Ex-Londoner starts first car boot sale in Houston, Texas
Posted: April 10, 2012 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, News | Tags: baked goods, china, craft, Essex, garage sale, Houston, Maureen Clairday, MJ car boot sale, Texas, Tottenham Leave a commentMaureen Clairday launched “the only car boot sale in Texas” in Houston in January after being inspired by a sale in Essex.
Clairday says she launched the MJ Car Boot Sale, after the number of garage sales in her local area started to decrease because of a rise in the number of burglaries.
Maureen Clairday
The vendors at her sale sell china, craft and baked goods. Clairday is also offering free space to charities interested in fundraising. She says that the sale was becoming increasingly popular despite initial difficulty convincing locals to come.
In case you missed predictions week…
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, News Leave a comment
Last week we asked experts and car boot fans what they thought was in store for the car boot community in 2012.
On Monday we picked the up-and-coming car boots to visit.
Tuesday saw car boot organisers tell us what they thought would sell this year.
On Wednesday we listed the markets to check out this year.
We brought you a list of the best online car boot directories on Thursday.
Finally, on Friday we asked whether the future of carbooting is online.
Hope you enjoyed it!
2012 predictions week: is the future of the car boot sale online?
Posted: February 3, 2012 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, News 3 CommentsIn the final installment of our predictions for 2012, carbooted discusses whether the future of the car boot sale is on Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook group, London’s Car Boot Sale, has 80 members and is one of a growing number of online car boot sales. Sellers post photos and descriptions of their wares on the group and buyers comment below with how much they are willing to offer.
The group is different to auction websites like eBay. Not only do buyers and sellers have to meet up to trade their goods after a price has been accepted online, but also because its organisers don’t take a cut of your sale.
NO LOCAL CAR BOOT
Tony Glenn Marshall, from Maidenhead started the group, along with another for Dorchester. The novice car booter says he decided to make it when his girlfriend couldn’t find a local car boot sale.
He says, “I wasn’t part of the car boot community until I set up my community on Facebook. Where we live, we have no local car boot sales open until March and I wanted to make some extra cash selling my unwanted goods.
“When I started London’s Car Boot Sale, I was amazed by the amount of people requesting to be a member. I knew this could be something much bigger with the right marketing.”
FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME
Mr Marshall started promoting the site via Blogger and Twitter and says that now they have lots of cheap items for sale on the group.
He says, “You’re never too far from a good bargain. I have seen TV’s, bikes, push chairs and game consoles sell very cheaply.
“I think online car booting is the future. It saves you time because you don’t need to load your car and then unload your car when you get to the car boot. It’s also free to all buyers and sellers, so that is a huge benefit to both parties. Plus, the best thing about car booting on Facebook is that you do it all in the comfort of your own home.”
LACKS COMMUNITY FEEL
Steve Beastall thinks that car booting online “misses the point” and “take the pleasure out of it”. A member of the London Car Boot Company, he runs three of London’s most popular car boots – two in Kilburn and one in Stoke Newington.
He says, “The pleasure of going to a car boot sale is the interaction. There’s that community feel.
“In the past car boots have attracted lots of people who are on the poverty line, but now wealthier people are getting into carbooting and they’re coming for the experience. They want to sell and have a haggle.”
He also thinks that when car booting online you also run the risk of “bitter disappointment” when you see the good in real life.
He says, “You need to pick something up and handle it to know you want it.”
Who do you agree with?
Kate Lloyd
2012 predictions week: the most up-to-date online car boot directories
Posted: February 2, 2012 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, Hints and Tips, News | Tags: 2012 predictions, car boot, car boot junction, car boots r us, date, directory, find, place, time, your booty 1 CommentYour Booty, Car Boot Junction, Car Boots R Us and Car Boot: 2012 predictions week continues with the online car boot directories you will be using to track down your local this year.
Established back in 2006, Your Booty is a directory that lists car boot sales across the UK. Receiving over two million views a year, it has become an invaluable tool for tracking down not just car boots but antiques fairs and charity events. Simple to use, just choose your local area from a drop down menu and scroll through the results to find a sale that’s right for you. Users are able to rate fairs and markets and each review is packed with useful information about times, costs, parking and facilities.
With over 1600 UK car boot sales listed, Car Boot Junction covers the lot. Prospective car booters can search for their nearest sales by town, county or by postcode via Google Maps – type in an address and up pops a list of the 25 nearest sales. As well as an extensive directory, the Junction hosts a forum for carbooters to swap tips, give advice and review fairs. Look out for Car Boot Classics – a cheeky look at those seemingly useless items that always turn up at car boot sales. Foot spa anyone?
Not just limited to the UK, Car Boots R Us includes international market listings in case you feel like doing a little second hand shopping while on holiday. Whether it’s a garage sale in the USA or a mercato delle pulci (that’s flea market to you and me) in Italy, use the global directory to plan your trip around your favourite hobby – car booting!
