Home at last!

Well we have now been back from the Clothes Show for two days and still I havent blogged! To be honest I have spent the last 2 days pretty much sleeping! We met some great new people, customers and other stall holders and sold tonnes of vintage clothing!

So whats it like I hear you ask? Well, here are my observations of the whole event:

The crowd is young….very young! and also tiny! I sold all my size 8 vintage on the first day…never before have I heard people complaining that my stock is too large. But with this youth comes the mother, standing 2 steps behind with her wallet open. I didn’t factor in the mother so rushed home after day 1 to pull together my MUM rail.

My neighbours I think were expecting this rail to be full of boring clothes but as a mummy myself, I filled the rail with pretty dresses, coats and sparkly party outfits. The mums loved it and shopped for themselves as well as their daughters!

It’s so so busy! Thousands literally shopping the vintage area meant we didn’t stop the whole 6 days. Thank the lord for the free Haagen Dazs and mini diet cokes which kept us going throughout. Shattered is an under statement! We turned over loads of stock especially my Levi cut offs of which we have the stock level of ZERO now!

The music made my ears bleed! Now don’t get me wrong I love music particularly loud music, but we were beside a catwalk which had the same show every 2 hours. This meant we heard the same music over and over again…if I hear Maroon 5’s Moves like Jagger again I may head for the hills and join a silent monastery. However, being next to the show meant for loads more excited girls for us to meet so all was good!

Our neighbours were fab particularly Ease the Squeeze and Vintage Life Magazine. I urge you to check out the shirts from the former…..if you are a man or even know a man, they will make the perfect Christmas presents. In the quiet times they cheered me up, in the busy times they kept me sane, and in the tired times (of which there were loads) they kept me smiling!

Thanks guys!

• Young girls LOVE Hollyoaks and TOWIE men..they literally ran after them all around the NEC. One other trader thought these fans were doing the conga, when in fact they were hysterically charging after some celeb. I did feel a tad old when I didn’t recognise any of these boys……
• Apart from the kids and their mums there were loads of highly glamorous ladies. We all sold so many beaded and sequined pieces…the whole of Birmingham will be sparkling this New Year’s eve.

All in all it was a great event. It was a challenge fitting all the stock into a tiny space but thankfully we went home every night so could replenish every day.

I’m so glad to be home now though as I can start to think about Christmas. A few Mummy Christmas dresses to add on Monday to the eBay shop and then I’m hanging up my hat until the New Year. Time to make cards, crackers, truffles and buy some presents!