Junk Shops

Trade Me Watch: New Zealand Flag Chair

Posted by on Aug 9, 2012 | 0 comments

This is a great way to upcycle an old school chair – getting the last of Olympic fever and painting a New Zealand flag on one.  I know Junk and Disorderly had them for sale for quite a while – worth checking out anyway!

Or you could just buy this one, bidding is only at $22 and it closes tonight.

Upcycled school chair, with the NZ Flag painted on it: bids at $22

Retro Project: Retro Chair Revamp

Posted by on Jul 30, 2012 | 0 comments

The lovely Tilly (who made me the wonderful upcycled deer head) recently revamped a retro chair she found in a junk shop.  It started off in olive green vinyl and bright blue boucle.  She gave it a damn good scrub, kept the vinyl and replaced the chair cushion fabric with this great IKEA pattern.  She even managed to make cushions – I am impressed.

You can read more about Tilly’s life and creativity over at her blog: this that and everything in between, and check out her Felt store, where she has lots of new colours in her deer heads.

Her junk shop find

The revamp finished!

Waipu Retro Store – Bathing Suits, Tretchikoff and more!

Posted by on Jul 13, 2012 | 0 comments

I spend a bit of time in Northland op shopping, drinking yummy coffee and going to markets, and one place that is worth stopping off at is Waipu.  Well-known for its antique stores and markets, but it also has a very cool retro shop called Eye Spy, based in the old Waipu firestation.  There is always something there that I want – once they even had an old Basil Brush toy!

I know there has been a bit of chatter about old bathing suits on Facebook, well they have a collection they sell at $35 each.  And every time I’ve been in there’s been a wall full, so plenty of choice.

Vintage bathing suits $35

The old firestation building

Last time I was there in June, they had a Tretchikoff, Zulu woman, which was in great condition and under $300 and this great waka lamp base which was around $270.  So it’s not cheap, but it is around what you’ll pay on Trade Me for these collectibles.

They have plenty more at lower prices and a sale rack.

Tretchikoff’s ‘Zulu Woman’

Retro kitsch Maori waka lamp

A weekend in Mangawhai – Op shops, Markets, Retro Shop and Chocolate

Posted by on Jun 23, 2012 | 0 comments

We go up to the Mangawhai area quite often so let me share my favourite things to do while up there.

There is a St John’s op shop in Kaiwaka (that little town on SH1 that is decorated with lights), at the beginning of the Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road, on the right, next to the playground.  It is open Wed-Sat, opening at 9.30.  It is quite small and a lot cheaper than the Mangawhai one.  I haven’t found much there, but it’s worth popping in and checking out – I love my retro puzzles that I bought for 50c.  After you have a rummage, make sure you cross over SH1 and load up on cheese and other Dutch treats from the Dutch cheese shop.  We always eat so well when we’re up there.

Retro Jig-saw 50c!

Kaiwaka Dutch Cheese Shop

One of the great things about Mangawhai is that the op shop is open all weekend!  The bad thing about it is the Nanas in the op shop know their Trade Me prices so things can be a bit expensive.  There is a St John’s Ambulance op shop in Mangawhai, just next to the petrol station, that opens at 10am on both Saturday and Sunday.  It’s always worth a rummage, and there is some good vintage but it usually is costly.

Mangawhai Market

Saturday morning is market day at the hall (opposite the petrol station), starting at 9am, so make sure you stop in and load up on good bread, coffee, fresh vegetables and home-baked goodies.  I even get my jewellery cleaned there for $1 a piece.  This weekend they have started a ‘Junk and Disorderly’ market on Sunday afternoon from 1-4pm.  I’m going to check it out.

In the milder months, there is also a regular flea market/car boot sale on irregular Sunday mornings from 9am, with the next one starting on October 21, and usually finishing in April.  It is at the domain, which is on Moir Street.

