Vintage stallholders wanted!

Fancy setting up a stall at an event that had 15,000 attendees last year? I've been contacted by Maryrose Mantle, Trowbridge Town Council's Community Development Officer, because they're looking for vintage stalls (especially hair/makeup and clothing) for the Armed Forces and Veterans Celebrations in Trowbridge, to be held on the 25th and 26th of June this year.

There's always a strong re-enactor presence at the show, and last year that included a good Home Front section, including replica land girls' accommodation. There are tea stalls with vintage china, and usually a 40s roadshow on the bandstand at points throughout the day. (That's always jolly good fun to watch.) There's usually a vintage plane flyover too, which I always look forward to.

I go every year. Entry is free, and a lot of the attendees are families having a fun day out. You get the full spectrum of ages, from babies through to very elderly veterans.

I reckon a makeover/makeup stall offering victory rolls and other wartime styles would do really good business. On the clothing side, there is a high footfall on site throughout the day, and there'd probably be plenty of interest from teenagers and the vintage-curious if the price was right. My gut instinct tells me accessories would do very well, as they tend to be cheaper, more portable, and easier for a newbie to vintage to wear/carry than a full-on vintage dress or suit, though the re-enactors would be looking for the latter.

Interested? Want to know more? Contact Maryrose Mantle: maryrose.mantle AT trowbridge.gov.uk (obviously replacing the AT with an @; I didn't want her address to get picked up by spammers!)

Comments

  1. maybe interested. thanks for telling us about it. x

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    1. Cool! I'd say it's an event with a lot of through-traffic, people aren't confined to site in any way, and there are a lot of general-public visitors, by no means all vintage lifestylers, if that is useful information.

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  2. Sounds absolutely brilliant. I don't think that there is anything like that up here. Probably too much rain even in June. Xx

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    1. We have a lot down here. I think it's because we have a lot of army bases in the area, and Salisbury Plain is a major training area, so ex-servicemen seem to settle around this part of the world. There are several biggish 1940s-themed events each summer.

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  3. If only I wasn't an ocean away! I'd be there with (vintage) bells and whistles on!

    It's very sweet of you to help try and find participants and that many do indeed apply to take part.

    Best of luck!
    ♥ Jessica

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    1. It's a great day for families as it's in the park in the centre of town, so people can wander round the site, watch the show, then if there's nothing on that they want to watch or see, they can wander off in town for a bit.

      One of the reasons I started my 'What's on in Vintage Wiltshire' tab was to keep people informed about events in the county. A couple of things I'd wanted to go to had been cancelled for lack of interest, so I thought I'd try to raise some interest.

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  4. I wish..
    We don't have such a thing over here - but we do have small vegetable and flower fairs.. however, there has never been any re-enactment going on (pardon me, there IS a place where folks re-enact medieval knight's costumes - but miles and miles away, where there is a remaining fort, up north).
    I hope you'll have a great time!
    ...and that you'll write all about it. :)

    M.

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    1. It's a popular hobby in Britain - you get people recreating everything from Romans to Vikings to Normans all the way to the present. I suppose it gives them something to do!

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