Art & Culture

SJ revisits The Vintage Event

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We made our first visit to The Vintage Event since November and it made for a fun afternoon browsing. Making an appearance every second Sunday of the month at the Balham Bowls Club, February’s slot saw a wedding themed fair that went down very well. This month’s didn’t seem to have a particular theme but was chock-full of the usual clothing, accessories, furniture and miscellaneous items, plenty of which had good deals – £10 each, ‘2 for £15’ on items of clothing. Personally we’re more partial to home products and handbags – we’re not built for most vintage items – we could spend hours browsing items that are much easier to store/wear.

Particular favourite stalls include one held by a lovely lady named Barbara. She has spent the last few years cultivating a collection of brooches (above) and household items (she didn’t name her sources, fair play) to sell on. Among her collection we spotted a lot of glamourous gaming fare – Patience cards set, two packs of cards presented in an ornate box, poker dice, olive forks, fancy teaspoons and sweetie tins. Our little buy from this stall? This floral tea caddy, £6. No, we don’t need it, but that’s hardly the point.

The other notable stall this time is Joanie’s Junk, particularly the bags. Lots of detailing and handles featured; nothing you’ll really find on the high street.

The prices err on the higher end but don’t let that put you off – these bags will be earning you compliments for ages.

For more vintage delights, see our first review of The Vintage Event and our peek into Annie In The Attic.

Balham High Street: during the war

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Regular commuters and users of Balham underground station can’t fail to notice a plaque fixed discreetly to the wall between the escalators and barriers, commemorating those who died during the bomb attacks in World War II.

 

Copyright tezzer57 (flickr.com)

 

Then I came across this article of new pictures found from the devastating era, including two from Balham high street picturing the aftermath of the aforementioned bomb. It had happened in the dark and a double decker bus, not seeing the devastation, drove into the black hole created by the bomb.

The pictures make pretty horrifying viewing to say the least – the hundreds of businesses and lives ruined. Yet it’s also a fascinating scene of what Balham used to look like over 70 years ago. All very humbling.

Balham high street: keep on shopping

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Bonmarche closes next week, Lucas Bond closes next month. It’s not the best start to the year for Balham’s high street, that’s for sure. Shops come and go, that’s something to accept, but it’s what replaces them that is key to the make up of the main road.

Dare we say it, but Balham’s high street is losing some lustre. The last two high profile shop closures (M&S Simply Food and Woolworths) have seen bargain shops take up residence in their place. We’ve argued before that there’s nothing necessarily wrong with these shops, but when the high street is small enough as it is, we need as much variety as possible.

We would argue that Bonmarche wasn’t the best clothing shop for Balham anyway; a teensy bit dowdy where mid-length skirts are de rigour instead of a seasonal trend. What’s bound to replace it? We’re hoping another clothes shop to balance out the homeware and food shops, rather than compete against them.
One trend we’re noticing is organisations hiring space for afternoons, rather than renting out space. Pubs with the space to allow it are showcasing vintage fairs, car parks have markets and community spaces hold all manner of events. Where rents are increasing, these spaces give an opportunity to those who want to trade without the huge expense of a shop floor.

Whatever happens, the message is clear. We need to keep spending locally. This post isn’t meant to be preachy, but just voicing concern. Besides, there’s still plenty in Balham to get very excited about…
Let us know your thoughts about the state of Balham’s high street by leaving a comment below, and what you’d like to replace Bonmarche.

Resolutions you’ll want to keep

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Hands up who’s wanted to sneak under their desk for a nap at work this week? We’ve been so used to the Christmas break and its acceptance of afternoon drinking/grazing that going back to work is difficult enough, let alone having to stick to restrictive new year’s resolutions that are mostly misery-inducing (6am runs, no carbs for a month? No thanks).

We love healthy eating and we love keeping fit but all in moderation, please, which is why we’ve been on the hunt for fun resolutions to keep that don’t require starving yourself. We’re talking low-maintenance, high satisfaction.

WRITE

Chalk The Sun is a team of two teachers who run a series of writing workshops in the evenings and at weekends at the Balham Bowls Club (that place again. Seriously, they have everything there). Whether you’re a beginner or looking to further your skills, whether it’s a novel or script-writing, there’s a class tailored to it. Buy a batch of five classes and attend a class at anytime – you’re not restricted to certain times. If you don’t want to commit, you can buy a ‘taster’ class for £20. The chilled out surroundings of the BBC make these classes feel more laid back than the chilly atmosphere of a conventional classroom.

BAKE

If the domestic life is more your thing, the recently-opened Dee’s Bakery features Dee’s Academy, which will offer baking classes and workshops from cupcake decorating to more elaborate cakes that’ll look too good to eat (well, almost), like the one below. Starting on 14th January you can sign up for the ‘covering a cake and modelling’ class to learn tricks like getting your icing smooth, and making models to sit on top (£120, 5 hours). For a kid friendly option, Dee is starting to hold children’s parties (2 hours 30 mins, £25 per child – private studio hire) where kids can learn how to make pizza bases and make decorations for cupcakes. We wish we were kids again!

REVAMP

Sometimes sprucing up your home is as good as moving, which is where the London Property Makeover comes in. They run afternoon sessions most Saturdays in different locations including the BBC and Lavish Habit, which focus on giving your home a new lease of life. You’ll be given tips on colour matching, fabric mixing, lighting and other ideas to help you on your way. A ticket costs £60 and classes run from 1:30pm-4pm.

Charitable hobbies

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Aside from eating, drinking and shopping, SwishJunction likes to dabble in a hobby or two. And how pleasing that Balham and the surrounding area is able to indulge this, especially housed in our fab charity shops. This wonderful age of the internet means we can pretty much do everything and anything online but sometimes it’s nice to shut down the computer, get out in town and get social, while embracing your cultural side. We’ve not been to the following events ourselves but watch out for reviews in the future.

Oxfam on Balham High Road holds a book club once a month. The next session is 7th December at 7:30pm in their shop. The next book is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. You don’t have to sign up and there’s no fee (but a donation or mini book spree in store would always be welcome I’m sure). Pictured are our recent Oxfam Bookshop buys – we’re busy on 7th (gotta love the Christmas social scene) but think that this is a serious contender for a weekday social night in January.

 

Trinity Hospice, also on Balham High Road, until recently held a weekly knitting group in their shop but with the departure on their manager their sessions have ceased. We’ve since found out that their Streatham Hill Branch holds a knitting session every Wednesday from 6pm-8pm for £3. Knit and pearl among like-minded locals and share and receive tips. Their stores also stock a healthy supply of wool to invest in your hobby. Admittedly SwishJunction is a seasonal knitter who is in need of a little more guidance so this sounds right up our street.