Spring Forward Saturday!

 Really excited about seeing The Liberty Sisters perform at Topsham's Spring Forward Saturday event tomorrow. 

 

They're always great fun to watch and we can't wait to see the Lindy Hopper Dancers dance along too.

You can see them at The Chapel Platt between 12.30pm - 3pm. Doo wop! Doo wop!

 

 

Our ABC Guide to Antiques Hunting!

Outside Barnstaple Antiques and Collectables Centre

The ABC guide to Antiques Hunting according to the Old's Cool Traders team!

 

A is for keep Active! 

 

As last Saturday showed the key to finding antique and vintage items is to keep active. 

 

It was an early start and we were on the train to Barnstaple at 7.30am. It took us over 2 hours to get there but it was worth it. We picked up some 1950s sewing magazines, music scores from the 1920s, a bakelite rug cutter (every home should have one!) and some very pretty costume jewellery.

 

It was then on to Crediton and one of our favourite charity shops, Refurnish. Two floors full of treasure. We could spend hours in there!

 

After a good old hunt around Crediton we got the train back to Exeter St David's just in time to catch the connecting train to Dawlish ready to settle down for a well deserved rum and coke and the Craig Charles Funk and Soul show. Awooga awooga funktastic!

 

Vintage envy at Donne Flower Vintage

B is for Be Bold - make a statement!

 

When we were in Barnstaple we made our first visit to Donna Flower Vintage. OMG! Serious vintage jaw dropping envy.  We didn't know where to look first. So many beautiful items, dresses, jewellery, handbags and so much attention to detail. The shop reiterates what we've learnt about antiques and vintage, they don't have to be boring! It's always important to buy what you like, have a wide variety of quality items, display them in an interesting and eye catching way and have a real passion for them.

 

Much needed cider!

 

C is for Cider!

 

When you're on your feet from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening it's vitally important that during the day you keep hydrated so make sure you stop off for that much needed pint of cider. Proper cider mind you, none of that fizzy crap.

 

Sadly a lot of pubs don’t stock anything like real cider these days but Spoonys generally have a box of something suitable in the fridge (try The General, Hogfather, Old Rosie, Cheddar Valley or Black Dragon is you get a chance).

 

Not only does this replenish your fluids but it’s also one of your 5 a day! Honest!!

Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair March 2019 Photos!

It's been a very busy week for Old's Cool Traders!  Non-stop in fact, so apologies for not posting some of the photos from last Saturday's antiques fair.

 

We can't wait for April's fair on Saturday 20th. As well as our lovely regular stall holders we've got four new traders already signed up, so please help to spread the word. 

It's tomorrow!

After months of planning, organising and running around like headless chickens, the first Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair of 2019 is upon us tomorrow.

Excited (yes!), apprehensive (yes!) and nervous (yes!) but we can't wait for the fair to begin.  Let's just hope we sleep well tonight!

 

See you at the Strand Centre tomorrow from 10am, we can't wait to say 'Hello'.

Looking four-ward to it!

With 4 days to go until the first Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair of 2019 we've got 4 great reasons why you should get yourself along to the Strand Centre.

Reason 1: A great range of antiques and vintage items for sale. Whether you're into Georgian brass candlesticks, Edwardian perfume bottles, 1950s ceramics or a lover of all things vintage you'll be spoiled for choice!

Reason 2: It's free entry! The fair starts at 10am and finishes at 3pm so you can come pop in for free at any time and browse away before buying.  

Reason 3: The Strand Centre cafe will be open. Enjoy a good cuppa and a delicious slice of cake and have a good look around the fair. What a great way to spend your Saturday.
 

Reason 4: Old's Cool Traders will be there. We can't wait to show you everything we've got for sale. You won't be disappointed

Non-stop Saturday!

Waiting for the train in the glorious sunshine

Saturday was non-stop!  2 fairs in 1 day!  The antiques fair in Newton Abbott and the record fair at Exeter Corn Exchange!  Go! Go! Go! 

 

The view of beautiful Dawlish beach from the platform

On top of this we distributed some more of our Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair (don't forget the first one's on Saturday March 16th!) flyers and posters too.



