Vintage toy shop opens its doors in Matlock

The Vintage Toy Exchange opened its doors at 37 Dale Road in Matlock on Friday, October 22, and welcomed wave after wave of curious and keen-eyed shoppers throughout the weekend.

Owned and run by the Morgan family, it has relocated from another premises in Dale Road as the final part of a significant investment in a business that opened in December 2019, only to be hit by the lockdowns and uncertainty that followed.

Senior partner John Morgan said: “Hindsight is a wonderful manager, and there were times when I thought we would never get going.

“However, out of adversity has grown opportunity and a decision to invest and push on in the future has seen us arrive where we are – a new shop, new offices, a very active internet business and nationwide specialist fairs, all supported by a dedicated team of partners and staff.”

The shop specialises in collectible toys both old and new and draws on John’s expertise after nearly 40 years of working as a dealer and auctioneer.

He said: “During my time in the industry 'the wheel of fortune' has certainly turned and the buzz words of the early 1980s – Matchbox Yesteryear, tinplate trains, Hornby Dublo – have been replaced with Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Masters of the Universe to name but a few.

“However the one aspect of the business opportunity I did not foresee was the number of children that would visit and catering for this has seen us diversify the product range into newer toys, although all the stock has one common denominator in that it is ‘pre-loved’, although very often not played with.”

He added: “We are always on the hunt for stock too. It feels slightly ironic that, at a time when the headlines are full of toy shortages, our company’s rather tongue-in-cheek stock policy rings in my ears: ‘We never have enough.....although we have too much.’”

For the time being, the new shop will be open Fridays and Saturdays plus selected hours during the week. Private appointments are also available.

For more information, see vintagetoyexchange.net.