As has become apparent in my last couple of posts, my recent trip to the USA sparked a new love for antique malls. Treasure hunting in numerous troves located in Portland, Seattle and Bremerton, it provided hours of enjoyment for loverboy and I. The London version of an antique mall would be somewhere like Alfie's Antique Market, although, it is nowhere near as affordable and just doesn't have as much weird and wonderful stuff!
We marvelled at all the curios, ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the jewellery, took photos of random paraphernalia, counted all the un-pc (read: racist) posters and kitchen nic-nacs from the 50s, and imagined how we could decorate our home if we lived in the States and had access to all the unique and affordable vintage furniture available....
The haphazard manner that everything is presented means that you really have to take your time and poke your head into every nook and cranny in order not to miss anything. I for one love it, as you really feel pleased with yourself when you discover a hidden treasure!
Both the hubs and I managed to score at every antique mall we went to. Amongst other things, I found a pretty 50s day dress, a cute mini wicker bag, a pretty floral hanky, earrings, vintage 50s sunglasses, a full slip, and my most favourite of all - a super awesome, intricate circus brooch, which only set me back $5!
Loverboy also came away from our shopping expeditions with some great bargains - tie bars and cufflinks, a 40s hand painted tie, and a Hollywood train case.
What I came to notice in my antique mall field research, was that all of them had: some sort of royal memorabilia (mostly Prince Charles and Princess Diana), lady head vases (I really wanted to get one, but couldn't find the perfect one in my price range, and also worried about breakage in my suitcase), countless salt and pepper shakers, and black cord purses.
The nicest surprise though, was getting back to London, and finding a lovely little lady stood upon my dresser. Aaron brought her all the way back from Seattle as a present for me - she kind of looks like me, don't you think?
We marvelled at all the curios, ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the jewellery, took photos of random paraphernalia, counted all the un-pc (read: racist) posters and kitchen nic-nacs from the 50s, and imagined how we could decorate our home if we lived in the States and had access to all the unique and affordable vintage furniture available....
The haphazard manner that everything is presented means that you really have to take your time and poke your head into every nook and cranny in order not to miss anything. I for one love it, as you really feel pleased with yourself when you discover a hidden treasure!
Both the hubs and I managed to score at every antique mall we went to. Amongst other things, I found a pretty 50s day dress, a cute mini wicker bag, a pretty floral hanky, earrings, vintage 50s sunglasses, a full slip, and my most favourite of all - a super awesome, intricate circus brooch, which only set me back $5!
Loverboy also came away from our shopping expeditions with some great bargains - tie bars and cufflinks, a 40s hand painted tie, and a Hollywood train case.
What I came to notice in my antique mall field research, was that all of them had: some sort of royal memorabilia (mostly Prince Charles and Princess Diana), lady head vases (I really wanted to get one, but couldn't find the perfect one in my price range, and also worried about breakage in my suitcase), countless salt and pepper shakers, and black cord purses.
The nicest surprise though, was getting back to London, and finding a lovely little lady stood upon my dresser. Aaron brought her all the way back from Seattle as a present for me - she kind of looks like me, don't you think?
I love that handbag. Have been craving one myself for quite some time now. Glad you've found a love for antique malls. They're so much fun when you find something in amongst all of the other stuff. I got two 1950's umbrellas, one red and one green with Bakelite carved handle, for £5 each in our local antique centre. Bargain!! Can't even get a brand new one that cheap.
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Thanks! The bag is actually really small (not sure if you can tell from the photo) good for when you don't want to lug a lot of stuff around with you! :) Those brollies do sound like a bargain...and perfect for all this rainy weather we've been having over here! *Sigh*... xxx
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