For a year while the public could not set foot in the shops there has still been a hive of buying and selling away from the high street.
And historic Norfolk auction house Keys Auctioneers has seen demand spike like never before, with items selling at as much as 10 times their initial valuation.
Not only this, the Aylsham-based business is competing with London auction houses to reach customers as distant as the Far East.
This is all despite being out of the auction room - with none of the usual hustle and bustle of bidders and banging gavels.
Tim Blyth, managing director at Keys, and the team have been investing in online auction facilities for the past two and a half years - and the gamble paid off.
"Digital is spreading and changing the industry. As same as any other industry what Covid has done is condense about 15 years worth of growth into three or four months. Fortunately, we were well on the way prior to Covid so we were able to get back up and running after the initial closure within about a month," he said.
Where before the pandemic the team had around 40 online bidders, they now see up to 600 at every auction.
But the investment goes beyond the financial: "It's restructuring the business as well, the way we do things. This has included extending out to things like offering in-house fulfillment, delivery, that sort of thing.
"The Amazon generation expect to see everything, they want to click online, they want it delivered to their doorstep."
Such moves have entailed adding contactless drop-off points on site and increasing delivery bays.
Selling high-ticket items to a discerning audience has also meant investing in photography and online as well as valuations being carried out over FaceTime, WhatsApp and Zoom.
But even with expert valuations demand is so high that items are selling for up to four times their estimations.
"Some of them that they're just going absolutely wild and there is a huge, huge market at the moment. For people thinking about selling I would say now is a very good time.
"But everything is selling - ceramics, jewellery, pictures, furniture, any items with Oriental ties are extremely popular at the moment.
"And it's not just one time period either. Antiques don't have to be Victorian or Edwardian anymore, that classic 50s and 60s British design like Ercol and G Plan Furniture is in demand again. Frankly, you had to pay somebody to take away in the in the 80s it's now it's now making big money. So it's it's kind of cyclical."
A lot of the spend has also been prompted by the fact that people are spending more time at home: "So patio sights, tables, chairs, statues, that kind of thing.
"You wouldn't necessarily think people would buy antiques and then leave them outside but antique tables and chairs, Edwardian steamer chairs, even stone benches, made out of quality teak or stone are all made to be outside and we've definitely seen an increase in demand for those. "
But despite the successes of the past 12 months the team is still keen to get back to physical auctions.
Mr Blyth said: "We can't wait.A lot of the atmosphere comes from having people in the room.
"However we are being very, very cautious as from talking to the buyers we're aware that they're still cautious about coming into that environment.
"So bearing that in mind we're going to be opening up perhaps a little bit slower and more cautiously. We might begin with viewing in person and then be able to work up to everyone in the room.
"People have become more comfortable with buying online and in time more used to the fact there may still be restrictions in place. It will be different but in time it will just be nice to have that human interaction again."
- Spotlight on: Keys' rarest sales
1. A small Chinese porcelain bottle vase with decoration of dragons and a rat, sold for £8,200 (estimate £100-£150)
2. ‘Small yellow boat’ by James Dodds (born 1957) sold for £15,200 (estimate of £2.000-£3,000)
3. A 17th century walnut chest with fold-top sold for £3,200 (estimate of £500-£600)
4. A first de-luxe edition of J.R.R.Tolkein’s ‘The Hobbit’, dating from 1976, sold for £260 (estimate £50-£75)
5. A 66cm high white painted plaster bust of Vice Admiral Nelson after the original by John Flaxman sold for £3,300 (estimate of £400-£600)
6. A late Victorian diamond crescent brooch, featuring a principal stone of approx. 0.65ct, and with diamonds totalling 4.5ct, by Garrard & Co Ltd of London, sold for £4,200 (estimate £2,000-£2,500)
7. A Rolex Daytona Oyster Perpetual Superlative Chronometer in gold and stainless steel sold for £7,700 (estimate £7,000-£8,000)
8. An oil painting by M.Gruber, ‘Venetian Scene’, sold for £780 (estimate £80-£100)
9. ‘Dersingham Heath’ by Frank Southgate (1872-1916) sold for £2,250 (estimate £300-£400)
10. A Chinese bronze gold or gilt splashed censer with Chilong handles, dating from the 18th/19th century, sold for £7,100 (estimate £3,000-£5,000)
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