The Fore Street Flea, Exeter



I’m still recovering from the extensive Top Drawer coverage I was doing in the last couple of weeks so this will be just a mini update from me.

I’m now back in Exeter and ready to start my second year of university. One of my favourite things about studying in Exeter is that there is a real sense of local pride and community in the city itself (and not in a gross nationalistic way). From farmers markets to craft fairs; Exeter locals are conscious that the community needs to come together to support and nurture local produce and talent.

My favourite example of this is The Fore Street Flea market that takes place on 4 Sundays across the year, where local businesses line the street with their wares, artwork, vintage goods and food. This Sunday just gone marked my second visit and I was delighted to see how much it had grown since I stumbled upon it at the end of last term. Organisers claim that there were over 140 stalls on the day, which is incredible!

I picked up a few bits and pieces myself, and I've vowed to pop down to Fore Street more often to see what other treasures there are to be found in its many shops and cafés. It reminded me that I need to spend less time looking for bargains on cleaning products in Wilco and more time exploring the many independent businesses and creative talents Exeter has to offer.

 The next Fore Street Flea is due to take place on the 26th of November. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top Drawer A/W 2017 highlights - part 3 (Spotted)

Image
2 down, 2 to go! Now it’s time for me to share my favourite stands from the Spotted section of Top Drawer A/W 2017. Spotted showcases an eclectic mix of upcoming (normally UK-based) designer makers and companies, with wares extending from kitchenware, luxury soaps and textiles. I was delighted to see that the presence of ‘Spotted’ exhibitors had grown so much since the concept was first launched - they only used to have small podiums/blocks to display their goods, now they get full stands! It was hard to pick out just a few highlights from such a strong selection, so here are ten exhibitors that I really adored: a) Anatole Design - Stand SP202 Launched just last year, Lizzie Weir was showing her range of colourful and vibrant cushions, upholstery, tea towels, aprons and a variety of other bespoke objects at the exhibition. The goods are hand-printed and each is unique. b) Epping Smith - Stand SP205 Epping Smith was founded by two friends, artist Emma McClure and interior decorator Ca
Read more

Top Drawer A/W 2017 highlights - part 1 (Gift)

Image
Firstly, thanks for the overwhelming response to my post about the CLT housing campaign. It’s something I’m very proud of so seeing the response over the past week has made me very happy indeed! Yesterday marked one of the my favourite events of the year - Top Drawer (Autumn/Winter). For those who don’t know, Top Drawer is an exhibition held in Kensington Olympia that showcases the finest up-and-coming products and designs from a range of sectors, from homeware, to fashion, to art and everything in-between. I’ve been attending for over 7 years now, so it has now become an integral part of my September. With hundreds of fantastic exhibitors, I struggled to whittle my highlights down just to one post. I have therefore decided to divide my favourite exhibitors into the sectors they were showcased in and then post them throughout the week. I will start off with ‘Gift’, which is the broadest of the 6 sectors, covering a range of different products including homeware, accessories and cosmeti
Read more

Top Drawer A/W 2017 highlights - part 2 (Home)

Image
Time for part two of my four-part ‘series’, showcasing my highlights from Top Drawer A/W 2017! In case you missed it, here’s part one. The plan was to post these every other day and so far, so good! Let’s see how long I can keep this up for... Today, I will be listing my highlights from the ‘Home’ section, which showcased the finest up-and-coming homeware companies and designer makers, as well as new ranges from more established brands. I tend to favour emerging talent and smaller businesses so that’s very much the theme I’m going for here. a)  ANIMACONTEMPORANEA  - Stand H-17 ANIMACONTEMPORANEA, more so than any other exhibitor this year, proved to me that you don’t need to have a large stand to stand out. There's a real elegance to their products, which would look fantastic in any space. My favourite products they had on show were probably their 'LUNO' storage jars. b)  Birdie Fortescue  - Stand H-K24 Birdie Fortescue LTD was born out of a love and appreciation for ant
Read more