Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

So we are signing off for 2011, been a busy year and we are so excited to have started to build our new business.

 

The year ended on a bit of a sour note though as someone posted nasty comments on our facebook, we were extremely hurt and upset by this especially since none of the comments were true and were quite unpleasant, so sorry if anyone was upset if you happen to have read them, we would hope anyone who knows us would know that none of these things were true and that anyone who does not know us would not judge us based on these untruths.

Anyway we are trying to move on, and 2012 is packed with events starting with our Wedding Soiree and the Prestwich Food Fest which we hope will involve all the community and we have the WI to look forward to as well, all before summer has even started.

So we hope to hear from you in 2012, and we will still be answering e-mails and such so if you have any question please drop us an e-mail. We will also be redoing our blog and website for the new year as well so keep posted for that.

And thank you to all the people who made 2011 a great year for us, we hope we can work with you again to make 2012 even better. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year  From all of us at Crown & Country Vintage.

Susan & Charlotte.

WEDDING SOIREE

Check out our new Wedding Soiree blog for all the information on the event.

(Click to link)

Be sure to check back regularly lots of exciting stuff planed for this event.

The Problem With Posting

We have had a few nasty and untrue comments about our last post (which we have now removed) none of which was meant as a hurtful or nasty comment on anybody else's business but we did want to talk about how we felt about planning events we do not believe we warranted the backlash that happened and do feel that we deserve the right to defend ourselves and more importantly our business which we will soon.

2012 and the problem with Markets part 1

So we have been busy planning our schedule for next year, we have so many new and exciting things planned and we wanted to start using this blog to journal our adventures in event planning and styling.

So we figured we would start with a heads up on where we are and the mood at Crown & Country HQ.

Are main business since setting up Crown & Country Vintage has been running handmade and vintage markets and for the last two Christmases we have run one at the Longfield Suite in Prestwich.

 We love planning and styling markets and meeting all the great people, even thought they are a lot of hard work and they can be hard to make work financially as well. The main reason for this being the little thing called the “Market License”, many people don’t know about this (we didn’t when we started out a few years ago) and it can catch people out.

Bury Council (our local council) is one of the highest priced in the country, for a market of 5 - 30 stalls (no matter if you only have 10) it is £300 then £8 a stall after that. While we think a market license is a good thing, it just seems like a very steep price to pay, they say it is to stop rival markets from operating (the law is from 1290 or something like that) can’t personally see how a vintage and handmade market is competition for a council market but they have the sole right to run markets in that area.

When you factor in insurance, room rental, promotion, staff costs and your time its hard to make it work.  And we always wonder how organisers can charge £15-£20 for stalls, its so hard on other companies or smaller markets.

The government talks a lot about bringing the independent high street back and this is something we really care about which is why we are organising a local food festival in 2012 in Prestwich to celebrate local food and business. The license though can really work against these sorts of events, many councils in places like London don’t charge for the license as they would rather encourage people finding ways to celebrate the local community. Its a shame but that is how it is. 

 

We are going to be talking about some other issues about running Markets in Part 2 which should be up soon.

 

PRETTY THINGS

Hi everyone, 

Sorry it's been so long between posts it's been so busy here at Crown & Country HQ, We have been planning out 2012 and we have so much planned it’s a scary kind of exciting, so stay tuned for more info about that and for our new look blog/website etc for 2012. 

But for now we thought we would share some pics from our Winter Market the other Sunday, Hope you enjoy and thanks again to everybody who made the day really special.

 

Thanks to Rodo Creative for there fab pic of our tea room.

Women's Institute

Hi don't forget to come along to the Longfield Centre at 2pm Sunday, for our meeting about the Prestwich and Whitefield WI, We won't keep you long and you can have a cup of tea and a biscuits whilst the area organiser tells you all about what being a member of WI is all like.

 

If you can't make it to the meeting just e-mail us at mail@crownandcountryvintage.co.uk and we can add you to the list of interested people. 

 

Hope you can come to the meeting as we are really excited about setting up a WI and the more members we have the more we can do.

Hope to see you there

Susan & Charlotte

A GREAT DAY

We had a great day yesterday at our Winter Market. Lots more photo's to come soon.

TODAY'S THE DAY

Hope you can join us today from 10 am till 4 pm a day of vintage and handmade delights, with hot food served in our vintage pop up tea shop, chill out and knit and natter away a Sunday afternoon.

IT'S ONLY DAYS AWAY

 

Our Winter Market is only days away now, get a head start on your Christmas shopping whilst browsing the lovely stalls.

