Antiques, Vintage, Retro & Collectables Fair Kick-Starts Show Season at Stonham Barns Park
as people Spring into action with more property makeovers
A brand-new Antiques, Vintage, Retro & Collectables Fair at Stonham Barns Park – one of Suffolk’s premier destination venues – will begin the new show season on Saturday 12th March.
Organised by the owners of Aspal Antiques, a new 3000 sq ft antiques centre at the venue, the show will feature items from over 30 specialist traders from the East of England. It will be a show that has something for everyone as visitors support both the environment and small businesses by shopping antique.
Explains Henrietta Lewis of Aspal Antiques, ‘We are getting ready for Spring and all the changes that brings where people take a new look at their home interiors and garden spaces. It has been a tough time for everyone but it looks like we are now able to focus on getting more done – and homes have become a safe haven and a priority for making them the environment where we relax and feel good. Whether it’s a bar in the garden or a new snug in the house, we want our homes to reflect our character and our lives. This is why interest in antiques is rising again.’
‘We will be offering a variety of sustainable pieces for the home including retro and vintage furniture, Art Deco pieces, architectural salvage for the home and garden, statuary, vintage terracotta pots, ancient topiary and so much more. You will be able to find many decorative items for the home at the new show, without costing too much and without leaving the carbon footprint that new furniture leaves!’
Owned by two enterprising couples, and Alan Knight and Henrietta Lewis – and Wendy and Alf Faulkner – who already run the Diss Emporium antiques shop – Aspal Antiques has recently expanded the business after the lockdowns increased the demand for antiques as a result of refurbishments, renovations and people looking to ‘treat’ themselves to something collectable.
The owners not only sell the stock they source themselves but also offer antiques ‘collectors and traders’ the chance to rent cabinet space from them at a monthly charge to promote a wide range of antique pieces in one central space. They have also opened a new Reclamation Yard which offers architectural reclamation pieces that are now included in feature-rich property make-overs.
At the same time, Aspal Antiques have launched regular Mid Suffolk Mondays antiques, vintage and salvage trade fairs which will run throughout 2022 (on the second Monday of the month) at Stonham Barns Park Showground set in the 140-acre leisure venue. The outdoor location which has space for up to 100 traders began staging these events in May of last year.
Says Henrietta of the resurgence of interest in antiques, ‘People really have fallen back in love with antiques. It’s all about what makes you happy. Whether it’s china, furniture, pictures or mirrors, there’s something of interest for everyone.’
‘We like to think of our business as an antiques ‘hub’ for people who are interested in an eclectic mix of pieces. With the new trade shows we will be making this a venue for traders to meet too. This first show will hopefully showcase everything we are doing here in Suffolk.’
For more information, visit www.stonhambarns.co.uk or call 07767 480258.
