Today's Specialist Auctions interview is with Sara, owner of Yesterdays.

Viviene: How long have you been selling antiques and collectibles and
how did you choose vanity items specifically?

Sara: I have been a dealer in the antique & collectables trade for just over 15 years, but I started selling vanity items purely by accident. I was already trading at fairs and had been for about 5 years, and buying at auction, and was always on the lookout for something different. So when a job lot of girlie stuff turned up, I decided I HAD to have it so I bid and I won. I must have priced them way too low as the next fair I was at I sold ALL 15 compacts, ALL 10 perfume bottles, and various other powder boxes, dressing table sets etc. I thought hmm I'm onto something here, so picked up a couple of books, trawled the internet (although there wasn't much there 10 years ago!) and started paying real attention to the vanity sellers whilst I was at fairs etc. Then there was no stopping me!

Viviene: Once you learned more about your area of expertise did you join any
groups that pertain to your area?

Sara: Eventually I joined the BCCS (British Compact collectors Society) and I attend their annual convention, which is compact heaven for collectors and dealers alike. Their website is http://geoffpowell.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bccs02 . Before I knew it I was a specialist!

Viviene: Do you recall a piece that you bought for sentiment alone and if so
what happened to that piece?

Sara: I once purchased a rather sad specimen of a compact, and most dealers said "that won’t sell its damaged" as it was a silver & guilloche enamel example which was chipped. I didn't pay much for it, but I loved it because it had an inscription inside "To my darling Florrie - I will always remember Cairo - forever Yours Freddie 1940". Anyway, about a year later a young lady came to my stand and we were talking about compacts and she mentioned that her grandfather had given her gran one years ago but it got lost. She said she would love to find one like it to give her and on she went to describe what she was looking for. Well, I got my box of "also rans" out and pulled out the damaged compact which she thought looked like what her gran had described. Then I showed her the inscription and she nearly passed out as they were her grandparents names and her grandfather had been posted in Egypt during the war where he met her gran! I happily reunited her with the compact for what I had paid for it as the story was profit enough.

Viviene: Once the bug bit you did you expand your business into other areas?

Sara: I also branched out into barber shop collectables, so I could appeal to the men too, and I get some strange looks and comments when I am out buying at trade fairs etc when I ask the "best price" on a cut throat razor, or shaving set. I am now fascinated by the variety and beauty of some of these rather mundane items.

Viviene: Do you attend fairs and other shows in your area with your items?

Sara: I sell at various fairs around the country including Magnum Fairs at the Grange Midhurst - 1st Sunday Bi monthly (I am there this Sunday) and their fair at the Leisure Centre on Bank Holidaysin Winchester. I can be found at DMGs weekend fair at the Kent county show ground at Detling, and Shepton Mallet Flea Market at various dates throughout the year. I also do the odd fair up in Lincolnshire where my folks live so I do get around!

Viviene: How long as this been a passion for you?

Sara: About 10 years. So 10 years later a bid for something different has become a bit of an obsession - I love what I sell, as not only is there a vast array of items but they are all usable too (although I probably wouldn't use a vintage perfume!) and the bonus is I get to look at them and enjoy them all before I sell them.

Viviene: Where do you sell your vintage vanity and barbershop items?

Sara: I have a store called Yesterdays at Specialist Auctions where I am also the Moderator in the vintage vanity and barbershop category. I have my own web site http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/sara_compacts. I also have a unit at Dolphin Quay Antique centre. http://www.dolphin-quayantiques.co.uk/ . In addition I am also the Consultant for Vintage Powder Compacts for DK Collectables yearly publication.

Viviene: So come check out Sara's store at Specialist Auctions and Sara Compacts.

Born Too Late Vintage is having a coat sale! Any of the coats in the slideshow are just $15.99! Don't like fur? We'll remove the fur if you like!

Today Specialist Auctions is interviewing Pauline, formerly Fashiontales on Ebay and now ChiChiChambers on Specialist Auctions.

Viviene: When did you start selling online and how did you wind up selling vintage clothing?

