Antiques have been a passion with Hannes and Petro Pretorius for as long as their daughter, Henika Gadd, can remember. Amazed and fascinated by some excellent pieces they saw in the quaint little town of Chester, England back in 1996, spontaneously a container of antique furniture was imported concluding their trip.
That was the birth of Validtrade Antiques and since then about 80 more containers from abroad have been shipped to South Africa. This has helped many local partners to open their own shops and also has supplied to a number of well-known businesses countrywide.
What has started as a hobby soon turned into a prosperous business. Though the founders of Validtrade now play a more consulting role, they still buy pieces for their private collection thus cultivating long-term friendships made over the last 35 years. 'Whilst my parents chose to sell only to the trade and to a hand full of private clients, I want to make their dreams come true to be the business that has something for everyone', says Henika.
Wheras Henika is still taking care of the trade she believes that the more exposure antique furniture gets, the more people will realize the value of these items. As antiques still can embody one of the best investments of the time, it has always also been the vision of Validtrade to convince other people of sharing the passion and respect for the craftsmanship and thus the preservation of the pieces. With a warehouse of over 1,000m², Henika invites you to contact her and take your first step into the world of antique furniture.
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