Howard Chadwick Antiques to Close After 34 Years on Beacon Hill

Howard Chadwick opened his small antiques shop just off Charles Street in the heydey of antiquing on Beacon Hill. But after 34 years – the last few marked by busniess-killing construction in front of his 40 River St. store – he's decided to close.

"We just decided that it was hopeless," Chadwick said of the call he and his business partner made in early February. "River Street has been torn up (by Boston sewer and water departments) since July 2010, so it's been very disheartening."

Although there is no construction on River Street now, the damage it did to his business over the past two years made him think twice about continuing to operate it. Currently, road work is being done on Mount Vernon and Charles Street, one of the routes to access River Street.

"It was the ideal location until the city started tearing everything up," Chadwick said. In fact, he said, he probably would have stayed in business longer if not for all the roadwork. 

Interest in antiques not waning

Although Chadwick wasn't on Beacon Hill's main thoroughfare, he said that business had been good on River Street during his three decades there and that despite what other antique dealers have said about people losing interest in their wares, Chadwick hasn't seen that trend.

"At least 50 percent of my sales have been to young couples, young people who are fascinated," he said. "A lot of people say, 'oh, it isn't like it used to be,' but it's changing. You have to adapt."

Still, he says, "it was just a whole different scene" in the antique world when he first came to the Flat of the Hill. Indeed, even in the past few years other antique stores have closed, changed hands or are closing, including (which is now Hingham Bank) and .  but was bought by Laura Cousineau and remains open.

Chadwick, who lives in the South End and maintains a store on Nantucket, said he'll miss the Beacon Hill community. "We have a lot of people who've been steady customers over the years." 

Howard Chadwick Antiques will be open every day through Monday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 or 5 p.m.