Who is Crowley?

Prior to Crowley and Grouch Jane lived in the UK for three years where she built up an impressive network of contacts and exported antiques to the family business “The Shed” in Mittagong. Upon returning to Australia Jane became a business partner with her father, Athol Salter (aka the “Grouch”), and Crowley and Grouch Imports Pty Ltd was born.   Originally wholesaling the Austrian made Riess Enamelware, Jane and Athol sought to expand their business and began designing, producing and distributing their own range of decorator items. Wholesaling antiques and vintage items was a natural extension to their company, and Crowley and Grouch quickly established itself as the premier wholesale supplier of authentic vintage and antique stock.

On the 22nd December 2009 Dirty Janes Emporium opened its doors for trading. In her spare time Jane is a working mum with a brood of three gorgeous kids, and a very supportive husband.

Who is Grouch?

Athol Salter has spent the last 40 years dealing in fine arts, antiques, and decorator pieces. He began importing antiques from the UK in 1975, and was a regular at Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions in South Kensington. Athol and his wife, Margrett have run several successful antique businesses during this time, including Antiques Hall in the ACT, numerous stalls in Sydney antique markets and from 1990 The Shed in Mittagong which was a decorator’s haven and became well known for stocking the unusual rather than the usual – a mantra Crowley and Grouch have taken to their new venture Dirty Janes Emporium in Bowral.

 After 50 years in retail businesses Athol is still giving much younger team members a run for their money and has vowed never to retire. Talking to customers is one of his great pleasures each day and sitting down with his family for the evening meal an even greater pleasure at night. 

And he is not really that grouchy, we just liked the name!