Tilly Mint

You’d expect a town like Rhuthun/Ruthin to do well in terms of antiques but it’s a niche that’s never really got going. There was a dealer at the Watergate for many years, who was quite literally washed out by the 2000 floods. And there’ve been a couple of bric-a-brac dealers in passing but other than longstanding Steptoe’s of Wynnstay Road, they’ve not lasted.

Such a pity that Tilly Mint’s about to close. It really has lifted the antiques/bric-a-brac market. Speaking as I found them, it was nice to see a Rhuthun/Ruthin antique proprietor so knowledgeable and polite, albeit a little pricey.

Tilly Mint’s last day of trading is reported as 13 March 2010 though it’s been closed this week. Perhaps that’s something to do with the noise associated with half term. Window notices suggest the decision to close is because of on-going noise issues. This could be the traffic on Clwyd Street but we’d put this down to children running around in Spaven’s, above. It’s certainly true that you can clearly hear footsteps when in Tilly Mint and half-term is a busy one for Spaven’s, judging by the number of children roaming around Rhuthun/Ruthin and congregating nearby.

But the real reason for the reported relocation mysteriously to somewhere in the Cheshire area probably has as much to do with a far stronger market out east.

It’s been two years this month since the shop opened. Then, we felt that the shop was a “delight” and there’s nothing to suggest that has changed. Longer-standing readers may recall the debate about whether Tilly Mint would add much to the town, for the townsfolk. Well, it certainly hasn’t sold everyday items, though occasionally you can find Rhuthun-related bric-a-brac within. We maintained the view that it was the sort of shop that Rhuthun needed, to help attract repeat visits to the town.

Talking of antiques, Cornerstone Antiques which had its opening just before Christmas has pared back its opening hours to 4 p.m. on those day it’s open.