Santa-tastic Saturday!

Roll up! Roll up! The Dawlish Christmas Antiques and Vintage Fair is this Saturday December 14th and we're very excited!

There'll be plenty of Christmas shopping bargains plus those extra special one off gifts that you just can't get on the high street, The cafe will be serving up mince pies and their usual range of goodies, there'll be Christmas songs and all in all plenty of Christmas cheer! So we'll see you at the Strand Centre on Saturday, we'll be open from 10am - 3pm as usual!

Make it a vintage Christmas!

Old's Cool Traders' Christmas tree's up and the deccies have been brought out so the festive countdown's officially begun! And this year we're celebrating along the way with our Christmas Antiques and Vintage Fair on Saturday 14th December.

The fair starts at 10am so bring your Christmas shopping list with you and snap up something truly unique and special for your loved ones! 

The cafe will be selling mince pies, we'll be spinning some Christmas songs and we may even be sporting a Christmas jumper or two. 

See you there!

Date Expectations!

The waiting's over! We're delighted to announce that the dates for the 2020 Dawlish Antiques and Vintage fairs have just been confirmed. 

They are as follows:

March 14^th 

April 11^th 

May 30^th 

July 18^th 

September 5^th 

November 7^th

Please pop them in your diary or stick them on your Peaky Blinders/Game of Thrones/cat/dog/fine art (delete as relevant!) Calendar.

Don't forget our last fair of 2019 on Saturday 14th December! It's going to be very Christmassy!

Retro-mendous News!

Very exciting news!  

We've always loved Hello Retro in Teignmouth, especially as every time we visit there are loads of cool and quirky 1960s and 1970s retro items for sale. We've picked up some amazing things there including a  'very groovy baby' Tootal tiger print necktie! 

Well, the last time we visited Nicola, the shop's lovely owner, asked if we'd like to put some of our fab clothes in the shop. Of course, being Hello Retro fans we jumped at the chance and over the last few days we've been collating some clothes which we think will fit right in and they'll be in Hello Retro from this Friday (November 29th), so don't miss out! 

Be there or be square!

Remember remember the 14th of December!

Why? Because that's the new date (it was November 30th...but Santa had already booked The Strand Centre for a crafty up) for the next Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair. It's closer to our favourite festive time so we're going to make it  extra Christmassy!

The Strand Centre will be decked out with a Christmas trees and all the trimmings, the stall holders will be wearing their favourite Christmas jumpers (that's news to them but hopefully they'll join in), there'll be mince pies for sale from the cafe and best of all lots of bargains to buy for all your Christmas pressies. Bring a sack and fill your boots! 

We can't wait!

Bags of bargains!

Saturday saw us hitting Totnes and Teignmouth. 

Another early start but well worth it as it gave us more picking time. Totnes first and we always enjoy having a rummage through the market, this time (amongst other things) we picked up a stash of 1930s paper bags (we're always after something a little different)!  

Then it was off to Teignmouth where we had a good look round the charity shops and visited our favourite antiques, vintage and retro shops too. Something for everyone and always a bargain to be found.

Of course a stop-off at The Jolie Brise (Spooneys of course!) was also included. It's thirsty work hunting for lovely vintage and antique items!

All You Need Is Glove!

Once upon a time Northampton was renowned for making leather shoes, Honiton was the place to be for lace making and Martock in Somerset was famous for turning out the finest leather gloves on planet earth (the area used to house an incredible 38 glove manufacturers!). Unfortunately as demand grew for fast fashion cheap poorly made clothes from overseas flooded the market and many long established British firms were sadly lost forever. 

Photo courtesy of The Martock Local History website

Given that we're always on the lookout for vintage 'deadstock', those items which never made it to the market all those years ago, and we couldn't believe our eyes when we came across some vintage leather and suede gloves manufactured by Burfield's, Glove Manufacturers of Martock. 

The gloves still have their original tag from the factory in pounds, shillings and pence and they're in immaculate condition.  As the the sign above the factory door used to say “This is where gloves of quality and superlative design are manufactured by Burfields and the Martock Glove Co.”

Photo courtesy of  The Martock Local History Group website

Burfield & Co, which was liquidated in 2017 and is now sadly closed, was a family owned business that supplied Dents and other high end gloves companies.The factory was recently featured on Salvage Hunters when Drew Pritchard purchased some of the glove making equipment. 

