by Helen Martin
Situated at the north end of Helensville, the site of the original Mâori settlement of Te Awaroa, John Perry’s Global Village Antiques is iconic both as a landmark and as a draw card for those looking for interesting and unusual objects, books and art works. Since it opened around 20 years ago in the former Regent Cinema, Global Village has been through several incarnations. For some time, John has been selling from the front of the building, using the very large space behind it for storage, but that is about to change.
Redesigning the space with a view to compartmentalising his collections and establishing a multi-faceted cultural hub, John is planning to divide it into Muddy Creek Art Gallery, which will be an exhibition and sales venue, Book Enz, which will focus primarily on rare and New Zealand books and other printed material, and Global Village Antiques, where John will continue to sell pieces from his wonderful collection of man-made and natural curiosities.
On 2 March John is to give a talk at Silverdale Historic Village, ‘Collecting gold, collecting dust’. In addition to listening to John’s talk, people are invited to bring along their treasures for a verbal valuation in a rapidly changing marketplace.