Mangawhai Country Market

There is a great Retro Shop called Co-ollectables, not far from Mangawhai village, going back toward Kaiwaka on the Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road, just past Tara Road.  She has a wee shop attached to her house, so I guess that keeps prices down and there is always plenty I covet.  She has clothing, paintings, books, furniture and crockery and knick-knacks.  I really recommend it!  In the warmer months she is open Thurs-Sunday but I noticed that right at the moment she is open only on the weekends from 10am.

If you are in Mangawhai and you like chocolate, you must must must stop in at Bennetts Cafe – which is in the fab Bennetts Chocolate Factory building on Moir Street (sadly closed for June).  You will feel like you are in an imitation Tuscany, the building is lovely.  I just want to live there!  And the mochas and hot chocolates are out of this world!  They just stick a big block of real chocolate into your hot milk or coffee.  Rich and yum.

Bennetts Cafe

Bennetts Hot Chocolate -OMFG!

Then once you’ve loaded up with all the good food, done your vintage shopping, kick back and relax!  Mangawhai is wonderful for doing not much.

Happy caravan days!

Thrifting up a storm in Hawai’i

Posted by on May 15, 2012 | 0 comments

I can’t recommend enough The Big Island of Hawaii for a holiday.  We had a wonderful time relaxing, eating and swimming.  And op-shopping!  Everywhere I went there were op shops – Thrift Stores in American-speak.  Not only was I staying across the road from a beautiful beach with the American and the sprog, I averaged an op-shop/junk shop visit a day.

The beach we looked over

I wasn’t able to bring much back with me (this time, I might add).  As we were baby-wrangling on the plane, I felt less confident about hauling precious cargo in my hand luggage.   Pre-child I have brought all sorts of things home in my hand luggage, and have the fake ‘this bag is so light’ look down pat (when actually I have a dinner set tucked away).  But next time, I tell you, things will be different.  The sprog is going into wearing-earphone training and will just have to do with less toys!  Mummy needs vintage stuff!

If I lived there, life would be perfect…well except for having to work in a service industry as that’s where most of the jobs are.  But besides that, the weather is amazing, the beaches beautiful, the people seem friendly, it’s not too expensive – expensive in American terms, but about normal for us Kiwis, I could eat Poke (a Hawaiian-style sashimi) everyday, and miraculously I would drop three dress sizes because I’d just be eating fruit and raw fish.  There seemed to be two types of people in Hawaii – gorgeous, sun-tanned and six-packed, or those, as my American commented after trying to snorkel around them, that resembled barges in the water.  I am sure I would be in the former group once I got used to living there.

Poke from Da Poke Shack

Anyway I digress!  The main reason life would be perfect if I lived there is because of all the great vintage stuff I found but could not bring home with me.  So much vintage Hawaiiana that I loved but left behind.  Vintage hula lamps, seahorse white vases, random American tin signs, velvet paintings, vintage swimsuits and mumus, and mostly reasonably priced.  Imagine the house-load of treasures you could have if you lived there!  Garage sales were popular as well, but I couldn’t escape my entourage and check them out this time.

I’ll write again about some of the favourite spots for vintage hunting.  And I may as well pop in some favourite places for food and drink as some was amazing!  If you’re planning a holiday, get yourself to The Big Island – it was wonderful!

Retro Shop Titirangi: Fairy Flowers

Posted by on Mar 8, 2012 | 2 comments

I love it that there is a little corner of retro up the road from me.  My local flower shop in Titirangi village, Fairy Flowers also stocks a small collection of vintage and retro goods for sale.  She always has a number of 1950s Formica tables and vinyl chairs, she has some lovely Crown Lynn white ware, and I’ve even spied Lynch’s Tina in the window.  Her prices are quite reasonable, at the moment she has a lovely cream and pale yellow cracked ice Formica table for sale for $125.

Cracked-ice Formica table $125

If you’re on the way to Piha or stopping at one of the cafes for a coffee, pop over the road and check out Fairy Flowers, 423 Titirangi Road, as you might just come away with a funky find that doesn’t cost you too much, and a lovely bouquet of flowers.