Sunday 27 November 2011

Vintazia Vintage Fairs

Last Friday, I was kindly invited to explore Vintazia's Friday Night Vintage Fair at the Great Barn, Ruislip.




The concept behind these fairs -which run approximately every two months- is one of good quality vintage and vintage-interest stands with entertainment and (in this case, mulled) wine; on a Friday night. Essentially a combination of shopping and an evening out, from 5-9pm making it ideal for pre-or-post-dinner browsing.It's located in Ruislip, West London - easy to reach from central London via the tube (nearest Ruislip or West Ruislip) and a pretty straightforward drive with plenty of parking near the barn.


Blondies Retro Vintage Boutique


The barn is an attractive and historical building which makes an ideal setting for a vintage event, creating an 'old fashioned' atmosphere enhanced by musical acts appropriate to the fair (we had hits from 20s-40s musicals, but the acts vary month by month). As is the norm, there is a £2 entrance fee - it is a small fair but I'm used to paying £3 or even £4 for larger events, so I would be happy to pay £2 on future visits, especially with the entertainment. The refreshments on site are reasonably priced at £2 for mulled wine, £2.50 for some cake - one thing I would have liked to see is a stand with some savoury or more substantial food, as this might keep people there longer (indeed, we left eventually for food). There are several such stands at the Duck Pond Market - it would be nice to see one here.


Restoration cakes; fantastic-
check out that wedding cake!

I found the general quality of stands high; that is to say, varied and knowledgeably staffed. At the 'luxury' end of things there were Victorian diamond and emerald rings for £400, or made-to-measure replica dresses - and the other, a couple of stands had £10 or £5 'sale rails', and of course there were cute costume jewels to be hand for a few pounds. In the middle range (which was where I was looking) there was plenty of good, clean, well priced stock. I picked up a Liberty Of London dress with a Chinese-style collar for £30 (Pret A Vintage - lots of designers and brands from the 60s-early 80s) and a fabulously tacky sequined confection from the mountain of sparkle that was Blondies Retro Vintage Boutique. In addition, I picked up a sweet little enamel owl brooch (70s or late 60s, I'd say) and one of those cheat-y bandannas with wire in them (I love these).


Amazing wall of sparkle!
This is where I found my green top.
Blondies Retro Vintage Boutique

I scrutinised all of the rails on all of the stands (never say I ain't thorough) and I found only one stand which mislabelled (that old irksome 80s-labelled-50s ... interestingly, I was, being me, looking for 80s. I was like 'that is so 80s- and I can't get the price down without an awk-ward moment as to why I wanna halve the price...walk on...'). One of the things that had concerned me was that as a 'night out' style fair, there might be inflated prices or vague labelling. I am happy to say I was wrong; I was impressed with my shopping experience. There was plenty of interest to me there in a variety of styles - and I also saw material which would fit well into the wardrobes of purists and modern dresser friends of mine too, making it ideal for visiting with a group of friends as a unique night out.

If you fancy a night out shopping in West London, their next event is on the 27th January 2012. And...it's a SALE.

10 comments:

  1. Why do these vintage events always assume we want to nibble at fairy cakes? If they sold chips and real ale I'd probably go to more of them!
    Great idea to hold that one at night so it's more of a night out. Your Liberty dress sounds fab and that rack of Eighties bling would have made my late Mum so happy! x

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  2. Hi there!! I really want to get to Vintazia's, but its just been too far for me on a Friday night. The organiser is a really lovely lady and from by all accounts her fairs have been a great success so far too!! xx

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  3. This looks amazing, I love vintage fairs, they're always so much fun. :) x

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  4. ooh ooh, I really like the sound of this, my husband grew up round Ruislip area and we'll be a lot closer when the move finally happens. Thank you, I'm making a note of the name. Should we all email them and suggest proper food? I'm very taken with the idea of an evening event, especially as I'll FINALLY have babysitters!

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  5. That sounds like a such a fun event, although I'm with you on the food. When did vintage suddenly equal fairy cakes? (I refuse to use the c word). Chips and cider are far more my thing.

    Can't wait to see your new purchases :)

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  6. Interesting! I've been listing this on the Vintage Guide for a while but never had the chance to check it out. I'm glad it's a good fair!

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  7. Looks like a nice way to spend a Friday evening, £2 for mulled wine is very cheap! I paid £3 at a fair in Norfolk this weekend. I thought that was okay but £2 is better!

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  8. i haven't heard of this fair before but it seems so lovely. will definitely need to check it out!

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  9. Ooooo a night fair but the food sucks. I would of still gone though.
    besos

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  10. Sounds good, I am partial to a fairy cake but would like it with a G&T!

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Let me know what you think!