Vintage Shopping in Barcelona

Last week, I posted about our vintage shopping adventure down in Exeter, and I was told by a few people that they enjoyed reading it (why, thank you!) So this week I thought I would tell you about our vintage shopping experience in a slightly more exotic setting: Barcelona. Hope you enjoy it!

Back in January, we stole ourselves away from work and the punishing winter weather for a few days to sunny Spain. Well, it was sunny, but not warm, since it was January, but just to feel the sun on our faces was wonderful. We went to Barcelona, which is an amazing city, full of culture, wonderful architecture and... vintage shopping of course! It seems like we can't go anywhere these days without checking out what the vintage shops are like, and we had a lot of time tracking down some vintage treasure troves in Barcelona.

Mercat de la Boqueria, a must see for when your tummy starts to rumble, a beautiful old hat shop in the Barri Gotic, and UK Look, 'the best of Carnaby Street in Barcelona'

Barcelona is a vibrant, fashionable city with lots of students and young people, so it is unsurprising that there are a good number of vintage shops. We found a few while wondering around the labyrinth that is the Barri Gotic, which is the old town right in the centre of the city just off La Rambla. We found an interesting shop called UK Look, which pretty much was as you would expect - indie type looks influenced by the 1960's, think lots of denims, duffle coats and Beatles posters. They describe it as 'the best of Carnaby Street in Barcelona', which is pretty apt. While you are in the Barri Gotic, it's worth checking out Gotham on Carrer de Cervantes, which is a really interesting mid century furniture shop. You might not have room in your luggage allowance for any of their pieces, but they also sell fun cushion covers, knick nacks and t shirts if you want a souvenir.

We found the best selection of vintage shops was in El Raval, which is the more bohemian neighbourhood on the other side of La Rambla. Walking along the Carrer de l'Hospital we found a couple of charity shops which were reasonably priced and had some good vintage pieces, particularly print dresses and leather handbags. Further along, we found the first of many vintage shops, which was a little grotto of a shop crammed full of vintage t shirts, army jackets, denim and shirts. The focus was mainly menswear and mainly 70's and 80's, however we found it to be really quite expensive, with most t shirts being over 20 euro, and while I can't remember the name of the shop I don't think that matters too much since I would not really recommend it, as there are much better shops just around the corner.

Contrasts: grungy army surplus to elegant vintage boutique

We were a little disappointed by our first vintage shop visit, but we needn't have worried about it as we were about to hit the epicentre of vintage in Barcelona! We turned on to Carrer de la Riera Baixa, and found a fantastic row of vintage shops, record shops and what can only be described as fascinating junk shops. You may be wondering why it's dark in all these photos, one of the great things about shopping in Spain is that most of the shops stay open until at least 8pm, perfect for fitting in around those holiday lie ins!

What was most interesting about these shops was that they all had their own unique flavour, from the military focus of La Garita, to the more ladylike chic of La Vella Maia. The fabulously named Amazing Barcelona was a really interesting mish mash of furniture, bits and bobs, books and pictures. 

My favourite shop along this street was Lullaby, which was beautifully presented and arranged in era order. I loved the murals they had painted on the walls, and despite the fact that it was one of the fanciest looking shops on the row, it was one of the most reasonably priced.

Fantastik by name, fantastic by nature!

Fantastik, while not a vintage shop at all, was one of the highlights of our trip. Located on Calle Joaquín Costa, a little further up from the other shops, it is a collection of the kitsch and wonderful from all over the world. They had everything from little clockwork robots from Japan to kitschy homewares from Mexico and retro school posters from India. Great for gifts or for cute and quirky additions to your home. The prices were superbly reasonable as well. If you can't hop over to Spain for a look, you can shop online.

Finally, just by Fantastik we found another beautiful vintage interiors shop, Fusta'm. We were lusting over this wooden unit in the window but sadly (or possibly for the best) the shop had closed for the day. Ah well, I wouldn't have managed to fit it in my suitcase anyway!

