Beloved Guildford antique shop Dr Russell’s Imaginarium is closing down this year

Guildford’s popular antique shop strip will shine a little less brightly come the new year when Dr Russell’s Imaginarium shuts its doors.

Last week owner Phil Russell announced the news on social media with a bittersweet post that did come with the promising news that he’ll be shifting to an online store in 2024.

“Sorry to sadly say we are closing the shop down and moving to an online business,” says the post. “It’s 2 years since the fire and we have not back to normal at the shop but our online business has been going great.”

Treasure hunters will delight in the news that Russell is looking to clear out his warehourse on the corner of Ethel and James Street over the next few weeks with a 30% off sale on everything.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Perth antique scene stalwart, Russell spends months of the year overseas hunting for rare items from around the world, shipping them back in containers at a huge expense.

A couple of years ago SBS released an awesome documentary about Russell, directed by local filmmarker Brendan Joel, which is available to watch for free and well worth your time:

Despite losing the physical space to sell his goods, Russell is excited for what comes next, which will be an interactive online store, along with more video content documenting his magnificent menagerie of rare and unique items.

Dr Russell’s Imaginarium is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-3pm, with the sale running until December 31.

Image Credit: Dr Russell’s Imaginarium (via Facebook)