restorers says he is being forced to consider his future as costs spiral. Expert upholsterer Craig Hughes, from Colwyn Bay, has been a regular alongside Conwy antiques dealer Drew Pritchard on Salvage Hunters and a presenter on the spin off show. Hailed a “junkyard genius”, he had the Midas touch when it came to finding treasures in other people’s scrap. The boy who left Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy at 16 with no qualifications, is now a respected international dealer in fine antiques, art and furniture. Clients include Ralph Lauren and the chef Marco Pierre White, reports North Wales Live.