With Chris Billing, one of the lovely Dawlish fair stall holders 

 We'd like to say a very big thank you to Andrea who runs Decades of Antiques in Newton Abbot and Nicola who owns Hello Retro in Teignmouth for taking some. Both are really well worth a visit too!



That much needed pint!

Speaking of visits a well deserved break at Exeter's George's Meeting House Spooneys was, of course, included in the day! If Wetherspoons would ever like to sponsor us we'd be very happy to hear from them!

Glamourous pin-ups!

 

Hee! Hee!....We know that title would get your attention!

We've been out and about distributing the flyers and posters promoting the Dawlish Antiques and Vintage fairs so we're pretty sure you'll stumble across one on your travels.

The fairs start again in just over a fortnight's time (yikes... how exciting!) so please mark 16 March 2019 on your calendar, smartphone, tablet, diary, hand (you won't be able to wash it mind...lol!) and we'll see you at the Strand Centre in Dawlish. We open an hour earlier this year at 10am, even more bargain hunting time!

Here comes the sun!

On Dawlish train station platform

Saturday morning was glorious and just perfect weather to visit the Antiques and Vintage Fair at Marsh Barton.  Via the train and the bus (we pegged it across the car park in front of Matalan!) we took to get there, we arrived in time to warrant paying the extra £1 per person entry fee to get in. 

 

2 Dawlish Antiques and Vintage fairs coming soon!

The fair's recently been taken over by Cooper Events (they also run the Giant Shepton Flea Market) and it's great to see how they've transformed the fair. It never disappoints! We'd never seen the outside area so full of traders, some had travelled from as far as Cornwall, Worcester, Wales and Somerset.    

 

 

 We had a good look andbought some wonderful vintage items.  Our favourites had to be the 1950s/1960s vintage fashion magazines all the way from France, stunning 1930s Bakelite buckle and gorgeous vintage handbag.  The gold plated earrings we picked up still had their original 3/6 price tag on them!

 

We also saw Carolyn, one of the organisers of the Langstone Cliff Hotel Antiques fair (Dawlish Warren) on Sunday 12 May.  We'll be having a stall, so please pop down! 
 

Then it was back on the bus to Exeter St Thomas and to Spooneys for a much needed respite pint!  We also picked up a very pretty pink and grey Glen Cree Mohair scarf and a men's wallet which doesn't look as if it's ever been used.  We love it because it harks back to pre-decimalisation as it includes a section for your farthings! 

 

All in all Saturday was a very good day in the sun!

Respite pint at Spooneys!

 

P.S. All these items and many other gorgeous items will be for sale on the Old's Cool Traders stall at the Dawlish Antiques and Vintage Fair on 16 March 2019, see you there!

 

 

 

 



 



Why buy antique or vintage...an (irreverent) mini-guide

Talk to some antique dealers these days (especially the ones who are practically antiques themselves) and some of them will bemoan the state of the market before waxing lyrical about the days when a Georgian Tea Caddy made £200-£300 rather than the £30-£40 that you can sometimes pick them up for.

But whilst it’s pretty clear that prices for ‘traditional’ antiques have tumbled in recent years there are signs that younger generations are rejecting the world of buy today fall to pieces tomorrow flat pack MDF and discovering the joys of owning something that’s already been around for a couple of hundred years and will probably still be here in another couple of hundred. Hmmm, wonder if Brexit will be sorted by then?

 

So why buy an antique or vintage piece? Good question. Here’s our top 7 (we couldn’t think of 10 but you’re welcome to make some suggestions of your own) reasons:

 

(1)  Value for money – There’s simply never been a better time to buy genuine antiques. Ask a furniture maker to knock up a lovely mahogany table for you and you’ll probably (and quite rightly) get a bill for several thousand pounds. Buy a Victorian or Georgian example and you might even get change from a hundred quid.

(2)  Patina – Or dirt as some people might call it, but there’s something beautiful about the colour a piece of wood takes on after it’s been used and polished hundreds and hundreds of times over the years. Yes...really.