Pauline: I started selling on eBay in March of 1999 to pass on many of my mother-in-law's pieces of china and glassware after she passed away. From there I started going to estate sales and whenever I would see a vintage piece of clothing I would grab it! My love of vintage clothing started back in the 1960s but it wasn't something that caught on well with my peers and I was ridiculed for it, but the passion was still there. I was always pouring over old photos to see the clothes and asking my mom questions about what she wore. The funny thing is I had sold some dresses on eBay and then I happened upon some old t-shirts. They were the ones that are called wife beaters. Those were going so high it sent me to the Vintage clothing and accessories board on eBay to ask about them. I met many wonderful people and decided I only wanted to sell vintage. It wasn't because I thought I would make a killing selling vintage clothes but because it was something I loved and I loved seeking it out, you know the thrill of the hunt and all!

Viviene: Did you always love vintage clothing or was it something that attracted
you later?

Pauline: I have loved it since back in junior high in the late 1960s. But it wasn’t until I started selling that I began learning so much more about it. For instance, I had never paid attention to the construction details like I do now. And clothing especially vintage lingerie was so much better made. Lingerie is my real passion.

Viviene: Did the clothing your mother wore have any influence on you enjoying
vintage clothing?

Pauline: It was my mother's stories about the fads they had when she was in high school that started it. I remember the pictures of her wearing short shorts back in the very early 1950s before it was really acceptable to wear something so revealing. The older I got the more I would think back to other clothing that she wore. I still remember shopping trips with her and what she bought. Now I wish I still had those pieces. I have a few but not all the cocktail dresses that she had. I even have one hat and a picture of her wearing that hat. My aunts all had gorgeous full skirted dresses that I have pictures of them wearing.

Viviene: Do you have a favorite era of clothing that you personally collect and
if so why is it your favorite?

Pauline: The 50’s and early 60’s are my favorite eras. I guess it's because I lived that era so I know it better. I would love to be able to learn more about Edwardian and Victorian era clothing, Victorian clothes mostly because of the area I live in which is steeped in history from the Civil War. I can drive 20 miles down the road to Gettysburg and go to museums and stores and see these pieces which I love looking at but just can’t get a good handle on dating. So even if I acquired some I wouldn’t know much about them.

Viviene: When you started selling vintage clothing under the id of Fashiontales
what was your personal selling style at that time and has that style changed with time?

Pauline: My descriptions were boring in my eyes and I romanced each piece I brought home. So I thought why not romance each piece by describing it in a tale such as romantic tales of men with women in a gorgeous outfit, their fingers gently dancing down spaghetti straps, over a tight bodice of brocade that they could feel on their fingertips. Full skirts that blew around enveloping them together as lips parted....... That was the only way I could do it. And I did get fan mail from people who actually just went to my Fashiontales eBay site just to read for a little pick me up. But times are changing and I don't think people love the romance anymore as much as just wanting the bare facts. So I changed my name and style of listing.

Viviene: Why did you choose the name ChiChiChambers?

Pauline: Well I figured things were changing on eBay and after hearing sellers comment on just wanting the bare facts when they purchase clothing, I decided I should get rid of the Fashiontales image that I had. So my dad’s pet name for my mom was chichi and I live in Chambersburg so I put the two together. In addition, chambers also has the meaning of bedroom so it still gives me a slightly romantic edge to my name.

Viviene: I've heard that you were one of the original Vintage Fashion Guild
members and co-wrote the fur resource and also wrote the lingerie resource.
What was it like being in on the ground floor of that organization?

Pauline: It was fun being part of an organization and watching it grow. There were so many knowledgeable people in the Guild and they helped me to grow. I enjoyed doing all the research for them. There were a lot of people I made friends with and I enjoyed going there everyday to chat with them.

Viviene: Do you think that in the past 5 years there has been a big change in the
way vintage clothing is perceived?

Pauline: In some ways vintage has been perceived as easily accessible but it's not. It gets harder and harder each day to find good quality vintage. I am not speaking of 70's and 80's clothing. I also think that there are many younger sellers out there that think that selling vintage clothing is just a way to make money and don't realize the full value of it. Not all younger sellers though. There are some really good vintage people that are younger. But it's wonderful to be able to feel a piece that old and study all the construction of it and the design that went into some of these pieces, even pieces made by hand. It's priceless to me when you get a 1940s WWII era piece of clothing and know that it was made by a wife or mother who had someone in the service fighting for their country and they had to make their own clothes because of all the restrictions on fabric and such due to the war. I have a wartime sewing book that I love to pour over.

Viviene: Do you have a most memorable customer story you would like to share with
us?

