Success for Staffordshire businessman who salvages, reclaims and upcycles antique furniture

What may be unwanted household furniture for someone could be a hidden gem for another.

The boom in demand for retro second hand goods has now been tapped into by a Staffordshire businessman.

Matt Flint has launched what he believes is the world's first online marketplace for reclaimed, salvaged, upcycled and antique goods.

The Reclamation Shop was officially launched in the UK and Ireland last year and the website has had more than a million hits.

The aim is to allow people to search for items they want in one place, rather than having to scout around often driving miles away looking for that unique product.

It allows users to view and buy that 'hidden gem' from some of the largest and most well-established reclamation, salvage and antique yards in the country without leaving their home.

The public's interest in reusing and 'repurposing' household items has gained popularity with TV shows like Kirstie's Fill Your House For Free.

Now almost 30 reclamation yards and antique dealers have signed up with The Reclamation Shop website with goods ranging from one off tables, chairs, desks, cabinets and cast iron fireplaces to reclaimed bricks, doors and antique furniture.

One of those is Owl Barn Interiors who mainly reclaim old furniture which can date back hundreds of years and then be sold on.

Based from Cawarden Springs Farm, Blithbury Road in Rugeley, it sells a range of items usually ranging from £80 to £600.

They are mainly sourced from auctions, fairs and members of the public contacting them to see if they would be interested.

Its stock includes a vintage rocking chair of around 100 years-old, a pink wicker chair of almost half-a-century and pew from a church in Birmingham which is believed to go back centuries.

Ann Denton, who runs the shop, said: "Most is at least 100 years old. There is a demand, sometimes people like something with a bit of character.

"They have got a bit of history to them. Some of these are one-offs and there is a certain charm."

The aim of the website business is to make it more convenient for people by creating a focal point, reducing the hassle of having to keep searching for items.

Amongst the most distinctive items being showcased through the site from across the country is an old chemist shop from the 1900s which was removed from a retail outlet.

There is a building stone from 1900, air vents for a shelter during the Second World War Two and a Victorian copper weather vane.

The Reclamation Shop venture by entrepreneur Matt, aged 31 from Cannock, has already received a boost from Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis, who named it his Small Business Sunday winner last year.

He then tweeted about it to his 437,000 Twitter followers - something which Matt will be able to discuss with the retail magnate when he meets him next week.

The father, who runs the business from Heritage Park, Heath Hayes, said: "When we were looking for things for our house you have got to scour the net for several hours.

"My wife, Adele, has an upcycling business of her own and it was her frustration with trying to hunt out a hidden treasure that led to the foundation of The Reclamation Shop.

"What we wanted to do was to create a platform where people can search. We are a shop window."

"We have already attracted a fantastic variety of stockists such as: The Old Pine Company, Fagins Antiques and Silbury Antiques, all of whom believe that The Reclamation Shop has solved gap in the market."

For further information visit the www.thereclamationshop.co.uk website.