Fox Antiques is closing for good at the end of April after almost 50 years in business in Canberra.
The business was started in Braddon in 1978 by Barry Faux.
Charlie Alliott joined the business in 1992 and has owned it for the last decade.
The pair together focused on French furniture and decor and Charlie spent more than 30 years travelling to France twice a year on buying trips.
"I have a warehouse in Lyon. I travel all around France. It sounds awfully glamorous but when I'm there, I'm there for less than a fortnight and I do about 3000km in that time," Charlie said.
"Everyone thinks that's the best part of the job, but actually it's not."
Charlie Alliott said the business, now located in Fyshwick, would close at the end of April, with everything on sale.
"The retail situation is tough," he said. "There are very few businesses that close down because they're making too much money. Obviously, we're not in that book. It's time to branch out and do new things."
He and wife Jane Madden, a former diplomat and now chair of the Fred Hollows Foundation, are looking forward to seeing more of their three children, who all live overseas. Kate works in governance and gender issues in Fiji, Grace works in public health in London and Peter is a lawyer in Geneva.
"We want to get out and annoy them, rather than be home in Canberra," Charlie said.
The couple live in Canberra but have also restored an historic homestead at Tuross which is a favourite family retreat.
"I'm from Europe and Jane's from Tasmania and we met in South Africa," he said, with a laugh.
"My sister was a diplomat with the British Government and Jane was on a posting there with the Australian Government and they two were great friends and my sister said to Jane, 'You must meet my brother when he comes over, you'd get on really well'."
Fox Antiques, meanwhile, has also moved around. After Braddon, it moved to Jardine Street in Kingston (where The Essential Ingredient is now) and then to Fyshwick, in Collie Street.
Charlie moved the showroom to a smaller builder across the road eight years ago.
Barry Faux, meanwhile, has turned his focus to modern furniture.
As word of the impending closure of Fox Antiques has got out, Charlie says customers old and new have been making a beeline to the warehouse.
"We've had a really quite humbling reactions from many customers," he said.
"Lots of old friends have come in and we've had some lovely messages about how Fox Antiques has been so important to them and their houses and their lifestyle and how their whole house is in, many senses, has been built around Fox Antiques.
"It's been lovely to see people and know how important the business has been to them over the years."
Will he miss it? "Oh, I know I will," he said.
Charlie and Jane will travel to France in May for a holiday.
"It's the first time in 30-odd years I'll be going to France and not buying furniture. I don't know whether I'll manage," he said, with a laugh.
"It'll be strange sensation."
