Bolton antique dealer Graham Wilson reflects on a lifetime of collecting

Graham Wilson runs Gilly's Antiques in Bolton, operating a shop and multiple warehouses that together hold tens of thousands of items gathered from house, church and commercial clearances. He began selling at fairs in 1973 and still works seven days a week while expanding storage with additional warehouses near Darwen.

Gilly's Antiques in Bolton is run by Graham Wilson, who has built the business from a school‑boy stall into a seven‑day operation. The main shop sits in Tonge Fold, about 400 yards from where Graham grew up, and is supported by several warehouses of stock. Graham began selling at the Harrogate Antiques Fair in 1973 and has worked in the trade for decades, including time with an antiques centre in Eccleston. The Bolton News visited the shop to record the story behind this local independent business. Key details: - Owner and operator is Graham Wilson, aged 70, from Egerton, and the shop is named after his wife, Gill. - The main shop houses around 30,000 items; the site includes five warehouses, there is an Astley Bridge unit, and three more warehouses are reported to be planned near Darwen. - Stock is largely sourced from clearances of domestic properties, churches and commercial buildings, and the business also runs a wide-ranging clearance service. - Graham employs 15 staff; a repair warehouse across from the shop employs Dimitri, originally from Ukraine, who handles welding, joinery and electrics. - Notable finds include a set of five totem signs discovered in an attic that later sold for £14,000 on eBay. - The main shop is open weekdays from 9.30am to 4.30pm and weekends from 10am to 3pm; the Astley Bridge clearance unit opens two days a week and focuses on more modern items. Summary: Graham's business remains active and varied, drawing customers of different ages and relying on staff to research and restore a wide range of items. Expansion is ongoing, with additional warehouse space planned near Darwen, and the operation continues to run daily as Graham maintains his long‑standing role in the trade.