We went to meet the couple who have made it their life's work to spot a bargain, and found out how the Internet has helped the second-hand market buck the economic downturn.

It's perhaps a sign of the times that what was once a church is now a pilgrimage site for bargain hunters from across North East England.

In business since 1981, Boldon Auction Galleries, in Front Street, East Boldon, is the sort of place that sells everything from fridges to fur coats, porcelain to portraits – and for those with an eye for a bargain it's a veritable Aladdin's cave of possibilities.

Owned and run by husband and wife team, and business partners of five years, Giles and Caroline Hodges, the firm is perhaps now the best-known trader of both household and antique goods in South Tyneside.

Just walk around the lofty premises for a few minutes and you get an idea of the almost schizophrenic character of the place.

While the main hall and side store room groan under the weight of old furniture, records and bicycles for the fortnightly general household and Victorian sale, the raised pulpit and back rooms display more select antique items, fine art and memorabilia, which go under the hammer four times a year at their own auction.

There is something here for all tastes and all budgets, and business is booming!

Tellingly, while the rest of the economy has begun to go into meltdown, places such as the galleries seem to be bucking the trend and prospering.

This is due to two factors; consumers buying second-hand household goods rather than new ones, and families having to sell their valuable possessions to survive the credit crunch.

The former was confirmed by a recent poll of 3,000 people by gold-buying company www.mygoldmine.co.uk, which revealed one fifth of those asked had resorted to getting rid of family heirlooms to earn money.

Caroline, 37, originally from Wath in Yorkshire, who came to Boldon after working at auction house Sotheby's in London, agrees the credit crunch has helped business.

"For general auctions we have about 700 people registered to buy – that's 20 per cent up on last year," she said.

"Stuff comes from house clearances, or people bringing in stuff to the shop.

"This off-the-street trade has increased by 40 per cent in the last year."

Worcestershire-born Giles, 40, who met his future wife when they were both studying fine arts and chattels valuation at Southampton College, agreed that while the recession has certainly helped, their biggest boon has come from the rise of online trading.

He said: "It has changed in the last five years. The Internet is now a massive trade. It's faster now and we have search engines available for collectors."

"We will package and post stuff to any place you can think of ... we packed a cockatoo off to south west Australia in March!"

This embracing of all things second-hand is perhaps best symbolised by the ascent of Internet auction site e-bay, which has morphed from a small online trading site into one of the biggest blue chip companies on the American Nasdaq stock market listings.

Never has the maxim that one person's trash is another person's treasure become so true or profitable, as Caroline explained.

"I'm always surprised by what people like. A 7ft model of Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars was one of the weirdest ones we sold.

"Whatever people bring in, we will try and sell – from the mundane to the wonderful. We have a wide, eclectic range of items on sale."

Another zeitgeist way of thinking the couple have been eager to embrace has been that of how 'green' their business is.

"You can buy furniture at an auction at a fraction of the normal price," Giles said.

"The antiques business as a whole is green, as most of the stuff is recycled and has no carbon footprint.

"You can come to an auction and stop it going to a tip. If that's not common sense, I don't know what is."

Now there's something you never thought you'd hear – buying a second-hand sofa will help save the world!

Such altruistic thoughts, however, will be probably be a distant second place when the Galleries hosts an auction for Flog It! on Wednesday.

On this day, collectors who brought in things to a valuation day for the show at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on May 6, will sell their goods to the highest bidder.

Giles, who acted as valuer on the first show and who will be auctioneer next Friday, said: "It should be a good one. There will be between 150 and 200 people.

"You can also bid live in real time and hear my dulcet tones in Argentina, the south Atlantic ... anywhere you like."

"Being auctioneer is a buzz and a half. It's the best part of the job."

One of the most interesting items coming up for sale is an early form of passport from June 18, 1641, signed by Charles I, offering safe passage to a Captain Bradshagh and his family.

Caroline said: "It's so unusual because of the date.

"We do have a note recorded by the passport office that it's the earliest in existence. However, we are waiting for verification of that."

Though it has a valuation of £2,000, there is always a possibility it could go much higher.

However, as Caroline explained, it's not the thought of potential riches which keeps them so absorbed by their business.

"The beauty of the job is you never know what will come through the door.

"It's often not even about the value. They are all such interesting items of history, with a story to tell."

To log on to the live Flog It! auction, go to www.the-saleroom.com