I am a girl suffering from a major case of wanderlust, the only problem is I’m a poor student, therefore my metaphorical wings have been clipped and I’m forced to remain on the isle of my birth. Due to my emaciated wallet I have made it my mission to seek out the weird and wonderful right here in my home country, which is what led myself and my boyfriend, Dave to Leamington Spa one typically windy spring day.
Prior to my trip when I thought of Leamington Spa my mind instantly pictured an attractive street, lined with regency style white washed main stream shops. I thought there had to be more to this elegant Georgian town, as it felt to me all at once incredibly chic, yet there was an old feeling underlying it, almost like an old set of bones with newly polished skin. So I decided to traipse all around it in search for the most charming vintage spots.
Here are the top places from our day:
Blighty Bazaar
Rosie’s Vintage Tea Shop
After spending an obscene amount of the morning winding around the vintage labyrinth, the clock struck one and we had grown rather hungry. Just a short jaunt away we stumbled across Rosie’s Vintage Tea Shop, a quaint little tea room with walls the colour of an ice cream parlour counter. We were greeted by smiling waitresses in little floral aprons and showed to a table for two. An extensive menu of loose teas sat upon the lace cloth, we could travel the world right from the delicate little china cups, with teas from Japan, Russia to South Africa. The tea room felt like the 1940’s and modern Parisian style mixed together in a harmonious cocktail, with the tasteful walls lined with vintage crockery and postcard wallpaper that appeared to be fresh out of a Parisian boutique. We could have easily been sat in a French café in the 40’s. However, one quick look out the window shook us out of our reverie and reminded us of the location, and the task we had came here to fulfil.
Berylune
With our stomachs satisfied we continued our little quest. The next place was hard to miss, it’s daffodil yellow painted front stuck out amongst the surrounding whites and creams, it’s sunshine face beckoning us inside. It was a squeeze to enter, given that the shop is literally no more than ten feet wide and there were already a few patrons browsing. Selling everything from homeware, to modern crafts we couldn’t help but be charmed by the pint-sized store. Despite it’s tiny size, we found ourselves gazing for ages at the little objects perched on the shelves. A rainbow of 1960’s corded telephones lined one wall, colours ranging all across the spectrum, in another corner typewriters sat on wooden crates, reborn as shelving units. It was a truly magical store that combined modern day style with the key staples of the vintage era.
The Stagey Fox
The last place on our list was quite a wonderfully strange one indeed. Foxes embellished every object within the store, cushions, t-shirts, stationary, you name it, it had a fox on it. Old jazz music fluttered from the speakers as we ambled around taking in the unusual sights. Toward the back of the store it appeared to transform into what felt like a theatre dressing room, old posters of well loved musicals and plays and the smell of cinnamon lingered throughout the air. The shop felt all at once homely, yet entirely surreal boasting such an unusual bevy of items, it was hard for us not to love this place.
Prior to my trip when I thought of Leamington Spa my mind instantly pictured an attractive street, lined with regency style white washed main stream shops. I thought there had to be more to this elegant Georgian town, as it felt to me all at once incredibly chic, yet there was an old feeling underlying it, almost like an old set of bones with newly polished skin. So I decided to traipse all around it in search for the most charming vintage spots.
Here are the top places from our day:
Fresh off the bus and ready to start our adventure we decided to make our way over to Blighty Bazaar. The website boasted a whole bevy of things, from handmade garments to vintage memorabilia, so neither of us really knew what to expect before we walked through those standard shop glass doors. What awaited us upon stepping inside was a feast for the old soul residing within me. Countless number of stalls were set up throughout, some boasting clothing from the fashionable 1960’s, suitcases from World War 2, then around the corner pop culture items from the 1990’s. It almost felt as though every corner we turned we stepped into a different time period, Leamington Spa’s own little time machine.
After spending an obscene amount of the morning winding around the vintage labyrinth, the clock struck one and we had grown rather hungry. Just a short jaunt away we stumbled across Rosie’s Vintage Tea Shop, a quaint little tea room with walls the colour of an ice cream parlour counter. We were greeted by smiling waitresses in little floral aprons and showed to a table for two. An extensive menu of loose teas sat upon the lace cloth, we could travel the world right from the delicate little china cups, with teas from Japan, Russia to South Africa. The tea room felt like the 1940’s and modern Parisian style mixed together in a harmonious cocktail, with the tasteful walls lined with vintage crockery and postcard wallpaper that appeared to be fresh out of a Parisian boutique. We could have easily been sat in a French café in the 40’s. However, one quick look out the window shook us out of our reverie and reminded us of the location, and the task we had came here to fulfil.
With our stomachs satisfied we continued our little quest. The next place was hard to miss, it’s daffodil yellow painted front stuck out amongst the surrounding whites and creams, it’s sunshine face beckoning us inside. It was a squeeze to enter, given that the shop is literally no more than ten feet wide and there were already a few patrons browsing. Selling everything from homeware, to modern crafts we couldn’t help but be charmed by the pint-sized store. Despite it’s tiny size, we found ourselves gazing for ages at the little objects perched on the shelves. A rainbow of 1960’s corded telephones lined one wall, colours ranging all across the spectrum, in another corner typewriters sat on wooden crates, reborn as shelving units. It was a truly magical store that combined modern day style with the key staples of the vintage era.
The last place on our list was quite a wonderfully strange one indeed. Foxes embellished every object within the store, cushions, t-shirts, stationary, you name it, it had a fox on it. Old jazz music fluttered from the speakers as we ambled around taking in the unusual sights. Toward the back of the store it appeared to transform into what felt like a theatre dressing room, old posters of well loved musicals and plays and the smell of cinnamon lingered throughout the air. The shop felt all at once homely, yet entirely surreal boasting such an unusual bevy of items, it was hard for us not to love this place.
