The last time I sat on the rostrum with the gavel and bidders in the palm of my hands was February, my vest wasn't quite thick enough and my longjohns a little too thick! Little did I know when the hammer went down on the last lot with the huff still present in the crisp winters air that it would be almost four months until I had the privilege again.
The seasons and the weather have changed but our sale that was due for the end of March has very much remained the same. We have simply left it. Nothing added or removed. We've left it and waited. Many of our competitors have kept the cogs moving with what appear to have been strong internet sales and I'm pleased for them and that the industry has not gone stagnant. Many other businesses haven't been afforded the same luxury!
We had many hours of discussion over whether we should bite the bullet and move towards a strictly online sale, but we decided that is not what we're in the industry for. We love the theatre, drama and the thrill of offering items to a room of people not knowing when the hammer will fall. Once we remembered the romance of the trade the decision was made. It is the familiar faces, the comradery, the love that give Wotton Auction Rooms its special character.
Whilst we have waited the sale -that has now been online some months- has snowballed and we have had unprecedented interest right across the board! Condition reports have become almost a full time job and we hope the market stays as buoyant as has been suggested.
We have had to make many compromises for our sentiment. The Garden Sale that was due in April will now be in July. The 20th Century Art & Design Sale that was due in May will also be in July. Both of these sales our exciting ventures for us and The Garden Sale will be a first for us and one that we hope will provoke interest even if it is a bit later in the season.
As we enter this new world with the obvious complications and sacrifices we hope that we can keep the wheels moving at our reassuringly traditional Cotswold rooms.