If you’re looking for more than just a car boot directory, then Car Boot is the site for you. As well as impressive online listings, carbooters can keep up to date with all things second hand with Car Boot News. Just log in and sign up to the RSS feed to hear about the latest goings on in car boot sales across the UK, as well as more light-hearted stories about treasures people have found rummaging around in their local ‘boots.
Sophie Tighe
2012 predictions week: the top five markets worth checking out this year
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, Hints and Tips, News | Tags: 2012 predictions, adams antique fairs, affordable, Antiques, bargain, chelsea, clothing, flea markets, frock me, hackney, hackney homemade, jane mcintyre, jewellery, judy, kilo, london, matthew adams, sales, sellers, the affordable vintage fashion fair, time out, town hall, traders, vintage, walthamstow, wood street indoor market 1 CommentHackney Homemade, Wood Street Indoor Market, Frock Me, Judy’s kilo sales, and Little Chelsea: in the latest post of our 2012 predictions week, carbooted picks out five London markets you should visit on a bargain hunt.
Frock Me and Adams Antiques Fairs
Image via McMuggins
Every Saturday, Lower Clapton Road, E5, 10am-4pm; Every Sunday, Chatsworth Road, E5, 11am-4pm
The Hackney Homemade markets are back up and running after a well-earned Christmas break. On Saturdays you’ll find them in the garden of St John church in Hackney selling good old-fashioned bric-a-brac alongside vintage clothing and books. There’s also a good choice of world food to fill your belly as you browse. Sundays are the artier days, promising ceramics, toys, and furniture in the courtyard of an independent book shop. As the name suggests, there’s a lovely handmade ethos to the markets, and they’re clearly doing something right as Time Out named founder Jane MacIntyre one of their most influential people of 2011. We love the clear advice that their friendly and welcoming website gives for people wanting to sell their wares at the market, telling you exactly what you need to know before pitching up.
Wood Street, E17
Open Monday – Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 10am-5.30pm
We’re really excited to check out the goods here after organisers ran a competition to find 21 brand new shops for empty space in this Walthamstow market. The winners get three months free rent, and there’s a love-themed launch party on February 11 to say a big hello to the new kids in town. There’ll be flowers, homeware, records, costumes, and plenty of vintage to browse as well as performances in the indoor market, which used to be a cinema.
Frock Me and Adams Antique Fairs
Frock Me: Chelsea Town Hall, King’s Road, SW3. Next event: Sunday 12 February, 11am-5.30pm
Adams Antique Fairs: Elverton Street, SW1P. Next event: Sunday 5 February, 10am-4.30pm
Matthew Adams runs an antique fair at the Royal Horticultural Hall as well as the fun vintage Frock Me fair in Chelsea. Frock Me is excellent for celeb spotting (Hi Kylie! Hi Kate Moss!), and the prices do get a little steep at times. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do well on a budget as you explore the range of vintage clothing, burlesque items, jewellery and accessories, and there’s a tea room to quench your thirst in retro surroundings. The antiques fair attracts 140 stallholders so you could easily spend your entire Sunday lost among some real gems.
Moves around! Next event: The Rag Factory, Heneage Street, E1, on Saturday 11 February, 11am-4pm
Load up on a kilo of clothing for only £15 – bargain! You’ll need your rummaging arms at the ready for this sale, run by the team behind Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fairs. As well as finding your new favourite shirt, this one’s a great opportunity to get crafty as you can turn old cloth into new togs, or rework a fantastic fabric into an e-reader cover/purse/neck scarf/pillowcase…
Chelsea Town Hall, King’s Road, SW3
Next event: Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 March. 3-8pm on Monday, 11am-6pm on Tuesday.
This one calls itself “the affordable antiques fair”, so it’s a great way of making your first steps into antique buying for as little as a tenner. Steer clear of the items they say could cost as much as £30,000 – unless you’ve come into some incredible good fortune – and get haggling in the surrounds of Chelsea’s Old Town Hall. Here’s a long-running fair for furnishings, porcelain, glass… You name it, it’s probably there.
Helen Lawson
2012 predictions week: the top five up-and-coming car boot sales in London
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, Hints and Tips, News | Tags: 2012 predictions, Brixton Flea Market, car boot sales, Chelsea Walk-in, flea markets, london, new, Princess May School, Purley Indoor, vintage, William Morris 1 CommentChelsea Walk-in, Brixton Flea Market, Princess May School, Purley Indoor and William Morris: in the first post of our week of predictions for 2012, carbooted brings you the top five up-and-coming car boot sales in London.
Photo via Urban 75
Station Road, SW9
Held on the first Saturday of each month, open to shoppers 10am – 4pm
Station Road was once the site of a one of London’s most popular car boot sales, attracting thousands of sellers. Since November it has become home to one of London’s newest flea markets, The Brixton Flea Market.
As well as loads of second hand bargains, there are stalls offering Jamaican, Caribbean & Guyanese street food and an American cake stall (the pumpkin pie comes highly recommended).