Pauline: Well there have been some new buyers that well ....Lets just say I tried hard to teach them and in the end they were fine with everything. And I would like to think they continued to buy and learn. But as far as memorable customers go, not any one sticks out in my mind. I just love to hear from them and what plans they had for wearing my clothing. I guess my feedback speaks for the fact that I have had some very happy customers.

Viviene: Pauline's items can be found at her store at Specialist Auctions.

Today our Specialist Auctions interview is with Holly of Purse Diva Vintage and Purse Diva Couture.

Viviene: What attracted you to vintage clothing and when did this attraction start?

Holly: I'd have to say back in the 80s is when it started. I was, what was known then, a "quaker" or a "wavo" - mostly dressing in black but adding in shocking amounts of color here and there, Flock of Seagulls hair, the whole bit. I found this amazing priest's cloak from the 40s that I wore simply everywhere (which I still have, lol), and I went to Catholic school...lol! That started my vintage addiction. It really propelled into high gear a couple of years ago when I decided to part with a beloved vintage Gucci jacket.


Viviene: How does it feel to see your teenager wear things now that you wore back in the day?

Holly: Oh my, it is really shocking sometimes. Who would have thought my junior prom dress from 87' would be a major hit at the school 80s dance now...or when she wore my acid-washed denim jacket from the late 80s, completely decorated in colored pens, wow…Talk about strange to see your child in your items you loved so. It is pretty neat though.

Viviene: What's the difference in quality between vintage clothing and the off the rack items that most people wear?

Holly: My goodness, the difference is SO dramatic. I honestly had no idea until I started dealing in vintage the incredible difference. The style and particularly the craftmanship - it's just not there these days. I go shopping now and half the time am horrified at what I find…

Viviene: What is your favorite era for vintage clothing?

Holly: Oh dear...I can't pick one… I love items from each era. Dramatic 20s beaded flapper dresses, the flowing figure-friendly designs of the 30s, amazing 40s film noir type pieces, 50s rockabilly, 60s mod, 70s disco...I can't possibly choose… A lot of people do have a particularly favorite era, but I truly don't. I can appreciate and love pieces from all eras equally.


Viviene: Who is your favorite designer? Does it vary between purses, shoes, coats, pants, and dresses?

Holly: Hmm...wow, that's a hard question… For handbags I HAVE to say Chanel. Actually, Chanel tops the list for all, I would say. Manolo Blahnik is another fav of mine, as well as Dior. D & G, St. John, and Seven for All Mankind make fantastic jeans. Juicy Couture, I love them as well. Their handbags are darling and their jogging suits are the most comfortable on earth..

Viviene: What designer that is around now will be the "have to have" designer in years to come in the vintage business?

Holly: I have to say, you will never go wrong with the old "stand bys"...Chanel, Dior, Gucci - they've been around forever for a reason. Their pieces are classic and "wearable", and I think in the future they will still be going strong.

Viviene: How did your designer store come about?

Holly: While I love vintage, I must admit, I'm a label girl. Love love love designer items. I was simply sick to death of seeing so many fakes out there on the internet and wanted to make authentic, quality pieces available to the public. Just about every piece in the store comes out of my own closet, purchased at reputable retailers. When I come across something that's not personally mine, I go through extremely extensive research to determine if an item is authentic. I really can't stand fakes, and it makes me quite sad to see so many sellers either selling them as outright fakes or selling them as authentic and screwing around the buyers.

Viviene: Have you always enjoyed designer fashion?

Holly: Actually, no. LOL! Back in high school and my early 20s I didn't really appreciate designer items at all, I just got what I thought was "neat". It wasn't until I fell in love with a Dooney & Bourke handbag that I realized wow, designer really is sometimes better! You can't beat the quality of a handmade bag - or jeans that have been hand-finished. You really can't.

Viviene: What designer influences you the most in the clothing that you wear day to day?

Holly: I'd have to say Juicy Couture. I do a lot of computer/at my desk work and I need to be comfortable. Most days you will find me in a Juicy velour jogging suit. When I go out though, it's a different story.

Viviene: You can find Holly’s stores at Specialist Auctions at:

Today's blog is on a personal note. I live in northeastern Pennsylvania and I have a question. WHERE IS OUR SNOW? We've had a few dustings (less than an inch) over the last 3 weeks and my girls have had 2 snow delays. Languishing in the school schedule are 11, count them 11 unused snow days.