So there you have it, our little stroll around the vintage shops of Barcelona. This is by no means an exhaustive guide to the vintage shopping in the city, I'm sure there are many more fabulous shops that we missed, and we didn't have time to seek out any flea markets or vintage fairs. If you have any tips for vintage shopping in Barcelona, we would love to hear them!

Vintage Shopping in Exeter and Around

Unexpectedly amazing - The Vintage Trading Co, Exeter

James and I took a couple of days off this week and went to visit his parents, who live in lovely Devon. It was nice to take a break from work, it's something that we are trying to get better at doing! Having said that, you can take the vintage magpies away from work, but you can't stop them vintage hunting...

On our way into Exeter for a spot of lunch and shopping, we drove past the Vintage Trading Co, an average looking warehouse type building on a trading estate on the outskirts of the city. Our curiosity got the better of us and we stopped for a look. I'll be honest, my expectations of the place were not high as it really didn't look anything special from outside, but once we got through the doors we found ourselves in a pretty little vintage paradise! Never judge a book by it's cover, eh?

The main room was spacious and light, and had sections that seemed to be run by independent traders, which meant that each area had it's own little flavour. Some sections focused on reworked furniture in a more shabby chic style, others were more classic antiques style stuff and some were an eclectic mix. Our favourite sections were the amazing mid century areas, which were arranged like real rooms and were so inviting.

There was also another large room full of furniture and other bits and bobs, this area was more of a mix but was equally interesting. All in all, the prices were pretty reasonable, we bought a leather bag for £8 and an atomic magazine rack for £12.

After this, we were in a wombling state of mind and spotted a nearby charity furniture shop, and an amazing second hand warehouse called Steptoe's Market, where we found this beauty of a sideboard, which cost just £20! As you can see, it was actually a dressing table, but the mirror easily came unscrewed and we had our perfect sideboard (and a spare mirror for vintage fairs!). We have been looking for something like this for ages, and all the ones we had seen on eBay or in charity shops were either really expensive or not quite right, but this one ticked all of the boxes. It's just the right size, and has that great 1960's feel we were looking for. It needs to be sanded back and re-stained, but it is in otherwise superb condition. We love it.

Our bargain sideboard as we found it, and fitting in perfectly at home.

The next day, James suggested we take a trip to Exmouth Tip. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this suggestion didn't excite me. But then, he explained that Exmouth Tip, or Exmouth Recycling Centre as it is officially known, actually has a shop where they sell items that have been dumped there but are actually in good condition and can be reused. It is fantastic! I am such a big believer in reusing things wherever possible, and it always makes me feel so sad when people throw stuff away that could be used by someone else, so it was so good to see the people at the tip giving this stuff a new lease of life, and earning a little money in the process. There was lots of furniture, hardware such as door handles and even a lovely roll top bath, as well as brik-a-brak, books, records, dvds and all sorts of weird and wonderful items. We bought some records, which were 40p each, and some vases, which were 50p each. I really hope that tips in other areas will follow their lead and start offering this service, it is such a good idea.

Having a good old rummage at Exmouth Recycling Centre

If you live in Devon or are planning to visit, I'd definitely recommend taking a break between cream teas and checking these places out! We're back in Birmingham and back to work now, but we're already looking forward to our next visit.

Calling all vintage brides to be!

For the last few months I have been on a mission to clear out stock and make space for new stock coming in (of which there is a constantly growing amount - exciting!) and I recently found a large box full of vintage wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses. It was lots of fun looking through them, but, while we have dabbled in bridal vintage over the last few years, it isn't something we really want to pursue anymore. So I'm auctioning them off on eBay, so it is a good chance to pick up some bargains.

They are a mixture of styles and eras, dating from the 1950's to the 1980's. We've got a cute lace tea length fifties beauty (you can see it above) that is adorable, as well as some demure long 1960's and 70's dresses that would be ideal for a beautiful boho bride. They are all sold as they are, I have not done any repairs or revamps on them, some are pretty much good to go while others need a little bit of love and attention. You'll find all the listings here... happy shopping!

We Love Vintage Moschino!

We've always been lovers of a bright and bold print here at Minimum Mouse, and we always enjoy clothes with a sense of humour. So it's probably no surprise that we're pretty big fans of Italian fashion brand Moschino. Their belts and bags are always in high demand at vintage fairs and online, but there is so much more to them than that!

