Soho Flea Market 2013

Design and lifestyle blogger, Geraldine Tan visits the Soho Flea Market and shares her stand-out stall holders!

Today, after work, I was determined to have a daughter-mother day. Especially since my dear daughter had only just returned from her one week holiday to Mallorca with her best friend and family.

We decided to explore the Soho Flea Market together. This is an annual Summer market selling vintage furniture and new designs in London’s Dean Street. The weather was looking up. Summer had arrived at last !

My daughter’s eyes lit up when she saw the Meringue Girl’s stall. The stall was run by Alex and Stacey, both trained chefs who have catered for major celebrity clients like Vogue and Alexander Mc Queen.

The Meringues came in a range of infused flavours such as Pistachio/Rosewater, Lavendar, Passion fruit, Raspberry, Lemongrass/Ginger, Matcha and coconut.

My daughter had an Ultimate Eton Mess which comprised of the meringues combined with fresh strawberries, vanilla cream, coulis and freeze dried raspberries. It was so delicious, she had a second helping.

The next stall that caught my eye was Roam which sold bespoke 100% Scottish cashmere blankets and knitted accessories.

We bought the blue bear and pink bird, after feeling how soft and comforting they were. The blankets were also heavenly.

As we strolled down the street, there were amazing bursts of vibrant colours. I love how these shades of blues and greens combine to stunning effect.

If you are looking for a colourful floral lampshade, then The Baobab Tree is the place to visit.

Set up by Heidi Awford, these bespoke pieces of home furnishings are made from collected vintage fabrics dating from the 1950s onwards.

I love signage and typography, so was instantly drawn to the Something Or Other stall. The clean cut lines of the black and white perspex alphabets above would be perfect for a Contemporary Scandinavian interior.

One of the vintage letters above would be perfect for styling a corner or used to create an interesting vignette.

These ties from Emma Ashford were so colourful and fun, I simply had to take a shot. They are designed by Emma Fenton Villar.

Hope my husband doesn’t read this, as my daughter has purchased the yellow Rosie Lea Goldfish silk tie with the teapots for Father’s day.

Well, my dear daughter didn’t leave the market empty handed. She got the Bear sweatshirt above from a wonderful brand Monster Threads that we so happily discovered. The designer for this item is Jan Avendano, a Canadian graphic designer from Toronto.

Monster Threads is an Australian art print apparel label. The illustrations for their clothing are created by a carefully curated group of leading Australian and international artists.

My son got the T-shirt above, designed by Patricio Betteo, an illustrator from Mexico City.

The prints from Eight Bear by Katie Viggers were also one of our favourite finds. I couldn’t decide between the bear or the bird print but finally settled for the bear. Which one do you like?

These blocks by Eight Bear are so beautiful. I think too beautiful to play with. I would display them proudly on a shelf. This is the prototype, they will be produced for sale in the coming weeks.

I hope you have enjoyed following us on our jaunt through the soho flea market. I can’t wait to go again next year. The great weather was the icing on the cake.

Wishing you all a wonderful week.x

Geraldine Tan, visit her blog, Little Big Bell.

LONDON has lots of fab weekly markets, click here to discover them.

See the I Love Markets events calender to see upcoming special market events!   

P.s, check out Made In Chelsea stars, Caggie Dunlop and Proudlock both stalling! 

 

Fleas Please: Angel Flea Market

What I love about flea markets is that they recognise all markets are different, and bring that all together under one roof (or sky, if it’s outside). They define the word eclectic and have the capacity to draw different audiences, communities, stallholders together. You can get your beautifully handmade designer-maker products, sift through wardrobes full of vintage and rummage through strange piles of who-knows-what.. and that’s exactly what I did at Angel Flea Market on Sunday 19^th May.

The sun was shining over the Candid Café courtyard and the atmosphere reflected it. The market, which had taken over Candid Arts Trust for the day, was brimming with families, individuals and casual passers-by who happened to be taking a stroll through Angel on this sunny Sunday.  This reiterates my sentiments exactly; flea markets are great because they can and do attract individuals from all walks, all captivated by the magic of the stories behind the stalls.

One such stall was Oh Squirrel, a beautiful designer-maker brand that uses paper and textiles to create enchanting cards, tags, bags and others. I chatted with Katie Wagstaff, the founder, to see how she got Oh Squirrel started... it turns out from a New Year's resolution. She says:

"I have always made cards and gifts, but never had the time nor the confidence to do it on a larger scale. I dipped my toes in the pond and became hooked. On my first sale, I waited until the customer was a food few yards away before doing starjumps, I was so excited! As I got more interest, I started doing different markets, and that illusive time I struggled to find I made - it's amazing what you can do in a day! At Christmas last year I did Vintage markets in Hampstead, Angel & Spitalfields which were all incredible. However, two of my favourite events to do are very local to my home in Crouch End, which are Barboot and Harringay Market, and I have met so many of my wonderful customers this way."

 

One of Oh Squirrel's market stalls

What I love about Katie’s work is that they really capture the sense of old and new, imaginatively put together to create something lovely – and in essence then becomes another analogy for what the market stands for. Katie shares our love for markets: 

“Being a Yorkshire girl, I was brought up around markets, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of hunting for fabrics and trims on Wakefield market. When I started to sell my products, the first channel I went through was markets, and a year on it still remains my favourite way of selling. I love meeting my customers, and it always surprises me at how broad the spectrum is! It's great to meet other traders too...Markets are so important as it means anyone can start selling without the expensive 'bricks & mortar' commitment, and they are a wonderful tool for building an important sense of community.”

You can visit her beautiful website here.

Some of the lovely Badge Cards for sale by Oh Squirrel

After moving through the bustle of downstairs I was led by twinkling fairylights up to the bright, upper level. There was a definite studio feel here, which was most probably aided by the artworks for sale against the wall, all at a bargaintastic £5 or £10. 

Art for £5, anyone?

There was a lovely eating and seating area, brought to life by the sunlight shining through the coloured glass bottles on every table. Upstairs was where you needed to go if you were in the mood for having a proper dig through the wares of the sellers; seemingly strewn across the floor you could see movie posters next to TV screens next to wires that probably collectively fitted everything and anything – although I didn't envy anyone trying to find the wire the wanted! There was even a box of things for free; although sadly, I didn’t need any ring binders that day!

My triumph of the day was finding a striking 20s-esque bag in exchange for one five pound note. I want to arrange a night on the tiles purely so I have the chance to bring it out in public.

Seller-wise the stalls were a decent £25 and seemed to include the freedom to setup anywhere you liked – stallholders were selling their wares off radiators, on the floor and under tables. But there was nothing chaotic about this; just the vibrant atmosphere that demonstrates what fleas are about, and that draws you in to return again and again. I know I will!

Outside Candid Cafe

http://www.ilovemarkets.co.uk/london/events/angel-flea-market 

http://www.ohsquirrel.co.uk

Hollye Murphy