Antique Market Mooching

There is little I enjoy more than a good “mooch” around an antiques market. I should say to those of you living in the US, where mooch is something completely different and means “to scrounge”, the Dictionary definition of mooch in Britain is “to wander in a casual and listless manner”, so you can see why I use it in this context. Mooching is exactly that: slowly wandering and browsing amongst the marvellously varied stalls and stands that make up any good market.

Kempton Park, about 15 minute’s drive from my home, is just such a place. Most of the time it operates as a horse racetrack, but every other Tuesday morning, there is a large market selling all sorts of curios, antiques, vintage items and bric-à-brac.

As we have already touched on curious words and their meanings, can we just pause for a short moment to dwell on the term bric-à-brac? I love it! It’s up there with mumbo jumbo, topsy-turvy and razzamatazz, those peculiar phrases of odd words that could pertain to anything, but once you know what they mean, are so evocative.

I had no idea of the origin of bric-à-brac, except that, with that grave accent, it must be French. AI tells me it originates from the phrase "à bric et à brac," which translates to "at random, any old way” and has been in use since the 16th century, referring to objects collected haphazardly. Makes sense.

Anyway, back to Kempton market. It opens very early around 6am, when dealers in the trade pay £5 to get in so they can get the pick of the items and secure the best deals. After 8am, entry is free, and this is mostly when “Joe Public” arrives.

So, one can have a lovely morning out that costs nothing and just enjoy the atmosphere and the banter of the stall holders. It’s a tough life for these guys travelling from place to place, unloading and reloading what hasn’t sold, so I’m always amazed many of them seem so cheery. It helps when the sun shines!

There are always vans selling tea, coffee and the all-important bacon bap that sustains stallholders and visitors alike, so I usually work my way along the first run of stalls and then stop off for breakfast.

The delight of this sort of market is that you never know what you might find. Different stallholders feature everything from furniture, household items such as china, baskets, cutlery, ironware, fabric and old garden tools to vintage bottles, memorabilia, paintings, jewellery and much more. The shoppers include ordinary people like me, dealers with shops or an online presence, who will sell their items on, and props buyers for film and TV shoots.

Some of the stalls are cleverly curated with items on a theme that are displayed to their best advantage, while others are just higgledy-piggledy (there’s another of those great phrases!) and one really has to root around to find the good things. Prices are noticeably higher on the curated stalls and on several occasions, I have found exactly the same item on one of the jumbled stalls for half the price. It pays to look carefully.

I often go to Kempton with a friend, just for a mooch, with no intention of buying anything although, of course, there’s always the chance I might find something really interesting and have to have it! The Tolix chairs below were just such a find a few years ago. I try to be sensible these days, as I am at the stage in my life when I am attempting to offload some of the endless stuff I have accumulated over the years, rather than acquire any more.

It is thus, always a pleasure to visit Kempton with someone who is wanting to buy. On Tuesday of this week, I went with my twin daughters who had each taken the day off work so they could come with me. They were both on the lookout for specific items.

Connie wants to swap the run-of-the-mill Ikea storage in her bedroom for something more interesting and vintage. Hattie, with her new-found love of gardening, wanted to buy a couple of old galvanised metal containers to plant herbs in instead of the plastic pots that currently house them.

We spent a lovely morning browsing and chatting, although Connie gets annoyed when Hattie and I spend far too much time looking at old tins and bottles. She can get the length of the entire market and back again while Hattie and I are still only halfway along. I guess that’s the difference when one is looking for something specific whereas I think half the joy is just, well, mooching.

Hattie taking a photo of her and Connie in a mirror at Kempton

Connie didn’t find her storage, although she did come away with a small painted wooden chest that she has a plan for. She also bought two vintage glass Kilner jars. Hattie found her metal container at a good price. She also found a lovely old metal bucket with stencilled letters on it, which when holes are drilled in the base will look great with plants in it, an old metal watering can, a tobacco tin and two ashtrays (she liked the graphics).

A picture of their “stash” taken in their garden

As for me, the woman who wasn’t going to buy anything, I came away with a huge enamelled sign. I have several lovely old advertising signs on the walls in my garden, all acquired in the days when they being thrown away or cost next to nothing.

These days they cost a fortune: some of the largest and most unusual selling for hundreds of pounds. I couldn’t resist this one because it was very unusual and also a good price. The Irishman who was selling it quoted me £120

“Will you take £100?” I asked

“Oh, you’re being too hard on me” he said in a lovely lilting brogue “I’ll take £110”

“It’s a deal!”

It took two of us to carry it back to the car - it’s heavy, and it is now waiting to be put on the wall outside my kitchen. Have a read, the detail is fantastic. I especially like the NB: “This bridge being private property, every officer or soldier, whether on duty or not, is liable to pay toll for passing as well as any baggage waggon, Mail-coach or the Royal Family”

An interesting find, I’m sure you’ll agree. I can almost always find something I like at Kempton, even when I’m not really looking for anything, but then, that’s what antiquing, and mooching is all about!

Thank you for reading and if you have enjoyed this piece, please give it a like and/or share it with others. This gets the algorithms working to introduce me to new readers.

If you’d like to share your antiquing stories or comment on anything in the above, please do so here

If you’d like to support me further, become either a free or, better still, a paying subscriber which earns me a little money for the work I do. Just click below

FOOTNOTE

You’re reading Home Truths, from me, Susy Smith. I write here on an eclectic mix of subjects about home and lifestyle. I am many things: a parent of grown-up kids, a dog owner, a gardener and a compulsive mover of vases (I worked for years as a stylist). I am also a writer/editor and former Editor-in-Chief of British Country Living Magazine.