Relax and read the Sunday papers in our vintage chill out area whilst drinking a warming Mulled Wine or a reviving Bloody Mary, or eat at our vintage pop-up tea shop, we have hot food all day from breakfast to lunch served by our waitress on lovely vintage china.
(see the menu below)

See you there from 10 am till 4 pm Sunday 4th December at the Longfield suite Prestwich (next to the Farmers Market)

 

KNITTING CIRCLE

We are having a knitting circle

run by the lovely Denise of 

sales@maidofwool.co.uk

Drop in to our market on 4th December relax a while with a cuppa and knit a few lines [you could also bring some hand sewing with you ] or just chill out after you have done your Christmas shopping on all our wonderful stalls

Days now not months!

Market is getting close, so many exciting stallholders so keep watching the blog for information on who will be joining us on the day. 

Find us at the Longfield Centre in Prestwich just off Bury New Road and opposite the Metrolink station {parking just outside the Longfield}. Browse the farmers market and pop in to warm up with lovely hot food and mulled wine in our vintage pop up tea shop, relax and read the Sunday papers in our vintage chill out area and browse the lovely vintage and 

handmade delights.

Hope to see you there

SAVE THE DATE

Crown and Country Vintage Wedding Event 3rd March 2012

Showcasing the best of Vintage, Handmade and Independent Wedding Companies and Services 

ALTERATIVE WEDDING DRESS

This would be a good alternative wedding dress if you was brave enough to go a bit different

http://www.thesartorialist.com

WINTER TEAS

Don't forget afternoon teas are not just for summer indoor winter ones are just as nice 

http://www.crownandcountryvintage.co.uk

                                              Two indoor teas

WINTER MARKET

It's getting closer 

DREAMY WEDDING

I love love this wedding 

The bridesmaid's outfits with matching brollies

Tea and cake

 The happy couple

http://lillianandleonard.blogspot.com/2011/08/zoe-neil-wedding.html

COSY AFTERNOON FILMS

This is a movie for the sofa on a day like this with a rug for the knee, a hot chocolate and apple pie and ice cream,

A Very Long Engagement  

MULLED WINE OR SPICED APPLE CIDER

Which one should we choose for the Winter Market warm robust mulled wine laced with brandy or hot spicy apple cider oh decisions decisions ??

[ sorry I don't know the origins of these photos they have been filed for while for a while ]

Prestwich Winter market 4th December

e mail for details 

mail.crownandcountryvintage.co.uk

APPLE MACKINTOSH

I would would like to pay tribute like millions at the sad loss of Steve Job as someone who has only ever used macs and would only ever use macs I thank him

OFFICE LUNCH

How cool would it be to have your lunch delivered like this , but then this is Paris how chic!

found via this lovely Aussie blog

http://byonetwoorfew.blogspot.com/

VINTAGE STUFF

Giving the office a tidy today these were in a bag not opened [I have been a bit busy ] from a shopping trip a week or so ago

a crocheted square I am off to the fabric stash now to find some nice vintage or vintage style fabric to make a cosy cushion, the tea cosies I may sell or use as props for photos or to hire. Of course I will get out some wool and sadly knit a sqaure because that's all I can do or a long oblong for scarf, the plates are so  50's  with very soft delicate colours

RUSTIC VINTAGE WEDDING

I love the styling on this Canadian wedding from Ruffled website, they got that relaxed but special feel and I love the way they made the cakes look as if they were in an old fashioned cake shop, and the really creative table plan.

http://ruffledblog.com/ontario-farm-wedding/

LUNCHTIME BROWSING

Today's lunchtime [tomato,pasta and cannelli  bean soup] office chair shopping
This skirt would look nice and seasonal [ if it wasn't 70 degrees outside that is]

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75355449/1970s-mustard-and-sage-floral-safari?ref=fp_treasury_11

This children's book looks good

http://www.etsy.com/shop/catwalkcreative?page=2

I like this but not sure what I would do with them maybe they would look good on gift tags ?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageCrafting?ref=seller_info

anyway back to work now !

ONLINE VINTAGE BROWSING

I am starting my Christmas Shopping, I know 70 degrees outside it's insane but this year with December being so busy I have been getting ready, over lunch I have been doing some vintage armchair [well office chair ] shopping

I like these

http://www.etsy.com/people/EmilyLynch?ref=ls_profile

And these

http://www.etsy.com/shop/vintageuk?ref=seller_info

And this darling scarf

http://www.etsy.com/shop/karensoldstuff?ref=seller_info

The trouble is can I part with any of them ?