We don't have the equipment but we do have some of the gloves up for sale for just £20 each, which is a ruddy bargain considering how much new leather gloves cost coupled with the fact that...well...once they're gone you'll never sadly never be able to buy new Martock gloves ever again. For more details please contact us...we'd glove to hear from you. 

P.S. You can find out more information from the fascinating Martock Local History website right here!

Who Flares Wins!

Love it or hate it...70's fashion was so iconic!  

Flares, bell bottoms, maxi dresses, amazing fabrics which sound like something from a sci-fi movie (bri-nylon or terylene..anyone?), big hair..big heels...and even big pants...it's no wonder we have to buy it when we see it.

All of these fantastically groovy items are for sale right now so get in touch before they've all gone!

Ready..Deady..Go!

Every weekend we trawl the vintage markets, flea markets, antiques fairs and charity shops to find vintage treasure.  It's not an easy task as we have to look through a great deal of cheap fast fashion items to find the real gems.

Over the last few months however we've unearthed some super cool deadstock, items which have never been sold or used.  When some of the things you find date back to the 1960s and 1970s it's a miracle!

We recently came across a great stash of men's 1970s shirts, nearly 50 years old and still in their original wrapper, leather gloves which we reckon are 30 - 40 years old and have never been sold (as they still have their original sales tags and have come straight from the glove factory) and even ladies' pants in a variety of colours and with groovy packaging.   

All of these 'dead' cool items are for sale right now so contact us for more details!

No-vember! Yes-cember!

Exciting news! Due to unforeseen circumstances our fair on November 30th can't take place so we're holding one on Saturday December 14 instead. That's right....Saturday December 14th! Save the date and pop in your calendar now.

Being closer to the festive period we're going to make it soooooo Christmassy! Perfect timing for all your last minute Christmas shopping.  We'll have a Christmas tree, Christmassy songs and mince pies for sale too. 

See you there!

Make a date for December

On Saturday it was October's turn for the Antiques and Vintage fair. We got up bright and early (albeit in the dark this time) and staggered over to the Strand Centre to set up the room. Some of out lovely stallholders arrived almost as early as we did and before we know it it was 10am and the fair was open.

This time we had more stallholders than ever before, including a couple of newcomers, which was very exciting to see.  

We had a good day and were delighted that we got to sell some beautiful vintage dresses, Harris Tweed, waistcoats and jewellery.  There was such a buzz in the Strand Centre and everyone looked like they were having a great time. In fact we can't wait for our next fair! Talking of which, the date's changed. 

Unfortunately due to a double booking, our next (and last fair of 2019) is NO LONGER on 30th November. The NEW DATE is Saturday 14th December. Although we're a little disappointed about having to change the date, the new one's closer to Christmas so we're going to go all out and make it the best and most Christmassy antiques fair ever! 

See you there.

Shop-tober!

October's fair is tomorrow...how did that happen? How exciting! We're really looking forward to it. 

Preparations for our stall have gone really well and we'll have a wide selection of quality items for sale, something for everyone in fact! Lots of our regular stallholders will be there of course and we're delighted to be welcoming several new ones too, in fact this fair's set to be our biggest and best so far.

See you at the Strand Centre in Dawlish tomorrow! The fair opens at 10am and we'll be trading until 3pm.

We've got autumn and winter wrapped up!

Vintage faux fur jackets, pretty ladies 1970s dresses, dapper waistcoats and classic Harris Tweed have all been put on the clothes rail for this coming Saturday's fair.

Add to that some beautiful vintage kelly bags and sparkly evening bags and you've all got the ingredients you need for your perfect vintage autumn/winter wardrobe! 

We aim to please so pop along to the fair this coming Saturday at the Strand Centre and fingers crossed you won't be disappointed. 

The fair opens at 10am and we'll be trading until 3pm.  

Top Of The Shops!

We're re-re-remixing what we normally do on a Saturday tomorrow. Instead of our typical early rise and shine to visit an Antiques fair or far flung part of Devon, tomorrow morning we'll be preparing for our next fair on Saturday 19 October and then popping to Teignmouth.

