Bathurst resident Bernadette Phillips opens La Patine French Antiques

Fittingly known as the city of love, Bernadette Phillips fell in love with France on a family holiday around 15 years ago.

And with a deep appreciation of antiques, she has decided to combine her passions and open a shop to share her love with Bathurst - La Patine French Antiques and Homewares.

"My dad used to have an antique shop growing up, so I've always had this passion for antiques," Ms Phillips said.

"I love culture and history and everything about it.

"My family and friends said why don't you do something if that's your passion, so I thought why not, I'll give it a little try and see how we go."

It took Ms Phillips around four months to set everything up, and while La Patine has only been open for two weeks, she has already loved the experience.

The antique store is located in the front room of Ms Phillips' Gladstone Terrace house along Bentinck Street, with the historic 1888 building a perfect backdrop for the store.

While the store is only small, it stocks a wide range of authentic French antiques and homewares.

From paintings and upholstery, to glassware and jewellery, there's something for everyone wanting to add a little France to their home.

"I've been using a dealer to get my items in from France," Ms Phillips said.

"Everything is authentic, there's no reproduction or anything.

"It's all from France or I have glassware from Belgium, but the bulk of it is all from France."

One of the items available at La Patine, and something Ms Phillips was very excited to stock, is a book called Chateau de Gudanes.

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The book was written by an Australian lady who purchased an ancient castle in France, with her husband, and restored it.

Chateau de Gudanes follows the journey of the couple as they explored and rejuvenated the beautiful building.

"It's nice to have a little bit of the chateau with me, I feel quite proud that they're allowing me to do that," Ms Phillips said.

La Patine is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings, or any other day by appointment only.

A glimpse of what the antique store has to offer can be seen on the La Patine Antiques Instagram and Facebook pages.

Alternatively, Ms Phillips said she is more than happy for customers to contact her on 0408 142 440.

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