I long for the days when we would get a good old fashioned snow storm in my home town of Cold Spring, New York. We lived on Market Street in a 3 story apartment building. We would get ready for school in the morning and my mom would make sure I had my mittens and ski mask (the kind with eye and mouth holes only). Off I would trudge up the Main Street Hill up to Haldane school. It was freezing cold or so it seemed to me at the time and I would be layered with a jumper and blouse (these were the days when girls did not wear pants), tights, leggings over the tights and a warm wool coat. Add to that my mittens and ski mask and I was ready to do battle with Mother Nature.

Occasionally there would be a bully (David Vitanza comes to mind) who would dump me into a snow bank and then my knight in shining armor, Russell Kane, pulled me out and helped me get brushed off. Later that night as I related the story my dad taught me how to make a very hard fist and told me to punch David if he tried it again (those were the days when you could get away with teaching your kids to take care of themselves). The next day David was at it again and this time he got a hard fist in the belly. Strangely enough after that he never bothered me again.

Almost as soon as we would get all those layers of winter clothes off at school, our teacher would be sending us home to trudge back down Main Street. I'm supposing the reason for this was that if we did not come into school the school did not get their federal money for the day.

The walk home always took at least 45 minutes longer. On the way home we had time for making snow forts, snowball fights and some people with pocket money to spare would stop at Dazzell's five and dime store for a candy bar. Still others would opt for Palen's Rexall Drug store where they would mosey up to the soda fountain and get some Breyer's ice cream.

Once those important duties were taken care of we would continue on our way down Main Street and go into the "subway" (an underground walkway that went under the Penn Central railroad tracks) at the end of Main Street. After that we would walk up the two flights of stairs to our home on the third floor and strip off the now soaked snow clothing. We'd sit down and have hot chocolate and then play for the rest of the day. I remember my mom hanging laundry on the line out of the third story window with wet clean diapers thrown over her shoulder as she hung them out one by one (might that be what started the bursitis in her shoulder).

We moved away from Cold Spring when I was 10 years old but I'll always remember Cold Spring, New York, a wonderful place to be a kid in the mid 1960s.

Today at Specialist Auctions we are interviewing Margaret of the Artizania Vintage clothing store. Margaret is based in the UK.

Viviene: What made you decide to get into the vintage clothing business?

I started to organize and run a specialist antique Fair/Show for the UK Textile Society after graduating. I realized there was no specific event in the UK specializing in antique & vintage clothing, so I started my own event, as mentioned above. I had so many people, from all over the world, who could not come to the Fair/Show so they would ask me to source items for them - eventually I started to purchase items and put them on sale on my website and then on eBay - and I haven't stopped since.

Viviene: What eras do you specialize in?

Margaret: I used to specialize in antique clothing, but over the years have grown more and more interested in vintage clothing - as a result I tend to sell items from all eras and do not particularly specialize in any.

Viviene: What is your favorite era and why?

Margaret: I have two. I love the Regency period (early 19th century) and have a couple of dresses dating 1805-1810 in my private collection. In vintage clothing I especially favor ladies tailored suits from the 1930s & 40s - I think they have a style and quality sadly lacking in todays clothing. I have a couple of suits by Irene and Adrian in my collection - and a great many fabulous suits which carry no tags.

Viviene: How long have you been interested in vintage fashion?

Margaret: For quite a few years now, starting in the antique periods, collecting Victorian clothing - and more recently in vintage as well. My interest grew and grew, and together with a number of other vintage sellers on eBay, I was a founding member - and the first elected President - of the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Viviene: Do you think the English look at vintage clothing differently from Americans since England's history is so much longer than the United States?

Margaret: Yes, I think there is more a tendency towards collecting here than 'buying to wear' which is prevalent in the USA. I owned and ran an international antique Fair (Show) in the UK, specializing in antique and vintage clothing, for 10 years - by far the greater number of visitors were collectors and enthusiasts, though more recently there has been a growing demand for wearable vintage.

Viviene: Do you have a favorite customer story you can share with us?

Margaret: I had a buyer who became quite a regular, purchasing vintage clothing from me via eBay and my website. He favored the 60s period - particularly Ossie Clark - and I sourced quite a few items for him - he even flew over to visit my Fair (Show) one year. It was much, much later that I discovered he owned a very well known vintage clothing shop on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles and sold to the movie stars! I'd love to know if any of my items ended up in the hands of someone famous.

Viviene: Besides your store on Specialist Auctions where else are you open for business?