The brand was founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino. They soon came to be known for their colourful designs, often using text and punctuation marks within the designs. Moschino liked to poke fun at the seriousness of some other fashion brands, and turned the notion on its head with their tongue in cheek designs. Their website beautifully captures the feeling of fun, larger than life glamour and undeniable style that the brand represents. What other designer brand would have a random image of a goose on their front page?!

James (one half of Minimum Mouse!) has been collecting Moschino shirts for some time now - if you ever come and see us at a vintage fair there is a good chance he'll be wearing one! His collection covers everything from circus animals, gothic text, flock vikings, seventies inspired prints, pirates, playing cards to cows with bows in their hair!

We also sell quite a lot of vintage Moschino from the 1980's and 1990's in our eBay shop. It's mainly menswear, but we do get the occasional women's piece. Here are a few pieces we have on offer at the moment-

We have also set up a Pinterest Board to share some pictures of some of the classic pieces we have sold (and some we have kept!) over the years. Hope you enjoy it!

Vintage Weekend By The Seaside

We might be sitting in (still) snowy Birmingham right now, but our minds are still on the south coast, where we have just spent a lovely weekend trading at two super events organised by The Vintage Fair. First up was Southampton Vintage Fair at the Guildhall on Saturday. The hall was bustling with shoppers pretty much all day, it seemed the perfect escape from the cold, drizzly day, and the hair salon and dance workshops really pulled in the crowds. The range of stalls was excellent, we spied all kinds of goodies, including a splendid range of hats...

 

Best Dressed - Southampton

We see so many well dressed people at the vintage fairs we trade at, so this weekend we decided to try and pick our favourite outfits of each fair.  It wasn't easy! But here is our pick for Southampton-

This is the lovely Amy Baker, who treated us to a superb performance of nostalgic tunes on Saturday afternoon. We just loved her 1950's peach dress and embroidered cardigan combo. She completed the look with classic court shoes and sparkly earrings. So pretty!

Art Deco Splendour at The Cumberland Hotel, Bournemouth

 

We usually find ourselves in the more basic end of the hotel spectrum when we're away working, but this weekend we treated ourselves to something a little bit special. We're suckers for a bit of Art Deco and love nothing more than watching an episode of Poirot of an evening, so when we spied this Deco gem we just had to stay there. The Cumberland didn't disappoint, with classic Art Deco styling inside and out, the lobby and lounge were beautiful and there is even an outdoor swimming pool (which we didn't try out, unsurprisingly given the Siberian winds currently battering the UK!) and stylish deck area. We had a meal in the Red Door restaurant which was lovely, as was breakfast the following morning. The only slight disappointment was that our room wasn't decorated in quite the same style as the rest of the hotel, though it was very nice. Here are a few snaps of the place...

Sunday-The Bournemouth Vintage Fair, at the Pavilion

On Sunday we found ourselves in the stylish Bournemouth Pavilion for the Bournemouth Vintage Fair, with a view from our stall of the sea and a funfair. How lovely! We might have fancied abandoning our stall for the day and frolicking on the sand and eating ice cream, but we managed to hold off and get set up for the day ahead. The fair was just as busy as Southampton, and there was another great range of stalls. Our friends from Mooch Vintage, Little Old Me, Goldrush Vintage, The Vintage Revolver and Used had come along for both days, but there were lots of local traders who were fresh for the Sunday, so there was plenty of scope for us to have another good browse of the the stalls. We spoke to lots of people who were very excited that the fair had come to Bournemouth, and we're glad it did, by the end of the day we were utterly exhausted!

Best Dressed - Bournemouth

Best dressed in Bournemouth on Sunday had to go to this smart couple, in beautiful authentic vintage outfits. We particularly loved the zingy lemon yellow swing coat and matching shoes. Superb!

So, all in all, it was a fantastic weekend, we met so many enthusiastic and friendly shoppers, and they cleared us out of an awful lot of vintage. We can't wait to return to the south coast, hopefully it will be a few degrees warmer next time!