You would find me dressed up like Theda Bara, under the lilac tree administering tea, to a distinguished audience of teddies & dolls, the love of kitsch and kohl has never left.

As every vintage lover will know, there is nothing better than finding some hidden treasure in a flea market or thrift store. In the 70’s, jumble sales were the fountain of all things vintage. Every Saturday I would get up early and traipse out to a village hall to be first in line. It was elbows at the ready to barge your way forward for the best bargains, and bargains they were! I can remember coming away with some serious hauls with change from a pound. So the collecting began..

In those days I wore all the gorgeous frocks I found, usually until they disintegrated, or the moth won the battle. There was always something more desirable, some wonderful pieces were exchanged and there was a lot of wheeling & dealing, the Vintage shops back then were overflowing with some incredible clothing.

Over the years my collection travelled with me, or got packed into tea chests, to be re-discovered like old friends on return.

I have lived in Spain for many years and have continued collecting and in 2017 opened my shop Vintage Xaló in the beautiful Valencian Community.

Although Xaló is a small village, the rastro on a Saturday morning has put it firmly on the map. A rastro is best described as a flea market selling every kind of antique and vintage item you can think of and a lot of other stuff, that often defies description. A walk through it is an experience in itself.

Vintage Xaló is located very near to the place where the market is held each Saturday. At various times over the years since it started I have had a stall in the market and tried to sell some clothing there, but it never really worked, it has taken a while for the idea to become popular in Spain. When we first opened the shop, I wasn’t sure how it would go. I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised and the positive comments have been phenomenal

Now we begin a new page in our vintage story with the launching of our online store. We will be offering some wonderful vintage clothes & accessories, together with my partner Justin’s Rock Photos, which can also be viewed on his website http://www.justinthomasphotography.co.uk We will also have vinyls and other music ephemera and who knows what else we will find.. the collection is only just beginning.