Vintage in the Shires Easter Fair

On Saturday 19th April I took Make Me Pretty Shop for a short trip (round the corner) to a Vintage in the Shires fair at the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa.

Event Poster

It was quite a dreary and cold morning and it was the Saturday before Easter, but having secured my pitch thanks to a cancellation and with virtually no travelling required, I was optimistic.

Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa

I hadn't yet done a Vintage in the Shires event, but heard they were popular. Trevor was very pleasant to deal with and pitch price reasonable and the venue is one of my favourites in town.

Upon arrival I was thrilled to find I had the first front facing table in the Assembly Rooms - not going to miss me there!

I quickly began setting up my stall, and although I had plenty of time I still buzzed around like a blue arsed fly trying to get everything ready and introduce myself to the other traders.

Craft display shelving

I was excited to try out some new shelving I purchased only the day before from another Blighty Bazaar trader - Pam Thomas from Oopsadaisy Retro.

Paper flower statement necklaces

I didn't have time to upcycle them fully, but I did add some lovely lace edging. With it being Easter and all I used the shelving to display my latest handmade paper flower statement collars.

It was a bit of a Blighty affair as us girls had the centre aisle. My stall was next to Angela from Miss Angel's Vintage Emporium and she was next to Amy from Blighty.

The morning started off slow footfall wise and the hall was rather cold, so I spent most of my time eyeing up Angela's cosy coat! 

It was a bit of a gamble doing a fair before Easter to be honest, with many people away for the holidays or nursing hangovers from Good Friday.

Luckily Nat and Chris from the Lindy Diner at kept our spirits up with some improptu dancing.


Come lunchtime I'm pleased to say the good people of Leamington soon appeared and the hall quickly filled up with those looking for a bargain.

Amy from Blighty Bazaar

A 'Chap' of Distinction

For me at least, it turned out to be a good day for handmade jewellery sales as opposed to vintage, but the fab couple at Chaps of Distinction appeared to be doing well with gentlemen's attire.

Once again my tea set inspired jewellery went down a storm, as did my hair accessories and kooky rings.

I was happy to sell a gorgeous rockabilly-inspired red faux pearl and charm necklace to a lovely local lady, who also commissioned me to make a matching bracelet, which I did this morning.

Rockabilly-inspired charm bracelet

All-in-all the event turned out to be a success and I am very glad to have taken a punt on it.

With some spare cash in my pocket I've invested in some lovely new pieces to craft and sell.

Don't worry if you couldn't make it on the day though as I sell my items in Blighty Bazaar on Kenilworth Street for those of you who are local, or on Etsy for those that are not.

And, please remember I do accept requests for custom pieces of jewellery so don't be afraid to ask should you need something different for a special occasion or gift.



 Catch Make Me Pretty Shop at my next fair - Judy's Affordable Vintage at The Custard Factory in Birmingham on Saturday the 24th May.

Lisa xXx

A Delightful Tea Party & Vintage Fayre

On April the 12^th Make Me Pretty Shop hit sleepy Earlsdon in Coventry for what turned out to be a rather lively and truly delightful tea party and vintage fayre.

Organised and curated by Ria Hatt from Vintage Dream Days – a talented wedding and event planner and florist – the event was held in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Vintage Dream Days event invite

Ria Hatt, Vintage Dream Days

I was asked by Ria to book a stall after she visited my stand at Judy’s Vintage Fair in Leamington Spa earlier in the year.

I love doing local events and this one was for a great cause, so I snapped up a very reasonably priced pitch and donated one of my Alice in Wonderland cameo necklaces as a raffle prize.

Held at St Barbara’s Church, I was expecting a pleasant but sedated affair, but boy was I wrong.

Yummy homemade cakes

Ria and her family and friends did a fantastic job in promoting the event, so much so guests were queuing to hand over their £1 entrance fee.

The event promised to be ‘big’ and it didn’t disappoint, with things planned for every age group not to mention tonnes of tea and cake all served in vintage china.

Betsy Harmony

Betsy Harmony – a fabulous vintage singer - performed on the day (@BetsyVintage) serenading shoppers as they browsed stalls and tried their luck on the raffle.

Miss Ellie's Homemade

There was a small but perfectly formed selection of vintage clothing stalls, handmade jewellery, alternative wedding bouquets and other crafts, chutneys and preserves and a tombola.

Those who wanted to look the part could got their hair did – vintage style of course – and a makeover for just £5! Needless to say, the stylists were booked back-to-back all day.

Vintage hair

Fresh flowers in cute vintage styled jam jars and old rustic tea tins donned the crisp white linen laid tables, frequented by all who sampled the great bakes and lashings of tea on offer.

Vintage table setting cute jam jars and old tea tins

I’m thrilled to say Make Me Pretty Shop did really well too.

While I was anticipated a good day networking, handing out flyers and a few possible sales, the event turned out to be one of my best yet – Earlsdon you clearly respect style, respect vintage!

