People often ask where we’ve managed to find the unusual, kitschy and whimsical pieces that decorate every nook and cranny of the parlour. From the wrought iron staircase, to the stripped wood beams up to the office loft and the gorgeous period mirrors and delicate chandeliers. Many parlour details have come from scouring car boot sales over the years for the perfect find, so below we thought we'd share with you some of our best tips for car boot sale success and links to our favourite boots in the London area.
Parlour girls’ boot sale secrets:
*Wake up early! When we arrived at Hook Road Arena car boot at 7.45am on Bank Holiday Monday the parking area was already a quarter full, so if you’re really looking for something special or antique get there when the dealers do which is whenever the boot opens or as early as you can possibly manage, otherwise stalls will be picked over!
*We love lists: Make a list the night before of what you’d like to find. Whether you’re decorating your kitchen, looking for 50s inspired old signage, London posters or prints, storage units, roller skates in size 9, or a new library, the more specific you are the more focussed you’ll be on the day and the more likely you’ll find what you’re after amidst the mountains of stuff for sale.
*Set a budget: Even with a £10 budget you can find loads of bargains at car boot sales, so decide what is on your list and what you would reasonably pay for it and base your budget accordingly.
*‘Is it on the list?’: The tendency at car boot sales is to get so excited by the bargain prices, haggling with sellers and the sheer volume of things being sold, that you go into overdrive and end up buying a lot of useless, unnecessary junk. Try to stick with the list you made the night before and keep asking, ‘is it on the list?’ Of course even the best of us can't always stick to the list whenever you never know what incredible thing you might find...
*To haggle or not to haggle?: As we were leaving the car boot on Monday I glanced down at a book bin on the ground in front of a stall and saw a book which I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I stopped and asked how much it was and the woman said a pound. I fished the coin out of my purse and handed it to her. She looked surprised, ‘You’re the first person to actually pay the amount I’ve asked!’
It’s true I’m not very skilled at bargaining and when the difference is between a pound and 50 pence it doesn’t bother me to pay what the seller asks, but over the morning I did hear many people trying their luck offering 20 pence when the seller asked for 50. Claire, who is a boot sale pro did manage to barter at almost every table for furniture, cutlery, vintage signs, a 50s working iron and more.
Our favourite car boot sales:
Hook Road Arena Car Boot Sale – over 900 stalls and 6,000 shoppers! Opens to buyers 7am, every Sunday
Chiswick Community School Car Boot Sale - 1st Sunday of the month, opens to buyers 8am
TimeOut’s Guide to London Car Boot Sales
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