Passion for the past
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itting inside her little shop in the Victorian village of Kilcreggan, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, antiques expert Arusha Irvine couldn’t be happier. Fresh from racing around the countryside filming another series of the highly popular Antiques Road Trip for the BBC it’s a chance to decompress and contemplate the whirlwind of the last couple of years. Surrounded by shelves brimming with aged trinkets and old curiosities, each with a secret or story to fuel the imagination, the vivacious Scot admits to being pleasantly surprised at the turn her life has taken. Roo, as she is known to friends and fans of the popular TV shows ‘Antiques Road Trip’, ‘Celebrity Antiques Road Trip’ and ‘Flipping Profit’, never set out to be a television presenter. A little more than five years ago she and her husband Mark were busy marketing professionals and owners of a call centre business on the Isle of Man. However, all that changed almost over night when both lost their fathers within weeks of each other, prompting a decision to walk away from the corporate life and spend more time with their families.
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The couple moved to Kilcreggan on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll, about 45 miles west of Glasgow, and set up an antiques business.
However, life really changed after makers of Antiques Road Trip made a surprise stop at Roo’s little emporium.
“I’ve always had a love for history and antiques,” said Roo.”We wanted to do something that was enriching for the soul so we started a little antique shop and the next thing we knew it was a great success.”
“They visited the shop and invited me to take part as an expert and the rest, as they say, is history,” said Roo who says she still has to pinch herself occasionally to make sure she’s not dreaming.