Margaret: I have been selling on eBay since 1997, under the ID artizania, and am proud of my 100% feedback there. More recently I have also been selling at www.specialistauctions.com and I am the moderator of the vintage and antique clothing section there.

Viviene: So come check out Margaret's store at:





And here are a few lovelies to whet your appetite.

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

Today's Specialist Auctions interview is with Chris of Alley Cats Vintage. Chris is based in Virginia.

Viviene: I've noticed you have a lot of beautiful Fred Perlberg evening gowns. Why Fred Perlberg?

Chris: Fred Perlberg was a moderately priced design house starting in the early 1940's. I especially love his heavy satin gowns which were designed for bridesmaid’s gowns with the gauntlets and wide brim open crown hats. His gowns can be spotted s in many newsreels from the WWII era big band dances. The 1940s was a time when not much flesh was displayed and shoulders were more often covered than not. Later in the early 1950's Fred’s gowns became strapless and therefore sexy.

Viviene: If you had to pick a favorite era what would your favorite vintage clothing era be?

Chris: 1940's to early 1950's.

Viviene: Where did you learn all the knowledge you have about vintage clothing?

Chris: I’ve always loved "old" clothes, even as a child. I remember my Mother’s suits and coats from the 1950's (wish I still had them). I’ve been a fashion watcher all my life although not so much a fashion dresser.

Viviene: When was the first time you bought a vintage treasure and what was it?

Chris: When I was 15 years old I bought a box of depression glassware at an estate sale. I took it home as a gift to my Mother. She said ‘why did you bring this old junk home?’ I realized at that time my mother was from a generation who always had to make due with the old and she loved new things because it meant better times.

Viviene: If you could purchase any piece of vintage treasure what would it be?

Chris: Pairpoint, Bradley & Hubbard or Handel Reverse Painted Table Lamp.

Viviene: What makes a vintage piece a treasure? Is it the name, the age, the condition or a combination of all three? Is it sometimes just that a person wants it because of a memory from childhood?

Chris: Childhood memories play a small part but does not increase value, may run the bid up somewhat. Condition is everything and rarity defines the value.

Viviene: Chris' Specialist Auctions store, Alley Cats Vintage can be found at:




Here are a few of Chris' treasures:

Come on over and check out our Viva Las Vegas Items! You won't want to go without loading up your suitcase!

New SMI/bidder protection procedure on Ebay.


Are you aware of the new SMI/bidder protection procedure on Ebay? Do you realize that on items over $200 you will not be able to see who you are actually bidding against? Do you realize that this is an open door through which shill bidders will push the price of items both vintage and nonvintage higher and higher until no one will want to buy on this site for fear of being ripped off?

So here's my pitch. I know a lot of people list stuff on Ebay that they need to sell fast and make a quick turn around. But I know that you also have items that are special and rare.

Instead of giving in and putting your rare and special items on Ebay come over to Specialist Auctions.

There are no listing fees, no store fees and the final valuation fee on your SOLD item is 3%, regardless of what the item sells for. That's right. NO FEE UNTIL YOU SELL YOUR ITEM!

Bring your best items to Specialist Auctions and showcase them.

The real twist to the site is it is moderated by category specialists. This is a real attempt to stop and remove fakes, providing a safer place to trade.

There is also transparency on who is bidding on your items. You can see the id of the bidders. Shilling is not and will not be tolerated here.

Worried that your feedback from that other site won't carry over. Specialist Auctions has taken care of that for you as well. If you wish your feedback from that other site to be available to view you can provide your name from that site and your potential customers can see what your feedback is.

So what do you have to lose other than a large monthly bill filled with listing fees, re-listing fees, store fees and final valuation fees that keep going higher and higher.

You have absolutely nothing to lose but that huge bill you're paying that other site every month and everything to gain.

Come check out what's cooking at Born Too Late Vintage and Mirror Image Boutique for Valentines Day!

Are you a vintage hoarder? Take our quiz and see how you stack up!

Are you a vintage hoarder?

Great things are happening at http://Specialistauctions.com

We have a new look in the vintage and antique clothing section and we even have a swimsuit category (eat your heart out Ebay!). We have our sellers including Teenytinytoadstool, the compact queen, Artizania specializing in antique as well as vintage clothing, The Purse Diva, Alley Cats Vintage and her spectacular collection of 40s fashions, aVenir Fashions and Born Too Late Vintage last featured on the blog "Ask Bronny."

