Posts Tagged ‘Crikey! It’s Vintage’
Vintage
Posted on: 08/03/2012
Last November I had the most spiffing time at Crikey! It’s Vintage in Exeter. The Thistle Hotel is a sublime venue, with huge picture windows, high ornate ceilings and golden chandeliers that make all the marvellous stalls glitter and glint. It’s an Aladdin’s Cave – bursting with treasures and treats. Fabulously organised and supporting a brilliant charity – The Women’s Land Army Tribute. Check out the extensive list of things you can do during the day. And don’t forget to come and say hi – I’ll be there with a beautiful array of specially made shades.
- 30 Vintage traders selling everything from vintage home-wares, kitchenalia items, china, decorative items and collectables.
- 15 Handmade crafters selling vintage inspired hair accessories, jewellery, fabric items, brooches, crochet pieces, origami mobiles, retro/vintage style paintings and lots lots more!
- Two vintage fashion shows, with vintage and vintage inspired clothes sellers.
- The vintage wedding emporium.
- A retro style photo-shoot, from Jennie Hill Photography.
- A pop up beauty parlour complete with hair stylist Lucy Milton, vintage nail artist Vanessa, and Vintage make over from Jane.
- A pop up tattoo parlour from the lovely ladies of INK, Exeter.
- A bookable burlesque ‘stocking removal’ workshop, hosted by Lady Lace.
- Jive dance performances.
- A pop up cinema, showing popular retro TV shows. Complete with retro popcorn cart!
- A mini Tupperware party, hosted by The Vintage Cream.
- Super cakes from Kiss and Bake up.
- The Sewing Sanctuary will be providing make and take sessions, whereby you can make a pair of frilly knickers or a vintage style corsage, what fun!
- J W Bardgett Guitars, performances, and a bookable workshop to ‘make yourself an upright bass’.
- Make and take sessions; Make your own frilly knickers (priced at £5) and make your own vintage insipred rosette (priced at £3) These sessions will be running all day throughout the day, on a turn up and start basis. Suitable for beginners with a small amount of sewing knowledge, all materials will be provided
2011
Posted on: 02/01/2012
My world grew this year. It billowed outwards and encompassed a world of new friends and touched lightly on the shoulders of business. With this alone, I am happy. I have been delighted by reciprocated kindnesses and taken aback by other’s selfless generosity. For me, this year has been about people.
I have made and sold over 200 lampshades. Selling via 5 online shops, one bricks and mortar, two pop-ups, a load of markets and fairs, and from my own home. I have supplied wholesale and forged a partnership with an interiors supplier. More on-line shops are lined up for early next year, but they’ll be fewer markets and shows – I have to be pickier. Discovering that my grandfather was a lampshade-maker in the 50s was a joyful surprise. Over 20 people have learnt new lampshade-making skills from me. I have embraced and enjoyed social media, networking, and selling. Lampshades have been ripped apart, sold for peanuts, got squashed in boxes. Pricing and quoting has been difficult (the amount of quotes I’ve given for bespoke lampshades without a reply in response is really quite surprising, and dispiriting). I have got through 12 rotary cutters, 2 steam irons, 2 metal rules, one pair of scissors, 100m of fabric, 50m of PVC, hundreds of ringsets, roll upon roll of tape, corner punched hundreds of compliment slips, price-tagged, listed, and spent many hours ironing! Oh, the ironing. I have grappled with a gazebo, carted around huge boxes, have frozen and fried to a crisp at various markets. I am in profit, and by a decent margin.
What does 2012 have in store? A new range of lampshades. An e-commerce enabled website. A rebrand. Perhaps my own shop on the Gloucester Road, Bristol, for one week only. What would you do, if you were owner at Quincy Lampshades?
