The increasing demand for ‘vintage touches’ for home and garden makeovers makes for a mega busy antiques event

 Aspal Antiques at Stonham Barns Park – Suffolk’s premier leisure, retail and holiday destination in Suffolk – staged its second antiques fair at the weekend (16 March) to showcase antiques, collectables, retro, vintage, vinyl and other historical items.

The Aspal Antiques Fair – which built on the success of its debut show two years ago – featured a huge range of established and start up traders from the antiques sector in the region.  It attracted hundreds of buyers from across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

Aspal Antiques – which also operates Aspal Emporium Antiques Centre as well as Aspal Reclamations – is run by two enterprising couples Alan Knight and Henrietta Lewis, and Wendy and Alf Faulkner who consolidated the business during the lockdowns because of the boom in antiques collecting and property make-overs.  The business has played host to Drew Pritchard from the TV Series Salvage Hunters who described Aspal Antiques as a ‘Real breath of fresh air with products of undeniable quality which are highly affordable.’  The retailer has also had a visit from Mark Hill, presenter from the Antiques Road Trip.

Says Alan Knight, ‘Stonham Barns Park is now well established as an antiques hub for the region and so we were confident that we could put on another fair that would be good for both traders and the antique buying public – and we were delighted with the turnout.  It was a resounding success with many traders not only selling but also making new contacts for the future.’

‘We have seen a resurgence of interest in everything from Bo-Ho to Victoriana and people do want quality for sustainability purposes.  Something with history will keep its looks and outlast many of its modern counterpart home décor items.  Antiques were built to last and so vintage means long lasting, and of course it comes with the flare and style that the master crafters included in their work.’

Antique pieces are often re-used or up cycled to become a new item of furniture.  It might be that they are incorporated into a table or lampshade or simply painted in a new earthy or bold and vibrant colour.  Antiques are hugely flexible, and items made from oak, cotton, rattan, wicker and metal, sit comfortably side by side in many homes up and down the country.

For further info on Aspal Antiques call 01449 797175 or visit www.aspalantiques.co.uk