We also have some brand new sellers such as Fuzzylizzie, Fast Eddie's Retro Rags and ChiChiChambers! We'd love to add some more vintage sellers! So check out the vintage fashions and more at Specialist Auctions!

Today I spent the day finishing the setting up of my newest venture at Specialistauctions.com. I opened a branch of Born Too Late Vintage there with the hopes of branching out and reaching some new customers. The site is very user friendly and also economical to say the least. I look forward to some very good times there and I've already made my first sale to a fellow member of the Fedora Lounge! Of course I just have to do the obligatory Austin Powers link to my newest selling site just because those movies make me laugh. So without further ado here is the newest branch of Born Too Late Vintage. Check us out!

Today's Specialist Auctions interview is with Chris of Alley Cats Vintage. Chris is based in Virginia.

Viviene: I've noticed you have a lot of beautiful Fred Perlberg evening gowns. Why Fred Perlberg?

Chris: Fred Perlberg was a moderately priced design house starting in the early 1940's. I especially love his heavy satin gowns which were designed for bridesmaid’s gowns with the gauntlets and wide brim open crown hats. His gowns can be spotted s in many newsreels from the WWII era big band dances. The 1940s was a time when not much flesh was displayed and shoulders were more often covered than not. Later in the early 1950's Fred’s gowns became strapless and therefore sexy.

Viviene: If you had to pick a favorite era what would your favorite vintage clothing era be?

Chris: 1940's to early 1950's.

Viviene: Where did you learn all the knowledge you have about vintage clothing?

Chris: I’ve always loved "old" clothes, even as a child. I remember my Mother’s suits and coats from the 1950's (wish I still had them). I’ve been a fashion watcher all my life although not so much a fashion dresser.

Viviene: When was the first time you bought a vintage treasure and what was it?

Chris: When I was 15 years old I bought a box of depression glassware at an estate sale. I took it home as a gift to my Mother. She said ‘why did you bring this old junk home?’ I realized at that time my mother was from a generation who always had to make due with the old and she loved new things because it meant better times.

Viviene: If you could purchase any piece of vintage treasure what would it be?

Chris: Pairpoint, Bradley & Hubbard or Handel Reverse Painted Table Lamp.

Viviene: What makes a vintage piece a treasure? Is it the name, the age, the condition or a combination of all three? Is it sometimes just that a person wants it because of a memory from childhood?

Chris: Childhood memories play a small part but does not increase value, may run the bid up somewhat. Condition is everything and rarity defines the value.

Viviene: Chris' Specialist Auctions store, Alley Cats Vintage can be found at:




Here are a few of Chris' treasures:

Today at Specialist Auctions we are interviewing Margaret of the Artizania Vintage clothing store. Margaret is based in the UK.

Viviene: What made you decide to get into the vintage clothing business?

I started to organize and run a specialist antique Fair/Show for the UK Textile Society after graduating. I realized there was no specific event in the UK specializing in antique & vintage clothing, so I started my own event, as mentioned above. I had so many people, from all over the world, who could not come to the Fair/Show so they would ask me to source items for them - eventually I started to purchase items and put them on sale on my website and then on eBay - and I haven't stopped since.

Viviene: What eras do you specialize in?

Margaret: I used to specialize in antique clothing, but over the years have grown more and more interested in vintage clothing - as a result I tend to sell items from all eras and do not particularly specialize in any.

Viviene: What is your favorite era and why?

Margaret: I have two. I love the Regency period (early 19th century) and have a couple of dresses dating 1805-1810 in my private collection. In vintage clothing I especially favor ladies tailored suits from the 1930s & 40s - I think they have a style and quality sadly lacking in todays clothing. I have a couple of suits by Irene and Adrian in my collection - and a great many fabulous suits which carry no tags.

Viviene: How long have you been interested in vintage fashion?

Margaret: For quite a few years now, starting in the antique periods, collecting Victorian clothing - and more recently in vintage as well. My interest grew and grew, and together with a number of other vintage sellers on eBay, I was a founding member - and the first elected President - of the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Viviene: Do you think the English look at vintage clothing differently from Americans since England's history is so much longer than the United States?

Margaret: Yes, I think there is more a tendency towards collecting here than 'buying to wear' which is prevalent in the USA. I owned and ran an international antique Fair (Show) in the UK, specializing in antique and vintage clothing, for 10 years - by far the greater number of visitors were collectors and enthusiasts, though more recently there has been a growing demand for wearable vintage.

