Man with a Van: My Story

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So in the 18 th century you have people like Robert Adams and Chippendale championing it [neo-classical) and creating the finest furniture from the finest woods; we owned large parts of the world where these beautiful woods came from so we imported it.” It wasn't just sheds - nearby woods would be home to old cars that had been dumped. In the summer holidays, he and best friend Tee - who later joined him on Quest TV's Salvage Hunters - would scour fields and beaches to see what they could salvage.

That same year, Drew opened an antiques emporium on Conwy’s High Street. It was an immediate hit, cementing the historic town’s position as a destination for independent stores. The new shop also brought full circle a long-cherished dream. So what are his tips for buying old? Firstly, if you buy an old light he suggests taking it to the “bloke on the high street who fixes your microwave and your telly. Electrics is three wires, there’s no mystery. Clean it up, take it to him and he will fix it for you.” Pritchard lovingly restored the building, getting everything from the panelling, to the lighting and the music perfect, but now it’s gone. Sold to a local businessman who offered him a price he couldn’t refuse. “Everything is always for sale” is another piece of antique-dealer wisdom. They’re just dreadful. I’ve got great friends who are on them, but they’re auctioneers, not dealers. It’s like saying a painter and decorator is a builder. They both work on houses, but they do different things.”

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Pritchard has arguably had the trajectory and supernova explosion of a superstar. He and his ex-wife Rebecca, who worked alongside each other and co-starred in Salvage Hunters, ended their marriage in 2017. A turbulent period in his personal life followed, culminating in a ban (now lifted) from pubs in Conwy after a fracas in 2019.

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.” 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. Drew 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." North Wales Live has spoken to local business and property owners about whether losing Drew has impacted the town or if Dylan's has been an ample, or not superior, replacement. What he can’t teach is taste and experience. You’re born with the former, and the latter you have to do for yourself. What he’s tried to answer in simplest terms is how to do “this”. All the questions you felt too embarrassed to ask.Drew Pritchard set himself up as a dealer when he was a teenager, rooting around in scrapyards, working out of a shed and getting about in a ropy old Transit. Now he's a leading figure in the antiques trade with an international online business, and he's hugely popular presenter of hit TV show Salvage Hunters. But he's still as driven by the thrill of the find as he was forty years ago. Fronted by decorative salvage expert, Drew Pritchard, Drew travels the length and breadth of the UK searching for and buying 'decorative salvage' or industrial antiques; from small pieces worth a few quid to some astronomical finds that wouldn't look out of place on The Antiques Roadshow. However, that is where any comparison to the BBC behemoth ends. Drew is a self-made man and has been salvaging architectural and industrial delights since childhood. In the past year Pritchard, the star of Salvage Hunters – 22 million viewers in around 52 countries – has slimmed down his business model. 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.”

More oddities and cast-offs were to be found in nearby woods where old cars were casually discarded. Later, during summer holidays, he scoured local fields and beaches with his best mate Tee, later to join him on Quest TV's Salvage Hunters Anything that caught their eye – salvaged oars, bicycles and car badges – they’d sell by the side of a road. The proceeds were reinvested in sweets and magazines. He says he knows this because when he was dealing in industrial furniture, they were all dealing in industrial furniture. “And when I was dealing in quirky oddments, everyone was buying quirky oddments. And now I predominantly deal in very fine furniture and they’re all doing that now. So it’s just made me up my game again.” In some respects, the move simply reflects his old mantra about antiques dealing – that items are worth nothing if left unsold in storerooms. Better to move on, get the deal done, and progress to the next item. In this engaging and informative narrative, clearly structured into practical themes, Drew reveals what it takes to start with nothing but an obsession and a dream. He shows you how to create the opportunities, establish a network, get the best out of auctions and fairs, spot the fakes, develop your eye, build a reputation, buy and sell and yes, make a profit.READ MORE: Salvage Hunter Drew Pritchard born to find gold in junk is 'starting again from scratch'

In some respects, the move simply reflects his old mantra about antiques dealing – that items are worth nothing if left unsold in storerooms. Better to move on, get the deal done, progress to the next item. But ask him about modern furniture and his passion appears to tip over into anger: “We have been trained like little lab rats to go to Ikea and buy things … and aren’t they great because they’re shiny lovely people who give you meatballs and sell you something that’s comfortable for five minutes and is instantly worth nothing, whereas you can go and buy yourself a chair at any antique shop or salvage yard or online for the same price or less that will be better and will last you all your life and will be more comfortable and that is more green because recycling’s all right but re-use is better. It’s so quiet here,” he said when placing it up for sale. “When I first moved I freaked out because of this strange noise which turned out to be the cows munching grass.

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When I see something old, that I think is beautiful, special, valuable, it's not about the money. It's about being in another time and place.'