Demand for ‘vintage touches’ continues for home and garden makeovers.

Aspal Antiques at Stonham Barns Park – Suffolk’s premier leisure, retail and holiday destination in Suffolk – has staged its fourth antiques fair on 15 March showcasing antiques and collectables for the home and garden including retro, vintage and other historical items.

The Aspal Antiques Fair – which built on the success of its debut show three years ago – features a huge range of established and start up traders from the antiques sector in the region.  It’s free entry to the public and attracts 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 have developed the business because of the resurgence of interest in antique collecting. 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’ and the retailer has also had two visits from presenters from the Antiques Road Trip.

Says Andrew Faulkner, ‘We were really pleased at how many visitors came to the Antiques Fair and we saw plenty of interesting items being taken off to their new homes.’

‘It is good to see that people appreciate and like to reuse antique and vintage items that will outlast much of today’s modern pieces.’

‘We had lots of positive feedback from buyers and sellers alike who all enjoyed a relaxed and friendly event.  The Retail Village enjoyed an early boost with the first big event of the year at Stonham Barns Park.’

‘Stonham Barns Park is now well established as an antiques hub for the region and so we are confident that these fairs are good for both traders and the antique buying public – and sustainability!’

 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