Make Me Pretty vintage dress

My first sale was to a very stylish young lady working the door, who snapped up a great nautical dress before the event started – got to get in early with vintage! Later on the lucky lady’s boyfriend returned to buy a number of jewellery items for her.

With the sunshine out and spring in the air, people kept rolling in and so too did the sales. It was great to see lots of my vintage beauties lovingly rehomed.

Me on my stall

My jewellery also went down a storm, which was a particular buzz as I spend hours designing and handcrafting my creations so it’s reassuring to know others value them too.

I invested in a few seasonal decorations given Easter is round the corner, which I think made for a rather attractive stall – bunting, a colourful basket of freebie sweet treats for little ones and some cute fluffy chicks.

Make Me Pretty vinatge and handmade items

With different price points to suit all pockets – from £4 tea rose studs and retro bobby pins in pretty pastel colours to owl and tea cup pendants at £10, paper and fabric flower statement necklaces between £14 and £22 and of course plenty of vintage frocks ranging from £10-45, Earlesdon your were spoilt for choice.

Make Me Pretty jewellery

The raffle, which included a whole host of fabulous prizes, was a huge success and rather entertaining, especially for me who decided it would be the opportune moment to nip to the loo, only to be called back twice to pick prizes in quick succession!

Joking aside, the most important part of the day was money raised. Proceeds from entrance fees, pitch money, tea and cake sales and raffle tickets means a total of £1,244.68 will be winging its way to Marie Curie Cancer Care in the next day or so.

Tea drinkers enjoying the spoils

All-in-all the event thoroughly rewarding, but mainly because it was one of the most pleasant and charming ‘good feel’ events I’ve had the pleasure to attend.

The day had a real sense of ‘community’ with whole generations of families attending. It reminded me of the so called ‘good old days’ and for that Ria Hutt you should be truly proud.

So, if you’re looking for someone to deliver you a fantastically authentic themed vintage wedding or event, please do check out Vintage Dream Days they rock!

And, if any of you would like to check out my stock pop into Blighty Bazaar in Leamington, check me out on Etsy or catch me at the next Judy’s Vintage Fair at the Custard Factory.

Lisa x



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What a load of vintage!

Phew! I'm shattered, but buzzing after my first stall at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair at the wonderful Assembly on Spencer Street in Leamington Spa yesterday.

I was a little nervous, as Judy’s is the largest of its kind, hailed by the press as a ‘shopping phenomenon’ and it didn't disappoint.

As a newbie trader I didn’t have anything to compare the spectacle to, but the whole thing from start to finish - in my opinion anyway - was marvellous.

Judy’s was extremely helpful when booking and setting up, and they were pretty hot on the social media side too, helping me to promote my attendance.

As a vintage fledgling, I offered the first 20 Make Me Pretty Shop Facebook fans a free pair of my handmade retro fabric button earrings if they popped by.

I was pleasantly surprised to be given a prime spot, smack bang in the doorway, so I knew I had a great opportunity to attract shoppers early.

Local ladies were called upon to hand out flyers for the event, in exchange for vintage makeovers by the talented Chez Titine in a dedicated makeover caravan!

Promotion certainly paid off, as when the doors flung open at 11am hoards of vintage enthusiasts and curious shoppers flooded the building.

People in and around Leamington must truly respect style, respect vintage, as the day’s footfall was estimated at an impressive 1,300!

I was glad I took a friend to help man my stall as we didn’t get a breather until well after 2pm, so no vintage bargain hunting for us, not that I am complaining.

Needless to say my freebie earrings were snapped up early and my ‘goodie bag’ prize draw also went down a treat, netting me 30 newsletter sign-ups.

It was great to meet lots of new people - traders and customers - and share our love for vintage, but I was most pleased and proud of my handmade jewellery sales.

Jewellery is very personal, so it was really heartening my gems were so well received, given the time and love that goes into creating each piece.

Bestsellers were my fabric button earrings, paper flower statement necklaces, tea-set pendants and Alice in Wonderland cameos which sold out – oh me oh my!

Clothing wise, my main rail with gorgeous dresses from the 70s to the 90s proved popular, with one rather chic lady purchasing all 3 quality labels she tried on.

The sale rail also attracted quite a bit of attention from fashion students looking for a bargain or clothing in need of slight repair for projects.

All-in-all I learnt a lot. While the day was a success I now have a better understanding of what my customers like as well as ideas for improving my stall.

At the end of what was a very enjoyable and profitable day, I am sold on getting out and doing more events, so you never know you may see me in your town soon!
 
I mustn’t forget to say a big thank you to Steve Cook from Swale Photography who popped by to take some photos of my stall, clothes and event – thank you.

If you weren't able to make the event you've still got a few days left to enter my vintage photography competition to win a £10 Make Me Pretty Shop Etsy coupon.

Ta ta for now,

Lisa x