A lovely colleague took me to a ‘Clothes Carousel’ last Friday in the New Oriel Hall, Bath. It was, essentially, a jumble-sale of clothes/shoes/bags. What can not be good about this! (But even better: the £1 entry fee included a glass of wine!)
Without getting too socio-economical or too political, I suspect some cities are better to do this kind of thing in that others. And, if the charity shops here are anything to go by, Bath has got to fall into the better category! I’ve never seen so much lovely stuff in charity shops than in Bath...people throw away such gems!
(I guess it’s all a question of affordability and financial capabilities. When John started his PhD in Liverpool he was living in an area abutting the rather infamous Toxteth and the charity shops there were interestingly different: they either sell total tatt (with no hidden gems) or fabulous donated second-hand furniture and reclaimed ovens, fridges and washing-machines. We found a wonderful dining pedestal table and chairs in Oxfam for the bargain of £100, which we since came across online for five times that, and some absolutely amazing second-hand books. Charity shops seem to more popular places up north for everyday things and they utilize this market*.)
Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked. I wanted to show you these from the Carousel! A silk-cashmere Boden cardigan for £3 (right) and a fab 1950s style cotton dress for a tenner (with a lovely watering-can print; detail left).
There was a massive range of clothes and lots to cater for all sizes and shapes. Most of it was great quality and in good nick - if I'd been cunning I would have brought lots of jumpers to felt and garments to cut up for their fabrics and buttons...
This Carousel took me a bit by surprise but there’s another one in April - I’ll let you know when I‘ve got more details! In the meantime, check out its permanent unofficial sister ‘Roundabout’ in Widcombe (2 Prior Park Road, Widcombe, Bath; Tel: (01225) 316696) - beautiful, good quality clothes for a snip of their new prices.
*By the by, I’ve never noticed how much shops cater for their demographic more clearly than when I was bobbing between Bath and Liverpool. There are more open street markets up North (how I miss them, sob) but the supermarkets are markedly different. Tesco set up home in John’s area, predictably put all the local shops out of business and then tailored their shelves for demand. Contrast: Bath (couscous, quinoea, buckwheat) and Liverpool (the oddity that is the tinned potato [much loved by North Mancunian Grandpa Pollitt], little fresh fruit & vegetables and lots of pre-prepared foods). When I visited Liverpool just before John moved down here, some 6mths ago, it did seem a lot better and I hope Tesco is making more of an effort to help people to eat more healthily...
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