Chelsea Theatre – Worlds End Place, Kings Road, Chelsea, SW10
Every Sunday, open to shoppers 1pm – 4pm
You’ve heard of drive-in cinemas; now visit the walk-in boot sale at Chelsea Theatre – no car needed. This sale will celebrate its first birthday this year and carbooted predicts it’ll go from strength to strength. Make sure you bring a rain coat if you’re selling though, because as well as no cars, there’s no shelter at all.
Don’t be put off by the up-market surroundings. Posh neighbourhoods mean expensive goods at bargain prices. Keep your eyes peeled for a pair of Spencer from Made in Chelsea’s underpants.
Princess May School Car Boot Sale
Princess May School, Princess May Road, Stoke Newington, N16
Held on the last Sunday of the Month, open to shoppers 9am – 2pm
This Princess May School Car Boot Sale is an old favourite, attracting over a thousand buyers every week. It is now host to the Lovable Vintage Collectors Market, focusing on the retro side of things, as well as collectible vinyl. The team behind it have more than 15 years’ experience running car boots in St Augustine’s and St Mary’s Schools in Kilburn. Carbooted is confident this sale is going to be a success in 2012.
St Mark’s Church Hall, Church Road, Purley, CR8
Saturday 28th January 2012, open to shoppers 10.00am – 12pm
Okay, this one’s pretty far out of the city centre, and it’s not regular (after January there’s nothing planned until March). But seasoned car booters will know that the more obscure car boot sales are often untapped mines for bargain hunters. So keep this one under your hat. As long as it doesn’t become a regular fixture and the London crowd don’t find out about it, it could be a good spot for exciting finds this year.
The William Morris Car Boot Sale
Oakside Stadium,Station Road, Barkingside IG6
Every Sunday, open to shoppers 6.30am – 1pm
This one’s been a way for a few months, but it’s planned to reopen in February. So make sure you’re there for the first sale of 2012. It’ll be the first sale since Christmas so make the most of people getting rid of the presents they couldn’t give house room.
It’s a hard ground venue, so no need to worry if the winter weather takes a turn for the worst. Also, it gets an extra thumbs-up for donating the majority of the admission fee to the William Morris School for children with special needs.
Tom Allsop
Mary Portas says car boot sales need to move to the high street – do you agree?
Posted: January 12, 2012 Filed under: Community, News Leave a commentMary Portas is calling for car boots to have a place on the nation’s high streets. Do you agree?
Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme in December, the retail expert said: “We’ve got car boot sales in some really horrible car parks off the M25. Why would you go there? Put them on the high street. It makes absolute sense.”
Do you think you’d make more money selling on the high street?
Kate Lloyd
Shooting Star CHASE, car boot for charity, November 2011
Posted: November 15, 2011 Filed under: Car boot sales, Community, News | Tags: Antiques, car boot, car boot for charity, Carbooted, charity, charity shops, Chiswick, Chiswick Car Boot Sale, Chiswick Community School, ebay, jewellery, Richmond, sales, sellers, Shooting Star CHASE, traders 5 Comments
Car boot sales are not only a great way of making extra cash for yourself, they’re also a good way of raising money for charity.
carbooted went to one of the busiest stalls at Chiswick Car Boot Sale and spoke to Lynda Daroga, coordinator of the Richmond branch of Shooting Star CHASE children’s hospice service.
Lynda told us how she and her group raised £45,000 for the charity last year, and that they were hoping to raise hundreds of pounds by selling DVDs, clothes and loads of jewellery at the car boot.
Find out more about Shooting Star CHASE here.
Wimbledon Car Boot Sale – 24 October 2011
Posted: October 26, 2011 Filed under: Car boot sales, News | Tags: car boot, charity shops, ebay, jewellery, sales, wimbledon, wimbledon car boot sale Leave a commentcarbooted went to Wimbledon Car Boot Sale, which is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, making it one of London’s most prolific car boot venues.
Mike Collins, who runs the show, said: “Car boots are better than eBay and antiques shops. People are starting to realise that this is the way forward.”
We also met Leo, who comes every week and is the proud owner of more than 3,000 brooches, which she has collected over 25 years. She said: “Every so often, I’ll pick up a pendant just because I like how it looks. Then I find out the chain is made of gold, so I cash it in and spend the money on another brooch!”
Fancy ‘booting for a good cause this weekend?
Posted: October 21, 2011 Filed under: Car boot sales, News | Tags: car boot, charity, epsom, sales 1 Comment
A car boot sale is being held in the staff car park at Epsom Hospital on Sunday 23 October to raise money for the Epsom Medical Equipment fund.
The staff car park is located on Dorking Road and the sale will run from 9am to 12.30pm with refreshments supplied by Burgergrill.
Entry for buyers is by donation to the fund which has so far raised more than £3 million for the hospital, paying for equipment ranging from CT scanners to pillows.
For more information click here.
carbooted 