It was in 1974, keen for an opportunity that would challenge him, Nick Wallrock made the decision to come to Brisbane, Australia having grown up in Hampshire in the south of England. Little did he know it would present him an opportunity that would see him found a business still thriving Brisbane in 2009.
Nick Wallrock arrived in Brisbane, Australia on a ship at the age of 24 to pursue a career in aviation insurance. Unhappy in his work and desperate for a change, Nick identified a demand in the Australian market for English Victorian antique furniture. Realising there was a gap in the market for this product, Nick phoned his parents , both avid antique furniture collectors in the UK and asked them to buy every piece of Victorian furniture they could find and ship it out to Australia. While awaiting the arrival of his first shipment, with the help of a well-known Brisbane family, Nick secured a lease in a tiny “hole in the wall” in Woolloongabba for just $10 per week, unheard of these days. There began the first years of Wallrock Antiques.
Over the decades, lifestyle and fashion have changed the taste of the Australian market for antiques. Victorian furniture has given way to French designs which suit the Australian way of life and climate so well. Wallrocks have moved with the times and now provide a variety of antique styles including French provincial, Louis XVI, Louis XV, Regency, Georgian to the Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth markets.
At the end of 2008, Woolloongabba began to change as the property boom reached its peak, so Nick and his wife Margaret, co-director of Wallrocks, decided that it was time to move the retail outlet to a quieter location in Albion, Brisbane with more available parking for customers, and one that was closer to home. Nick and Margaret closed their doors for 6 months and during this period renovated the new premises and worked to rejuvenate their 30 year old brand. The warehouse which was once used as a mechanic's workshop, has now transformed into a modern, fresh showroom.
30 years had passed since entering the Gabba and many things have changed. The brand that Nick worked so hard to establish has been rejuvenated and the business has been renamed 'Wallrocks – Fine Furniture Antiques Interiors'.
Nick works closely with his brother Charlie Wallrock, a leading UK dealer, to facilitate the finding of rarer iantiques to meet specific client requirements.
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