Back then, I was in my mid-30s, still shaking off the hedonistic remnants of my youth, where weekends revolved around pubs and football. Conveniently placed between the two, my shop often bore the brunt of my Saturday escapades. On home game weekends, I’d enlist my good friend Mark to man the store while I immersed myself in the match-day atmosphere.
An Unexpected Customer: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
One particular Saturday night, after stumbling back to the shop, something odd stuck in my mind. The next morning, nursing a hangover, I wandered downstairs to check the previous day’s sales and deliveries.
That’s when I saw it—a note attached to a sold item. It read:
📝 “Sold to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. To collect.”
I paused. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa? The internationally acclaimed opera soprano had walked into my little shop in Lewes, bypassing the town’s many antique stores, and purchased a magnificent cheval mirror.
And what a mirror it was—an elegant, towering piece, the kind that seems to glow with history and craftsmanship.
The Mirror Collection – A Moment Lost in Time
The following Saturday, during yet another home game, someone arrived to collect the mirror on her behalf. True to her word, the transaction was seamless—no delays, no fuss.
I never got to see Dame Kiri in person, but I imagined her standing in my shop, resplendent, evaluating the antique mirror with her discerning eye.
At the time, it was a fun anecdote, a story I shared with friends over pints at the pub before it faded into memory.
A Forgotten Story Resurfaces
Then, last Saturday at Ford Market, I stumbled upon something that brought it all back—a striking 1970s poster of Dame Kiri, performing Arabella at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Encased in a golden metal frame, she looked regal, larger than life, and somehow connected to that simpler time.
Seeing her image transported me back to that fleeting moment in my shop, reminding me how much times have changed.
The Beauty of a Simpler Time
If this had happened today, it would have been immortalized on social media:
- A selfie with the mirror
- A Facebook post in the Lewes community group
- A flurry of hashtags and likes
But back then? It was just a moment. A fun story. And then life moved on.
Looking back, there’s a certain joy in the simplicity of it all. No social media, no viral posts—just a beautiful mirror, a world-renowned soprano, and a quiet memory.
The Rights of Fans. 