Teignmouth's a local shopper's paradise. Whether you're visiting Sound Preservation Society Records on Fore Street for your vinyl fix, popping across the road to Hello Retro for some kitsch and cool 60s and 70s gear, Bella's Emporium on Regent Street to buy something beautiful for your home, Time Flies for a stunning clock or Seeking Vintage for anything from a beautiful brooch to a cast iron fireplace...these are just a few reasons why Teignmouth's Top of the Shops!

We'll hopefully be popping into all of them tomorrow, possibly with a visit to our favourite Teignmouth pub, The Blue Anchor, for a pint of cider (or two!) along the way! 

In-cider trading

Ready for Saturday's picking!

Newton Abbot Antiques Fair and Powderham Food Festival in one weekend...thank you South Devon for spoiling us! 

The fair on Saturday was great fun and we picked some real treasure for our next fair on Saturday 19 October.  Our trip round Newton Abbot was really fruitful too, as 2 Harris Tweed jackets and a tailored dinner suit from 1972 proved, and speaking of fruitful we enjoyed a stop off at Ye Olde Cider Bar for a cheeky pint too. Ye Olde Cider Bar is well worth a visit especially as it hasn't changed in the 1700s, we always feel very comfortable in there (but we're not quite that old)! 

At home in Ye Olde Cider Bar

After that Phoenix Sound were holding a in-store gig with Wildwood Kin playing as well. Folk-ing fantastic!

Wildwood Kin in Phoenix Sound

On Sunday, the sun came out, just in time for the Food Festival at Powderham Castle.  We weren't sure of the layout and as we arrived there later than expected we spent most of our time in the BBQ area (with another cheeky cider or two). The highlight was of course the Chilli Eating competition especially as one of the Old's Cool Traders entered and got through to the 5th round. Not bad going when there were only 8 rounds in the competition this time. Not sure if his tummy will agree though!

With the pickings we bought on Saturday there's going to be even more goodies on our stall at the next fair. Come down to the Strand Centre on 19th October to have a look but get there early to avoid disappointment!

Feel the burn!

Abbot-solutely fabulous!

Bag of vintage bargains from Newton Abbot Antiques Fair

We've come to the conclusion that antiques fairs are like buses!  Feast or famine!  We had the Exeter Matford Antiques Fair last Saturday and tomorrow it's Newton Abbott racecourse's turn.  

We've always enjoyed their antiques fair especially as it's free entry.  Free entry always makes you feel like you've started off on the right foot even if you don't find exactly what you're looking for or you come home with less than you anticipated buying.

We'll be there bright and early, looking for all the bargains and fingers tightly crossed the weather will behave itself so our favourite outside stalls will be there.

Fair today, gone tomorrow

Waiting for the Exeter train!

On Saturday the Old's Cool Traders team took a trip to the Exeter Matford Antiques Fair, the first one we'd made it to since July (where does the time go eh?). 

After an early start and mad dash across the car park at Exeter St Thomas we got to the fair in time to warrant paying the earlier entry price of £5 per person and our first stop was our favourite bric a brac stall where we picked up an eclectic range of items from a cup and saucer dating back to the 1800s to a suede belt from the 1960s and a very pretty trinket box. 

Considering how much it rained on Saturday afternoon we were lucky that it was dry in the morning and we were able to rummage through the stalls outside too, making some more great pickings including a moustache cup and a 1950s tie press. You can never have enough ties! We were at the fair for about 3 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. You never know what you're going to find and were delighted when we came across some French vintage hats dating back to the stylish 1930s. People certainly knew how to dress then!

We do love Venton's Apple Vice Cider

After the fair we ventured into Exeter via the obligatory drop-off at Spoons, The Chevalier this time, for a cheeky pint (and a bit) of delicious Venton Cider's Apple Vice. 

For the rest of the afternoon we dodged the rain in and out of the shops which considering how much we were carrying and how heavy it was raining it wasn't easy! We bought a beautiful vintage brown leather jacket from Brazil though, which looking at the collar dates from the 1970s. Like most of the items we picked on Saturday we don't think it'll hang around for long!

One of our favourite finds on Saturday!

We're Livestocking up!

Exeter Matford Antiques and Collectors Fair
Photo courtesy of Antiques Atlas

The last Exeter Matford Antiques and Collectors Fair which we were able to get to seems so long ago! 

