IT started as a hobby - but now Peter Davies has turned his passion for bric-a-brac into a thriving business, as photographer MIKE LEWIS and reporter HENRY KILLWORTH discovered.

Tucked away in the town of Abergavenny is a small but interesting shop dedicated to... junk.

And scattered around this Aladdin's Cave - the aptly named Higgledy Piggledy - is a fascinating collection.

Owner Peter Davies, 42, spent the first 20 years of his working life as a carpenter, before deciding it was time for a change.

"I began to realise how short life is. We do a job which we don't really enjoy and the next thing you know is your dead. So I decided to do something about it."

What Peter did was turn a lifelong interest in wood and furniture in to a business - selling bric-a-brac, paraphernalia and odds and ends from his premises on Brecon Road. Old tins, antiques and Persian rugs, you'll find them here.

"I have always been interested in wood and furniture construction. "Basically, anything which is well made is of interest to me," he said. Peter, who has run the shop for six years, buys items from auctions, car-boot sales and house sales.

"It is always a pleasure to find an antique, they all tell a story and, of course, have been around so long.

"I tend to go for quirky pieces. I buy things and I don't know what they are, everybody has their own interpretation, which is why it is so fascinating," he said.

Peter buys and sells items through his shop, provides props to a local theatre company, and combs old buildings for some items.

"Recently we have found wonderful old fireplaces, flagstones and building materials, which are in good condition," he enthuses.

The shop is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5.30pm, or visit the shop's website at: www.higgledypiggledy.co.uk