How I Met My Partner: Cork antiques store owners say they met the old-fashioned way

WORKING together might be considered enough to test even the strongest of relationships.

However, Ian and Rita Holding have managed to mix business with pleasure in endlessly creative ways.

The result — their antique store RH interiors — is testament to this, with customers travelling far and wide to marvel at the Aladdin’s cave. The business, located in Connonagh, West Cork, opened in recent years and has changed their lives in ways they never thought possible. It was born out of Rita’s passion for antiques and upcycling which she shares with her husband.

Despite their obvious success, the couple always acknowledge their humble beginnings.

Rita opened up about their first meeting in a Surrey nightclub back in 1992.

“It’s a bit old-fashioned to say you met through friends but that was exactly what happened with us,” Rita said.

“Ian has a twin brother and I was going out for their 24th birthday. It was the first time we had ever interacted. We chatted and had a drink together. At the time Ian’s brother was always known for being the life and soul of the party. However, Ian was different and a lot shyer. In a way it’s like they have switched places because he is so outgoing now, but this wasn’t always the case”.

Ian’s reserved nature only added to his enigmatic quality.

“We planned to meet up again,” Rita said. “After that we got to know each other a lot”.

Different worlds 

Rita spoke of how they came from different worlds adding: “Ian was brought up in Surrey whereas I came from a farm in Durrus. At the time I met Ian I had quit my job in banking to go back to college as a mature student and was working in a bar in between studying.”

Prior to meeting Rita, Ian had been the youngest skipper on a passenger boat on the river Thames. He was just 17 at the time. The marine engineering student also welded and undertook fabrication work in addition to rebuilding engines on passenger boats.

“The thing about being a skipper was you had to be able to negotiate all the river Thames locks,” Ian explained. “To me it was normal but from the outside it is was seen as more technical. I was also running a bar on the boat and had to make sure I was keeping it clean. Even at this young age I had my own passenger boat to look after. Those were the summer months. For the remainder of the year I was boat building and reconstructing engines.”

Despite his obvious skills and talent, Ian admits that in many ways he was quite introverted.

He recalled how Rita tempted him out of his shell.

“She had a good sense of humour and was a real chatter box. Rita was very outgoing and that helped bring me out of myself. It pushed me to do more.”

Rita was equally fascinated by her new love interest.

“After five years of dating she accepted a romantic proposal from him in a high-end hotel.”

Ian joked about how she was in shock at the time.

“I had to ask her a couple of times,” he laughed. “It was about 10 minutes before she finally said yes. I didn’t have a ring with me because I knew she would want to pick out her own. A week later I took her to Hatton Garden in London which is famous for its jewellery.”

Relocating to Ireland

The couple wed in Ireland before welcoming their son Nathan (24) in 1998. Rita later gave birth to their other boy Callum who is now 22. It wasn’t until the boys were seven and ten that the family relocated to West Cork.

Both children were passionate about sport. Some of the couple’s fondest memories conjure up images of them rising at 6am to go to the swimming pool and watching them play rugby.

Rita made sure to have her own hobbies too which eventually led to their business.

“Our lives leading up to this were so different. Ian had ended up in British Petroleum for a while in an engineering role where he was working on mini refineries and pilot plants where they test the catalysts in the refineries. I began restoring furniture and we were sending stuff all over the country. Ian was doing all this too, on top of his own job.”

Taking time to enjoy quality time together 

Rita worked from a purpose-built studio in the garden of their Rosscarbery home when things began to take off.

“We were looking for a roadside premises. I knew I didn’t want anything in the town. Ian joined the company fulltime when we opened the doors of our shop in 2022.

“We started small. It really took off, so much so that we ran out of space.”

Ian is determined not to let their entrepreneurial success detract from their personal lives.

“The business means we have very little of our own leisure time.

“Even when we’re at home the laptops are always open. I might be looking at when the next auction is while Rita is doing the accounts. Dates aren’t something we can really plan. If we’re going for dinner or on a date, it’s always spontaneous and only really ever happens when we’re on the way back from work.

“Our plan is to change that this winter and maybe take the Monday and Tuesday off to make time for ourselves and enjoy quality time together.”