64 – The Vintage Village, a Review

64/301

Not often do events live up to the hype, especially with fairs and markets. All too often I have sauntered along full of high expectations, already visualising the post-market glamorous Anne, only to find a bundle of disconcerted stall-holders, shyly brandishing their wares. Or worse, tables and tables rammed full of things you just don’t want to buy.

Neither was the case for today’s Mad March Vintage Village in Stockport’s Historic Market hall. Entry fee was £1, but I already knew from past experience, as well as from the twittersphere that there were enough stalls of supreme quality to justify the cost. I knew it would not be a pound wasted. You would pay that for the atmosphere inside alone.

As it was I wasn’t just there for atmosphere. Recalling the visual feast of last month’s market, I brought my camera to have some fun taking shots of the beautiful stalls, stock and stall holders. Walking around the market really is like a beautiful collage scene from some cool and alternative movie. It would be the part where someone, having upped and left everything they once knew, really felt they had made the right choice. The character (a beautiful one in red lipstick and a pretty flary polka-dot dress) would drift around the market, dazed and high from the abundance of sights, sounds and experiences on offer.

Stepping out of the movie scene, and back to reality for a moment, that really is how it feels to roam among the stalls here. The Vintage Village, is, yes you guessed it, a vintage market. Vintage is something the organisers of this market specialise in, and the stalls sell everything from vintage clothing, magazines and books, ornaments and household goods, of the highest quality and variety, at unbelievably reasonable prices. As well as that, there is also a great array of craft and home-made goods on offer. Beautiful, hand-spun yarn, woven rugs, hand made Grumbi dolls (check out this little dude, s/he is the future), exquisite hand-made feather fascinators and amazingly delicious cupcakes (we are super fussy about our cupcakes, but these are the business). The list goes on.

As my deepest desires lay in finding some really unique clothing treats, off I went in search of a surprise. I had a budget, and blew it. Not because the items were pricey, but because I wanted so many of them. After much touching, wowing, purring and pawing I bagged myself a fantastically trashy big gold ring, some astoundingly large, red and white rimmed 70s shades, an unbelievably beautiful feather fascinator, an extremely on-the-pulse luxe-cool sheeny, purpley fawn jumpsuit straight out of some 80s movie set in St Tropez (oh how well I’d fit in with the yuppy yacht set in this sensation) and three fantastically cool Grumbi Dolls, one little one for my car, and two for my studio (one is a vintage honey, one is a rave dude, they will be lovers).

Despite my arms weighing heavy with pretty little paper bags of loveliness, me and my partner happily browsed longer. The vibe in the place was lovely. There were gramophones playing, a banjolele player adding a Formby swagger to the events, and a general hubub of activity that was fun and interesting. Not one single stall-holder was there for the hard-sell, in fact you felt, upon chatting to most of them at length, that they were there just to see what they could buy too. I almost imagine for every sale they made, they would wander off to bag a treat for themselves, such was the enthusiasm for nice things that surrounded the day.
Vintage Village is held once a month. Would I recommend it? Yes, whilst biting my lip and wincing an evil wince at anyone who dare get the goodies before me. Seriously though, if you like your vintage, like to find things for your wardrobe or house that are truly unique and individual, like to natter with lovely people who are all as enthusiastic as you are for all things nice, then definitely go along to the next Vintage Village. It is a truly beautiful, interesting, elegant and great fun day out.

It is full to bursting with vintage treats and is as busy as the halcyon market days from when I was a kid. Despite this, there is nothing dated about the Vintage Village. The organisers have created something really very on-the-pulse and now; and a great model for things to come. Ah, as I share a cocktail with Grumbi, shades on head, full St Tropez style, I am already visualising the treats I will get next time. The High Street is dead, long live Vintage Village.

Today I read: The Observer (as always starting with the mags)
Today I listened to: Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow (this won’t ever stop being played by me for a million years)

A random selection of the visual wonders and vintage treats on offer
© Anne Louise Kershaw