Viviene: Do you have a favorite customer story you can share with us?

Margaret: I had a buyer who became quite a regular, purchasing vintage clothing from me via eBay and my website. He favored the 60s period - particularly Ossie Clark - and I sourced quite a few items for him - he even flew over to visit my Fair (Show) one year. It was much, much later that I discovered he owned a very well known vintage clothing shop on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles and sold to the movie stars! I'd love to know if any of my items ended up in the hands of someone famous.

Viviene: Besides your store on Main Street where else are you open for business?

Margaret: I have been selling on eBay since 1997, under the ID artizania, and am proud of my 100% feedback there. More recently I have also been selling at www.specialistauctions.com.

Viviene: So come check out Margaret's stores at:





And here are a few lovelies to whet your appetite.

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

Today is Friday, November 17 and it's time for us to Share Our Wares!!!

So instead of feeling like a mindless rat in a maze next Friday spend some time in your jammies sipping a latte and fill up your cart at Main Street Malls. This is just a taste of what we have to offer and it's all yummy!

So what are you waiting for???? Let's go shopping!!

Click Twice And Find Yourself On Main Street!
Main Street Mall Online shopping is friendly, easy-to-use, with low prices, to get great deals and best buys on vintage clothing, shoes, jewelry, collectibles, books and more.

Well folks it's that time of year again when the mind becomes mush in the rush and dash to complete that huge gift list youi have in your hot hand. Instead of spending black Friday in a haze at the Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl's, Penneys, Sears, etc. and grabbing a hot dog and a Orange Julius, why not sit in the comfort of your own home with a cranberry muffin and a latte loading up your shopping cart at Main Street Mall.

There's no pushing, shoving, whining kids, mothers with strollers ramming into the back of your legs and no one giving you the finger as you snag that last parking spot at the back of the parking lot.

So to add some cheer to the holidays we have our own version of the 12 days of Christmas that we'll be sending out every so often. Here we go:

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:

a
Dooney & Bourke Large Tote!

Ahh, the holiday season is upon us. Visions of stuffed turkeys, stuffed stockings and visions of sugarplums dance in our head. But in today's world how do we accomplish all the shopping for our family and friends without running ourselves ragged.

Well here's the solution. Come to Main Street Mall Online! We have everything you need to have a fabulous holiday. Below is just a small sample of what's cooking at places like AB Cooks Corner, Kustom Kartoons, Timeless Finds, Alley Cats Attic, What-I-Found Books and of course our feature Holiday store, A Vintage Holiday loaded to the gills with Christmas and Thanksgiving items from the years of old.

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So what the heck are you still doing here???? Let's go shopping!!

Click Twice And Find Yourself On Main Street!
Main Street Mall Online shopping is friendly, easy-to-use, with low prices, to get great deals and best buys on vintage clothing, shoes, jewelry, collectibles, books and more.

It's that time again! Time to catch up with all the great folks at Main Street Mall Online. Check out all the new goodies they have!

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So what are you waiting for? Let's go shopping!!

Click Twice And Find Yourself On Main Street!
Main Street Mall Online shopping is friendly, easy-to-use, with low prices, to get great deals and best buys on vintage clothing, shoes, jewelry, collectibles, books and more.

Over and over I hear, "Mom, I want that dress. Do you have to sell it?" My heart is pulled in two directions. My girls love vintage clothing and it's fun to see them wear the styles I wore 36 years ago. On the other hand I'm in business and I'm supposed to be selling these lovelies. What to do, what to do. Then comes a great idea. Vintage dress-up boxes. So I started experimenting. The girls are regularly invited to birthday parties. So we started giving dress-up kits as gifts. Well they have been a hit to say the least. The kids open that dress-up box and they stop opening gifts and start dressing up. Moms have had to push their kids on to the next gift with promises they can dress up shortly.

So we've come out with a couple of dress-up boxes. They all come with 3 hats, 3 dresses, 3 pairs of gloves, 6 bracelets and 3 necklaces (some but not all of the jewelry is vintage). The eras vary from the 1950s to the 1970s. Each box is totally different. The dress-up kit is contained in a white square hat box with the name "Pretty Princess Dress-Up Box." We do not recommend these dress-up boxes for children under 3 years of age due to the necklaces and bracelets. All the clothing has some damage, enough that it would not be considered wearable for regular wear but perfect for dressing up.

So without further ado here are some examples of what we have:

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