Busy womenwords: Sarah Edwards

WHAT did you want to do when you were a little girl? I always fancied the idea of running either a shoe shop or a flower shop when I grew up, and I am sad to report that so far I have not managed to achieve either of those childhood ambitions.

Gilli Hanna from Lower Heyford in Oxfordshire always wanted to run an antique shop, and was inspired to start collecting things when as a school girl she bought a china potty for 10p.

As a psychotherapist, Gilli was kept busy for many years and this is still a big part of her portfolio career.

However, having just celebrated her 50th birthday she has finally realised those childhood dreams and has started La Petite Brocante, her own business importing, restoring and selling antiques and unusual and highly desirable collectibles from France.

Gilli said: “My first ever purchase was the Victorian potty. I was still at school and one lunch time spotted a potty hanging in the window of a shop with a note saying ‘For Sale 10p’.

“The shop was being refurbished and my friends thought I was bonkers when I went in and paid the builders 10p. I came out with the potty and an old Mable Lucie Atwell calendar that illustrated the thirteenth commandment See That Thou Art Not Found Out!”

These days, Gilli drives her van to France where she scours markets, sales and fairs which have proved to be treasure troves of fabulous pieces of furniture and home accessories.

She added: “This is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. Having reached a milestone birthday I reckoned it was now or never. After years of wandering through flea markets, wishing that I could carry everything home in my suitcase, at last I have a van which offers infinitely more possibilities!

“The things that interest me the most are both beautiful and useful, and the French combine function and beauty very well. I love their utilitarian approach and get as excited about an old milk churn or galvanised bucket, as I do about an antique French mirror!”

Gilli specialises in buying small pieces of furniture, fabulous and extremely fashionable mirrors, metal nursery beds, enamel ware, decorative metalwork, urns, glasses, ceramics and linens.

Her customers are looking for items that are decorative, slightly romantic, stylish and tasteful, and her prices range from £10 for a handmade wine glass to £1200 for a mirror.

Having lived and worked in France for many years, Gilli plans her regular trips with great anticipation as she never knows exactly what she might discover.

“I once went to this big barn of antiques years ago that was just amazing- overwhelming in fact- and I remember feeling so sad that I couldn’t really buy very much! When I returned with my trusty van, I was in heaven because I could finally bring things home!

“France is such a rural community with a rich history so there are some fascinating items to find there. Because they have more space, people tend to hold on to things for longer than we do here so there is a large volume of furniture and things to choose from.”

Gilli launched La Petite Brocante just before Christmas and is selling her finds at The Quiet Woman Antiques Centre near Chipping Norton, while still following her original career path of psychotherapy.

She said: “The two career paths actually compliment each other really well. At some level, both are about the way we choose to furnish our inner and internal environments.

“We can either disregard personal space, letting things get worn out or pushed to the back of the cupboard, or we can cherish and enhance our environment and seek ways to make it more beautiful.”

Gilli continues to spend part of her week working in private practice in London and as a director at a complementary health clinic in The City. She also has a practice in Witney and at home. She helps clients using transpersonal psychotherapy, an eclectic approach that looks at why we are ‘boxed in’ by our problems, fears or negativity.

Gilli added: “Often people are prompted to come and see me because they are in some emotional pain and just can’t hold it in any longer. Psychotherapists are often described as mirrors, as we help clients to reflect back to themselves what they are saying and how they are feeling.

“I find it fascinating that I spend a lot of time buying and restoring mirrors-it makes for an interesting parallel between my two careers. I also believe that we have three skins-our flesh, our clothes and our home and there are many links between healthy minds and healthy, comforting homes.”

La Petite Brocante is at

The Quiet Woman Antiques Centre, Southcombe, Chipping Norton. Telephone 01608 646262

Gilli Hanna can be contacted via email: lapetite@freeuk.com or mobile 07771 766055