Identical twins have reunited after decades apart to launch a business in which they have a shared interest. This weekend, the pair will be opening their own antiques and jewellery shop with views out across the North Wales coast.
Sally Lambourne and Sarah Meza-Valazquez, in their 40s, said the new store is the realisation of a long-held dream. Life commitments kept them apart for a quarter of a century but they are now back together again and are keen to re-establish their “special twin bond”.
At 10am on Saturday, November 25, they will open the door to Ark Antiques & Jewellery, which lies just off Rhos on Sea promenade, Conwy. Mince pies will be offered to customers as the twins aim to commercialise a shared hobby honed over the past decade.
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“We are super excited to be opening,” said Sally. “It’s been a shared dream of ours for a long time, one we didn’t really expect to come to fruition. But it’s come at the right time, personally and professionally, now that I’ve moved back to North Wales. After spending so many years apart, we can now spend more time together and reclaim the twin bond we had as children.”
Despite being separated by more than 250 miles, for years Sally and Sarah had independently collected jewellery, antiques and curios. Once they’d enjoyed them, the pair pooled their efforts into selling them on eBay under the name Gold Hill Antiques. The name was taken from Gold Hill, a cobbled street in Shaftesbury, Dorset, made famous by a 1970s TV advert for Hovis bread.
Sally lived nearby for the last five years, having uprooted to Dorset to pursue her career as a chartered surveyor. With mum-of-four Sarah remaining in their native North Wales, the pair endured six-hour drives to see each other.
When Sally’s husband secured a home-working job, and with their two children still young enough for a move, the family relocated to Conwy so Sally could be closer to her twin, parents and two brothers. It meant that, for the first time, the sisters could seriously think about a joint bricks-and-mortar outlet for their jewellery and collectibles – the "SAS" of the antique trade.
![The Rhos on Sea store has views ‘looking out along the North Wales coast to Rhyl and beyond’, says Sally (right)](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article28161800.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_AFRDPW231123AntiquesTwins.jpg)
“Being away for such a long time was hard,” admitted Sally. “We share the same DNA and while we are different in some ways, it can be scary how much we think alike. The connection has always been special.
“On birthdays, we’d send each other identical cards bought in shops hundreds of miles apart. And when Sarah fell pregnant, I knew before she did. I rang her up and told her one of us was pregnant and it definitely wasn’t me!”
As well as jewellery, in which the sisters specialise, the new shop will offer everything from furniture to porcelain, glassware, paintings, mirrors and much more besides. There might be the occasional teddy bear too which, like the rest, will be either antique and vintage.
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Rarities include Satsuma figurines, 19th century Japanese tree bark vases and an oak coffer dating back to the 1700s. On one shelf you might find Wedgewood, on another Meissen. Most of the items have been collected by eye rather than purely for their value, in the hope that others will share the sisters’ tastes.
Their knowledge blossomed in the 10 years they ran Gold Hill Antiques. This, they said, was purely an online hobby fuelled by the excitement of new finds and the discovery of new information.
![Sarah (right) and Sally specialise in antique and vintage jewellery but the shop will offer much more besides, including a range of 19th century pottery and porcelain](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article28161789.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_AFRDPW231123AntiquesTwins_05.jpg)
Sarah was further schooled in the antiques trade when helping out at a friend’s store in Bangor, Gwynedd. “Sometimes when you see something, you know straightaway its value,” said Sally. “At other times, you may like an item but you need to research it to find out more.
“While we’ve been setting up, retailers in the area have been popping in to wish us good luck. Everyone has been so kind and supportive - it really is a fantastic community here.”
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Among the wellwishers was Guy Pritchard, brother of Drew, who knows a thing or two about antiques. Come Saturday, Sarah and Sally hope there will be plenty more visitors.
- Ark Antiques & Jewellery is on the corner of Rhos Road, Rhos on Sea, Ll28 4PP. In the run-up to Christmas, the store will be open seven days a week, 10am-5pm.
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