SHOPPE KEEPER ~ Hungerford, Berkshire

We sell from a little unit tucked in a corner at the top of the stairs on the first floor of  The Emporium in Hungerford, Bershire. It's only a tiny nook so our mission is to find small Object of Desires to fill it.

A few items which we have sold at Mrs Blacks. 

For those who do not know The Emporium it is in the High Street in Hungerford, Berkshire. It's a lovely old building full of found, rescued and restored treasures of over 30 antique and vintage dealers.
   website of The Emporium



You can always find interesting and beautiful vintage items at The Emporium. 

Items at The Emporium are displayed so well by all the dealers. 

We were so tempted to buy this lovely cat! 

We love Hungerford and feel very lucky to be able to live in the area. The town has a little bit of everything,  history, many old buildings including the Arts and Crafts style Town Hall, lots of antiques, a wonderful florist (Martin and the Magpie), fabulous bookstore, (Hungerford Bookshop), Hungerford Bookshop,  cookshop and plenty of places to eat and drink.  Martin and The Magpie (love the name!) have their own blog with lots of  inspirational style and colour.
Martin and The Magpie

One of the most interesting shops in Hungerford is 'Below Stairs'. It's a warren of little rooms, all filled with carefully curated displays of furniture, china, brass and fascinating objects. They have a fabulous collection of vintage light and light fittings, incredible old signs and lots of garden items in their outside yard.  They have a fabulous old tin tub full of water lilies and frogs who live in the yard.



Below Stairs of Hungerford

Phew! Exhausted now after all of these photos, must go and have a cup of tea (in vintage cups of course!) and a cat nap! 

DESIGN ~ The Call of the Wild

Handmade by French designer, Frederique Morrel

The tapestry stag head at Amy Nicholas


Last season major design hits were stags, antlers and owls. I resisted the call of the wild and did not purchase any of them. I now regret it as Autumn is upon us and Winter is waiting in the wings.

For some reason when thoughts turn to making a cosy nest for winter it is nice to bring some of the outside in. I guess it is akin to having fresh flowers all Spring and Summer, instead we have fallen leaves, seed heads, pine cones, a wood pile, Stags, Owls and those Black Forest fairytales Hansel and Gretel and of course Little Red Riding Hood.

I really really love the one off tapestry heads of Frederique Morrel but there is no way us mere mortals can strecth to the price tag (a mere £1,500.) on them. Even though they are handmade and worth the small fortune. I ought to finish the studio being built in our back garden and then perhaps I can experiment with the huge pile of vintage fabric I have until I figure out how to make one.

On clear nights we have a Tawny Owl calling outside our bedroom window, much to the consternation of the nesting Jackdaws and the cats who curl up tight on the foot of the bed. Our tiny cottage is full of Owls, the husband has collected them since his Winnie The Pooh Hundred Acre Wood days spent with Wol and Christopher Robin.
 
The one kind we lack is a lamp. It would be nice to have one solemnly lighting up one of the dark spooky corners.

Of course because I did not buy one when they were about they seem to have mostly vanished now, and I even let that great vintage one escape at the The Emporium, Hungerford when it was right under my nose!



Here are some of my favourites, many of which are sadly no longer available.

Fierce and stately Owl from Graham and Greene

Some particularly nice pottery ows which were on Etsy,
but they would not have worked on UK electricity. 

The most perfect little Owl lamp
but no idea where he is being sold.

Fabulous design by Scusi, available through London store Mint,
Mint London

I suppose I could paper one wall with some fabulous Owl wallpaper to cheer me through winter while I continue the search for an Owl lamp and wile away the time stabbing myself with pins trying to make a Stag head from scraps of vintage velvets and carpet.

Paper by the fantastically talented Abigail Edwards
Her website

This gold bramblewood one is my kind of 'Whoooooo', a little scary and definitley asking for some resepct,  but she also does another one called 'Owls of the British Isles' which I quite like as well.

Wall paper design by Abigail Edwards
 

NATURE ~ Amazing Rare Things

Sometimes you find the most amazing rare things in everyday life - as long as you remember to keep your eyes open for them! 

Our House Martins who have made their nests on our cottage are beginning to fledge. This is the last nest with young ones yet to venture out. Soon they will join their parents and relatives swooping acorss the nearby fields and one day they will all join up on a roof or a wire, and then begin their long journey of many thousands of miles to Africa where they winter. This nest is just above a bedroom window and even at night you can hear them shirping and chattering. I love that sound and always look forward to the return of the Swallows, Swifts and House Martins. I will miss them and even though I am a winter person each year when they take wing a little part of me goes with them.

