Old Spitalfields market | toothpicnations

Spitalfields

Since it is the shopping season (whether you enjoy it or not), I shall write about shopping… not Christmas but vintage shopping. My shopaholic days were over years ago, now I seldom go shopping unless it is necessary. Yet a few weeks back, I found myself spending hours rummaging around Old Spitalfields antiques and vintage market on a Thursday afternoon and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Even though part of my work role is to look for new designs and understanding current or forth coming trends, I also have a passion for vintage goods and designs. When I was still a student, my cousin and I hired a stall for in Camden stables market selling our mothers’ vintage 60s/70s clothing. It was my first market stall experience (I never thought that I would be doing it again so many years later), and it was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons; hence our market vendor days were over in just 2 weeks!

These days, vintage and antiques shopping in London is less fun because prices are much higher and genuine/ rare/ high quality goods are harder to come by. I used to go to Portobello Road market all the time when I was a student, but now the market has lost its charm and has become too touristy and overpriced. Even the rather quaint Camden Passage in Islington has become more upmarket and commercial (not to mention the fact that the government ruled against the Islington council to get rid of the antiques arcade for a Jack Wills fashion store back in 2009)!

Spending an afternoon at the Old Spitalfields market brought back memories of my student days when I used to rummage around London’s quirky and fun vintage/ antiques markets where bargains could be found quite easily. But the danger of visiting market like this is that you may end up buying a bag (or few bags) full of stuff that you don’t really need or have room for! I tried to restrain myself but I still managed to part with most of the cash I had in my wallet! However, I was very pleased with my purchases and they are as follows: ‘Japanese graphic art book’ (£2), an unused vintage Belgian notebook (£1), ‘The Observer’s book of Furniture’ from the 60s (£4), ‘Our British trees and how to know them’, a 1907 hardback (£10) and a Japanese themed tin (£6), an addition to my existing tin box and toy collection. I especially love the illustrations found in the two vintage books on trees and furniture. Surprisingly, these random object and books brought me more satisfaction than a pair of new shoes or clothing, I guess the idiom: “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” applies well in this case.

Vintage items bought from the market

Besides the Old Spitalfields market, I recently stumbled upon a shop called Radio Days (87 Lower Marsh) in Waterloo late one evening (after 10pm to be precise). At first, I was attracted by the retro and fun window display, but when I stepped in, I thought I was transported to a different era. I was surprised that the shop was still opened so late, so I had a chat with the friendly owner, and it was then that I found out the shop had been opened since 1993. With Serge Gainsbourg‘s “Elisa” being played in the background, I thought to myself that the owner definitely has great taste! The shop is like an Aladdin’s cave, there are vintage household goods, bric-a-brac, old magazines, jewellery, and a back room full of clothing and accessories for men and women from the 1920s -1960s. It is a wonderful and unique shop full of characters, I shall have to spend more time here the next time I am in the area.

Radio days in Waterloo

One amazing thing about London is that no matter how long you have lived here, you will always discover something ‘new’ in different parts of the city. I was in Holloway recently and I walked past a shop called D. & A. Binder (101 Holloway Road). The shop provides bespoke traditional furniture and shopfitting services, and even though the shop is not a vintage shop as such, I love the ambience, display and the range of vintage furniture and objects here. If I have the space or spare cash, I will bring the Astro boy pachinko machine back home!