Thank goodness then that it's on again this Saturday. It'll be an early start tomorrow to get on the train to Exeter St Thomas before a mad dash across the car park to catch the bus to the Livestock Centre where the fair's held. It's a little more expensive (£5 pp) to get in earlier but if you time it right it's well worth it.

We're praying that the weather's kind to us tomorrow because we've always liked the stalls outside. We're on the look out tomorrow for a mannequin so fingers crossed we find one!

You can find out more about the fairs right here, they're always worth a visit!

How true!
Image taken from the Exeter Matford Antiques & Collectors Fair Facebook page

Best-tember!

Our stall at the September Antiques and Vintage Fair

How can it be that September's fair has been and gone! Where's the year going? We had such a great one though. 

We got up early and over to the Strand Centre to set up for the day. Fortunately there wasn't as much to do as normal as most of the tables were already out. Result! Before we knew it the stallholders started to arrive and it was time to get our table already. This time we brought along some more unusual items too, including a scrimshaw, a signed David Sheppard print and some militaria.

Stephanie looking fab in her new vintage jacket

One of our regulars, Stephanie, was our first customer of the day. It's always lovely to catch up with her and her Mum especially as they've always supported the fair. Stephanie loves Paris and picked up two very pretty vintage Parisian bracelets and, as the weather has suddenly become very autumnal, decided to treat herself to a lovely 1980s jacket in autumn colours together with a matching green handbag. 

During the day we sold all sort of things including a very snazzy waistcoat, some 1920s style earrings, marcasite brooches, Star Wars memorabilia, a Peaky Blinders cap and the previously mentioned scrimshaw and David Sheppard signed print (which sold right at the very end of the fair just as we were packing up!).

We had one of the best fairs ever and we can't wait for the next one in October. See you at the Strand Centre on the 19th when we'll have lots more goodies for sale!

Let's All Go Down The Strand!

Very friendly stallholders - come and say Hello!

It's the next Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair at The Strand Centre on Saturday!  How exciting!

Why not come along and say 'Hello'?  You'll find plenty of vintage and antique bargains, get to meet our very friendly stallholders and you can even enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake from the café too!

We'll see you there!

Three of a kind!

Vintage shopping...here we go!

With Friday off work (due to one of the Old's Cool Trader's birthday) the weekend turned into one of our favourite kinds, a 3 day shopping extravaganza across a vast part of south Devon! Even the weather was lovely!

Friday saw us visiting Totnes Fashion and Textiles Museum. The day didn't go exactly to plan, probably as it was Friday 13th, and the train we needed to get to Totnes was cancelled. We decided to stay longer in Newton Abbot and after picking a beautiful 1930's style Gil Fox hat and a very cool Roxy Music song book we eventually caught the train (which was also late!) to Totnes. 

Totnes Fashion Museum 

We love Totnes, it's like going to Glastonbury, but in a town. Full of boho quirky vintage shops with a great market on a Friday there's always plenty to see and do. It's well worth a visit to the fashion museum alone. Run by volunteers the museum has over 40,000 pieces in their collection, some dating back to the 16th century, this year's exhibition though compact in size included some astonishingly glorious dresses, shoes and hats from the 1920s. You felt like you were in a film set for The Great Gatsby. The guide was so enthusiastic we could easily have spent all day in there too.

Saturday saw us venture off to Exmouth, one of our favourite picking spots. We got there early and enjoyed a breakfast wrap in Spoons before getting our shopping heads on. We seemed to buy everything vintage - vintage handbags (one with connections to royalty), long vintage gloves, vintage purses, a Burton's 1960s overcoat, an 80s dress Debbie Harry would have worn, vintage bolero jackets etc etc. We'd timed it well to have a spot of lunch with the parents too which was lovely way to end a lovely day in the sun.

We love fashion books

On Sunday it was over to the Exeter Flea Market where they close the whole of  Fore Street. We hadn't done so well at the June market but this time round we filled our boots. Fashion books for a £1 each...Chanel, Dior, Vogue...we were in fashion book hog heaven, vintage accessories, vinyl, CDs...we bought and bought and bought. No wonder we were exhausted on Sunday evening.

The next Antiques and Vintage fair is on this Saturday, 21st September, at Dawlish's Strand Centre.  Please pop along and say Hello.  We'll have some lovely vintage items which we've collected over the last few weekends for sale.

This Saturday...don't miss it!