J. Taylor Antiques

The phrase ‘something comes from nothing’ applies well to Julian Taylor. When he moved to England in 1979, he knew nothing about antiques. Now, he’s an expert in English and French antiques and can re-wire a chandelier or restore your antique furniture to its former glory. Eager to use his skills to help others, Julian opened J. Taylor Antiques, a genuine throwback to Victorian era England.

Julian’s fascination with antiques began when he attended an auction southwest of London and won a bid for a chest of drawers for the equivalent of 10 Canadian dollars. “It was a beautiful thing,” he recalls. “I lived about half a mile away so I pushed it through the streets of Kingston, which is a busy market town, and dragged it home.”

After a brief job as a restorer, Julian took a bank position that lasted 22 years and he restored furniture as a hobby. “But it was a lucrative hobby,” he says. “I used to go up to Nottingham, buy stuff, bring it down and fix it, and put it in London. You could double your money just by going 120 miles, so that was kind of cool.”