I recently visited Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair in Cardiff with a friend. Having never been to a vintage fair before to say I was excited would be a bit of an understatement.
http://www.thevintagefair.com
Despite it being a rainy and miserable day, the Town Hall in Cardiff was the ideal setting to make me forget about my soaking wet clothes and dishevelled ‘hair-do’. I had high expectations as soon as I arrived and it seemed I was not alone as a long and laborious queue of vintage lovers waited eagerly to enter the room accommodating the fair. Paying just £2 for entry we were also told of the next event to be held there the following month. A stamp on our hand and we were on our way past the desk ready for a good rummage.
From reading the website Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair usually visits Cardiff four times a year however with two being held in the space of two month demand must have been high. When we got into the room (after a short wait due to some very efficient Lou Lou workers) the high demand was certainly apparent. I was quite staggered by the busyness, the crowds and the amount of vintage attire and items in what felt to be a small space. My initial thoughts were that a bigger room may have been a bit more comfortable and easier to shop, there were some dancers with not much space to dance and quite often myself and my friend found ourselves lost in the crowds or straining our necks to get a good view at stalls. Despite this in a sense it did add to the atmosphere and the buzz of the day and it wasn’t too far from a usual Saturday shopping day in the City Centre.
That room had everything you can imagine. It was literally a treasure trove of all things vintage. I wish I had taken more photos but quite honestly and despite my good intentions for the purpose of this blog I was too wrapped up in gazing at the reasonably prices goods that the various stalls at Lou Lou’s Vintage fair had to offer. I was particularly attracted to the Welsh wools and with a trip coming up to Berlin thought it a ‘sensible’ purchase. Being a ‘sensible’ purchase of course made it a perfect excuse to whip out the credit card however I couldn’t find any left in my size much to my actually sensible minds relief. Tip to any future visitors of Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair, get there early!
Though I describe the room as ‘small’ this was certainly not the case on reflection. We managed to spend a good 2 and a half hour rooting around often finding that stalls had replenished sold items with new vintage gems. This was the case when I found the leather, vintage bag which is now in its rightful place, where it should have been for a long time prior….on my arm.
Bag purchased from Little Old Me, a vintage boutique based in Birmingham. (littleoldmevintage.com)
If there was one thing missing from my day it was the chance to sit with a cup of tea and some delicious cupcakes. I perhaps put myself under the impression that there would be a chance to do so there and don’t get me wrong there was a stall selling very tempting looking cupcakes but I imagine walking around the Fair on that day with a hot cuppa in hand would be a serious health and safety hazard. A spot to sit and reflect with tea in one hand and cake in another would have topped the day off perfectly.
Overall we had a lovely day at Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair in Cardiff. The perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in my opinion and we will definitely be returning in the near future to get our vintage on again!
