David Binder in his shop

THE owner of an antique shop is “optimistic” that the ghost of John Lennon will appear one day among his vintage wares.

D&A Binder in Holloway Road has enjoyed more than 40 years of success, having arrived in the area in 1980.

But the shop, run by David Binder and his son Josh, has a unique story.

According to Mr Binder, during the 1960s the shop was a black cultural centre run by black revolutionary and civil rights activist Michael X.

He explained that it was “funded by John Lennon, among other pop stars – and we’ve got a picture of him standing up on this roof, he’s standing with Yoko Ono, and Michael X”.

The photo is displayed proudly next to Mr Binder’s desk. He said: “The story is that John Lennon gave Michael X his hair that he had cut off in Amsterdam – during the famous ‘bed-in’ protest – and Michael X gave him a pair of Muhammad Ali’s boxing shorts in exchange. This photo captures that exact moment.”

The picture shows Michael X holding a bag of John Lennon’s hair.

Mr Binder described John Lennon as one of his “heroes”, and is hopeful that “he’s gonna come back one day and I’ll see the ghost of John Lennon walking around” adding: “Hasn’t happened yet, but we’re optimistic!”

David Binder’s photograph of Michael X, Yoko Ono and John Lennon

Mr Binder has watched the transformation of Holloway Road since 1980, which he describes as being “much more upmarket now”.

His curated selection of luxury antiques has kept customers coming back for years.

Mr Binder sells everything from menswear to handcrafted wooden furniture, though he began his career as a secondhand furniture dealer. Unusually, the shop had a particular focus on shop fittings, which means her makes and installs furniture for stores and homes.

Josh joined the business 25 years ago. Both are passionate about environmental sustainability and top-quality crafting

“We recycle a lot of old furniture which is good because it saves it from being dumped. It’s nice because it helps the environment and it’s better wood, actually much better than what you get new,” Mr Binder said.

Everything is sourced and made in the UK, which also helps to lower the carbon footprint.

Mr Binder also has more unusual ways of making ends meet. Referring to some of their handcrafted cabinets, Mr Binder explained: “They’re going out on rental to film sets, we do a lot of rentals, which is nice. I like rentals, they’re my favourite thing because you get it back,” he said.

Having sourced antiques for years, Mr Binder has witnessed the ways in which the industry has changed over time.

“Twenty years ago there was a jeweller and a drapery shop on every high street, so when they closed down, we would get to go and see what they’ve got,” he said.

Antiques are also in higher demand today, Mr Binder said.

“We’ve got a lot more competition now than we had 20 years ago – we’ve still got it though,” he said.

“I think we’re the leading people in antique shop fittings.”