(3)  Investment – You can buy a lovely pair of solid brass Victorian candlesticks for £3 these days. We know you can because we’ve done it. And how much should be worth? £20...£30...£40? Stick a pair of brass candlesticks on your dining table, bung some candles in, dim the lights and boom...you’ll feel like royalty...or at the very least someone from Love Island. Even if you are eating a Fray Bentos pie and chips.

 

(4)  Quality – Things don’t last 100 years+ if they’re poorly made. Back in the dim and distant past people took a real pride in what they did whereas now it’s often about cutting costs and corners. It used to take years to learn certain crafts and sadly some of the skills that our great great grandparents had have simply died with them. 

 

(5)  Uniqueness – Ever been into someone’s house and recognised half the items in it from your place? Or been to a party and bumped into at least three people with the same dress on? I have. And I’m a chap. Buy an antique or vintage piece and you’ll stand out from the crowd.

(6)  FUN! – Okay, so we know it’s easier to sit at home in your pants and order something from...we can’t bring ourselves to type the word...you know...one of those big blue shed places that sell cardboard chairs called Schmicklesnackelschmergan or some such nonsense...but getting out and about and visiting antique fairs (hint hint), centres, shops or auction houses and hunting something special down is far more fun.

 

 

(7)  Save the planet – Making pretty much anything damages the environment in some way so by buying an antique or vintage item you...yes you...will be saving the world. Hurrah! And you don’t even need to wear your pants outside your trousers.   

 

So next time you need/want to buy something or have a few quid burning a hole in your pocket think antique or vintage and we pretty much guarantee you’ll be at least 52% happier with life.

Rug-ovely day out!

 

Waiting for the train to take us to Topsham and Exmouth

Although it started cold and grey on Saturday morning and stayed like that for most of the day it didn't stop Old's Cool Traders on their picking spree.  Fortunately GWR behaved itself all day (thank goodness after last Saturday's fiasco) and the worst we had to endure on our day trip to Topsham and Exmouth was a 10 minute wait. 

Into Topsham first and we had a good look at the shops along the High Street and then a visit to Topsham Antique Centre.  We found out along the way that one of our favourite picking spots, Devon Air Ambulance's vintage shop, had been closed due to flooded drains and burst sewage pipes. Yuck!  All of their stock had been destroyed too, devastating news.  Fortunately the  kind people from the surrounding area and further afield have been very generous with their donations and the shop is due to open again in March.  We can't wait!  We've always bought items from there and it's a great shop for inspiration and vintage ideas.

 

Well deserved pint stop at Exmouth's Powder Monkey

We had a really good look around the Topsham Antiques Centre, we could spend hours in there!  There seemed to be loads of new dealers there which is always good to see as the stock changes more often.

 

With Kirk at the Exmouth Antiques and Collectibles Centre

We bought two really pretty brooches, one in the shape of a butterfly which has some real age to it and a sweet heart brooch, a perfect pressie for your loved ones.  The centre agreed to us leaving some flyers for our forthcoming fairs so please pick one up when you go there.

 

Pretty heart and butterfly brooches 

It was then off to Exmouth which has such a great range of charity shops that we never come away disappointed.  We found plenty of very cool vintage things that we'll be selling at our fairs including some gorgeous handbags which we'll be adding to the collection!

 

 

Red beaded handbag (top), Welsh tapestry glasses case (left)
and 1960s tapestry bag and matching compact (right)

The Powder Monkey has to be one of the best Spooneys in Devon for their ciders.  It's thirsty work picking items for sale so we had a relaxing pint or two) whilst we caught our breaths.

Fluffi by Marida Made in England mink coloured hat

The last stop of the day was the Exmouth Antiques and Collectables Centre (5 High Street).  Kirk Axsom does a brilliant job running the centre and there's a really great range of antiques and collectables for sale. Kirk's an expert on rugs too and has some real beauties for sale. All in all Saturday was a 'rug-ovely' day out! 

1980s sewing patterns, some bought at Selfridges London 

 



It Pasta Be Love!

You can't beat this clip from Walt Disney classic 'Lady and the Tramp' on Valentine's Day.

 

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