We were in Hungerford yesterday to visit our unit at The Emporium. We added a new shelf unit to display items. It had been dark wood and we painted it a pale blue-grey. My Great Grandmother had one which got passed down the family and finally sadly disappeared. She always called it a 'what-not' shelf. I'm not sure where that comes from but have never heard it said in England. Has anyone else heard this?

I can never resist having a look around the other dealer units at the Emporium, and rarely escape without buying something. We all joke that our homes must be full of each others things! As it is August and the days are filled with flowers in full bloom I was drawn to this Chintz, so very pretty and well displayed here. I do love the one with the Chicken.

Late summer for me is all about blooms and the last efforts of flowers and insects to enjoy what sunshine we have left. I'm with them there! No wonder I was drawn to all things floral as if to celebrate the end of summer.

We have this wonderful little hand painted pottery cat from Portugal in our unit. Mrs Black does not want to part with him as she collects cats but he really needs a good home. We also had an Owl and they looked like they might become The Owl and The Pussycat, but someone bought the Owl and now this cat is lonely. Isn't he cute?

This tiny Italian hand painted chest of drawers is beautiful and it is only £20.00. I can see many uses for it, holding precious pieces of jewelry, as a button/bead store or just to display on a table where the light would catch it. Such pretty colours and so delicate.

The vintage display I mentiioned in another post (with that super Black Cat  Lamp!) also has this Owl lamp (at £68.00) which the men amongst us must covet as it would be fabulous in a study or corner of the sitting room devoted to books and tv. It would light up a dark hall. Actually I covet it too!

In keeping with blooms and rare and amazing things we have this book by David Attenborough for £10.00. It's in perfect condition, like new. We have a selection of second hand books, some old and some never used, all at very reasonable prices. We thought this Portmeirion jug complimented it. I'd love to have someone do some murals on a wall from this book or pottery. The Passion Flower on the cover is so exquisite!  Amazing Rare Things

It was totally appropriate that we had a Butterfly adventure as we left Hungerford. There have been so few seen this summer due to all the rain and wind and as we strolled past one of our favourite shops called  Peppermint and Cream   there in the window was the most perfect Peacock Butterfly trying it's best to get out. A small crowd of Lepidopterologists (for that is what those who study Butterflys and Moths are called) had gathered and were snapping photos and calling for it's release. Fortunately the kind shop keeper took pity and moved many objects in order to get into her large window and rescue the Butterfly. Upon release it landed on my husband's shirt and we ended up walking up the street with it to try to release it into a garden. Off it flew. Such a beautiful uplifting sight.

And when we arrived home what should greet us in our garden but another Peacock sitting on our Butterfly Bush.

SHOPPE KEEPER ~ The Emporium new vintage selections

The Emporium in Hungerford, Berkshire

Part of the new vintage display

We have a new vintage display at The Emporium. It's in the middle of the room at the back of the ground floor and adds a lot of fun and colour to the room. Lots of lovely things I'd like to take home with me and a good selection of cards as well.


Really love this black cat lamp and Mrs Black does too. It's very Kim Novack in Bell, Book and Candle. (One of our favourite films!)

The very stunning Kim Novack and the cat that played Pyewacket in the film.

Some classic vintage handbag finds -

This black top hat with the scarf and butterfly brings back happy memories of Fleetwood Mac concerts when Stevie Nicks enchanted us in hers. This looks fabulous with the black dress and lashings of pearls. 

Stevie Nicks in her top hat and feathers

The main display, it's so pretty!

SHOPPE KEEPER ~ A Bit of This n That

What weather that we have in England, from rain and grey skies to very warm and sunny. It seems impossible that just a few days ago nothing was blooming and now the garden is bursting with colour. I love these gentle Aquilegias in such soft shades.

There is something quite fairy like about them. They self seed everywhere and surprise you when they come up the following year.

Mrs Black has been chasing the country mice, a favourite game of hers. I've been busy painting in the garden as although I do have a tiny studio all the prepartion work is done outside to avoid dust getting everywhere so summer is a very busy time. It was so hot that the paint was drying as I brushed it on!

Pale green towel rail to keep, not to sell

Some of the lovely items at The Emporium this week.

We're selling an old dressing table mirror in a beautiful pale lilac

Can you see that the back paper says 'Love' ?

A divine china hand painted little bird, at £12.00 I am very tempted!
This unit owner always has lovely tags with descriptions on their items.  

Stunning art deco coffee table!

If Mrs Black had been with me she's have insisted I bought this charming cat with
ball of wool figure. So sweet and lifelike.

Pretty creamy coloured hand painted chest of drawers

A bit Alice in Wonderland, I love this giant key and pale pink Lloyd Loom chair.