A Jaunt to Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair

With Miss DixieBelle Loves Glasgow launching this week, I was excited to see a fabulous retro shopping event arrive in the city this weekend to help get local bombshells in the mood! Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair is the UK’s leading vintage market, and was born nine years ago in Yorkshire. Fast-forward to today, it tours 30-plus cities in the UK with a curated selection of the very best sellers in original vintage - boasting purse-friendly and unique items from one-off fashion pieces to quirky homewares.

On Saturday, Judy’s fair was held in The Briggait - a mere hop skip and jump from the city centre and a beautiful building with roots in Glasgow of well over 100 years. The prospect of rummaging in an Aladdin’s cave of vintage treasure was enough to tempt this gal to brave the cold, wet and windy day and hot foot it down to Bridgegate. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t enough to put off other dedicated fashionistas and the event was bustling with shoppers hoping to snap up something awesome.

After we arrived, Elaine and I found somewhere quiet to leave our dripping umbrellas and got stuck into our first lap around the vendors. Sequins, faux furs and platforms - oh my! We are certainly no strangers to vintage fairs, but what sets Judy’s apart for me is the sheer range of pieces (with goods spanning from 1920s to 1980s) and the quality of vintage goods available is very impressive. You won’t find any ex-Primark stock being passed off as vintage here!

Notable stalls included Goodbye Norma Jean, Modex (more on them in a minute!) and of course my favourite styling sisters over at Miss DixieBelle were there to provide hair and make-up magic to some local ladies. Under the bunting, we browsed goodies like pre-loved denim, beyond fabulous coats, hats for days and stacks of vintage luggage - all set to a pretty damn cool soundtrack provided courtesy of gramophone DJ Lord Hollyrude.

We couldn’t pass up some bright 80’s geometric-style earrings at Modex’s stall. They reminded me a bit of Mannequin‘s Hollywood Montrose and I was pretty sure if he was around to see them he would have actively encouraged us to buy them too (HONEY!)! At 2 pairs for £5 we picked out a pair each. Also at Modex, Elaine discovered a cute cerise frock with a bow and a pleated skirt for a mere £20 - score!

Delicious treats were supplied by The Travelling Tearoom - I remembered them being a massive hit at last Summer’s Vintage Festival and at Judy’s they didn’t disappoint with a table filled to the brim with cakes and bakes. I couldn’t resist their Victoria sponge - light, airy and sweet - yum!

So what makes shopping at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair different to a trip to your local thrift store? Well, in addition to sourcing a group of high-quality, reputable sellers and bringing them to your city, Judy’s also creates an enjoyable and relaxed event around vintage shopping. No high-pressure sales, no elbowing and plenty of room and time to wander around. The concept of the fair being affordable also plays a big part, with reasonable prices applied throughout the market. You won’t have to pick up your jaw after reading the price tags!

After spending a few hours enjoying the fair, we headed back out into the rain (boo!) and passed lots of people arriving to enjoy the last hour or two. It was a fun afternoon, and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled during Judy’s next tour for a date in Glasgow!

Have you shopped at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair? What is your dream vintage find? Would you deem Hollywood Montrose a style icon?

Wishing everywhere had bunting,

Miss West End Girl x