The Life of a Brocanteuse
I have two memories of selling at Newark in April. A slightly dodgy stand and lots of coffee!
James and I had spent the week dodging the rain and praying in vain for a let up in the weather for more than 10 minutes so we could pack the van! We started on the Monday but sadly didn’t have a chance to complete it until the day we actually left for Newark. We have decided to look after ourselves this year and we now book ourselves into a local hotel for the night before the fair so we don’t start day 1 in a quivering mess of tiredness. Coffee however remains a must and we have lots of it! In fact I am sure we keep the coffee trailer at the end of the shopping arcade in business!
So after a good night sleep having arrived in Newark a lot later than we’d planned, we made our way to the show ground for 5.30am and hunted for our stand. I say hunted as the numbers seemed a little muddled compared to normal and we first thought someone else had made their self comfortable in our normal spot. We found our home soon enough and after discussing a slightly wonky pole in the marquee which made setting up interesting, we began unloading the van. It always amazes me how long it takes to pack the van and yet how quickly it all come off! James is the master packer and everything is carefully placed so we can maximise the space we have in our VW Crafter. She’s a medium wheelbase so not huge but plenty big enough for what we need and more to the point, much easier to park than anything bigger would be!
It takes several hours to set our little stand up and thankfully James is happy to be gently directed as to where everything should go. I love putting our treasures together and making them look at home on the shelves, tables or pieces of furniture. Buyers swing by as we unpack and often things get snapped up pretty early by dealers.
Once we’re set up our first cup of hot coffee is consumed and James takes the reigns. We are very different cookies James and I. Those of you who have met him will know he’s not shy. Far from it but thats why we work well together. You see I am! I’m quite happy hiding and popping my head out when needed. James loves chatting and if he catches you, you could be on our stand for quite a while and leaving with a much lighter wallet. I put it down to his East End roots. I swear he considers himself a bit of a dell boy character selling at the market and every now and again I gently remind him we’re not selling apples and pears! In all seriousness though, I couldn’t do it without him.
It was a busy fair for us at Newark with our French treasures being purchased by people from all over the world. Over the past year we have gained regular customers from Japan, The States, Canada, Europe and even as far as Australia. We sell to Pinewood studios who pursue the fairs to gather props to feature in upcoming movies, TV adaptations and even off to TV programmes such as call the midwives. Our bobbins were snapped up by Sky TV to feature in one of their drama series (we were told which but we’re sworn to secrecy).
So there you have it! My first blog for our new website! I plan to blog our trips to France, our selling and adventures and lots of bits in-between from our large shed in our garden so watch this space for much more to come! Thanks for dropping by!