With a car boot sale around every corner, i-D online whittles down our top 5 bargain hotspots to check out before the summer officially ends.
Car booting is blowing the dust off the nation’s goodies, leaving them exposed to a bargain hungry market in the grip of recession. Everyone’s a winner with buyers and sellers profiting at these early weekend ventures. The once thought of mucky rummage through someone’s unwanted possessions is now a designer rabbit hole with high fashion labels lying amongst bric-a-brac. From London to Manchester and back, here’s our pick of bootys to brave. The bigger the better.
Capital Car Boot, Pimlico Academy, London, Sunday 12.30pm – 4pm
This London based boot sale is slicker than your average, set up last year by ex-stylist and personal shopper Faye Marriott. The event is supported with Twitter and Facebook sites, a feature not often found, resulting in a much younger crowd. The plus-side is also a slight negative however; the designer garments are plentiful but the sellers are well aware of their resale value! Don’t be put off, a bargain can still be hunted down. Recent items found here include Mulberry and Luella handbags.
Brighton Race Course Car Boot, Brighton, Sundays and Wednesdays 12pm – 4pm
Taking place both midweek and on Sundays, this seaside sale contains actual buried treasure! Brighton is already populated with shops and attractions to float everyone’s boat and this car boot has given a platform to some of the most stylish local residents. There is an eclectic mix of antiques, customised clothes plus big designer names bulging from these boots. Don’t forget to grab a cone of chips on your way round!
Trafford Car Boot, Manchester. Sunday 6.30am – 1pm.
Manchester’s biggest car boot is utterly authentic. Buyers and sellers go wearing their booty armour ready for bargain battle. This is the real deal. If you’re after the buzz of discovering a hidden gem then this is the place for you. Packed with original vintage garments sold for as little as 50p, you can’t beat the homely atmosphere of the North.
Taplow-Maidenhead Giant Car Boot. Sundays and Bank Holidays 11.30am – 4pm.
This is the mother of car boots and will take you a whole morning to cover. Expect to find anything and everything at this sale whilst nibbling on homemade fairy cakes as you take the long mission around. It is a mini fusion of car boot meets market, but with complimentary proportions of the two. Recent bargains found here include a mint condition Kate Moss Topshop dress for 10p plus men’s vintage leather brogues for £2.
Edgware Car Boot, Greater London. Saturday 8am – 4.30pm
For all those living on the London edge looking for a deep down and dirty experience! Displaying the great benefits of a multicultural capital, this event uncovers some exotic fashions. With the local area having large Jewish, Asian and Polish communities, there’s a fantastic assortment of multi-cultural goodies to choose from. The buying etiquette demands a hard sell, so be brave and always push the price down. Recent finds include a Chanel silk scarf, encrusted bumble bee broaches and a perfect condition record player.
Text: Paris Bennett
