How to run a vintage stall? Bletchley Park 1940s festival 2013

 

For the second year in a row I ran a vintage stall with my friends at the annual Bletchley Park 1940s weekend – the biggest BP event of the year, complete with re-enactors, umpteen military vehicles and our very own Winston Churchill. This event usually gets more than 2,000 visitors over the weekend so it’s a great place to clear out some of the stuff I no longer wear.

This year my good friends Auriol and Erin joined me in selling vintage clothes, accessories and home-made pinnies! I also sold some stuff for my friend Billie at Ollie Vee’s Vintage Emporium in Leighton Buzzard. Billie had some brilliant boater hats and 78s!

We took more than £300 between us and the biggest sellers were hats, aprons and jewellery. Cin cin, team!

For a good Bletchley Park vintage stall you need – 

A lot of straw hats, particularly boaters

Records – 78s

Compact mirrors and brooches

Ladies’ scarves

Pimm’s (but fake Pimm’s is even better – Austin’s from Aldi at about £5.50 a bottle!)

Enough cloudy lemonade to avoid sad faces

Strawberries, cucumber and mint

Beers just in case you run out of all of that

And if you would like to buy a gorgeous home-made pinnie for £5, just send me an email at ajbollen@hotmail.com

Day one –

Sign drawn by the very talented Erin from Miss Lacy Plus Size

 Erin and Henry manning the stall

Get yer bargain home-made aprons – just £5!

Sarah’s Doo-Wop Dos was back this year making all of the ladies look glam. Prices range from £5.

We had a great little pitch right next to the pond. And there’s Henry’s finger…

“Photo bomb!”

I’m wearing:

Blue vintage dress – 1940s, Ollie Vee’s, Leighton Buzzard

Yellow apron – Erin’s home-made pinnies

Shoes – George at Asda

Leather bag – Ollie Vee’s

Cameo ring – Ollie Vee’s

Faux fur coat – charity shop

Belt – Primark

Auriol and Cameron joined us in the afternoon for Pimm’s and cake

Day two – 

 Never get into a stranger’s car… unless it looks like this…

I’m wearing:

Dress – charity shop –

Apron – by Erin

Shoes – George at Asda

Parasol – present