Hi all - huge apologies for the hiatus in the blog. The shop has been so busy and is going from strength to strength and somehow there are not enough hours in the day! Still - its nice to have a little ramble on with you all so I shall make time and try to be more regular with updates!
So, whats been happening since I spoke to you last? We have almost doubled our stock and now have the back room finished with lots of unusual home pieces, kidswear and art. Michael has introduced his BLOC pictures to our range - they are so much fun
and make great pressies or quirky home decor. They are all printed onto chunky wooden blocks and are A4 size. Each costs £15 and we have a huge range of designs on display in the shop.
We have tons of lovely pieces in at the moment - and SO MANY SHOES! I have shown uber self restrant in not keeping all the Size 5s for myself! Here's a selection currently available
ASOS Brogues - Size 5 - £15
Demonia Platforms - 6 - £15
Topshop Platform Brogues - 6 - £15
Topshop Scarlett Suede Peep Toe Platforms - 4 - £15
We also have flats, creepers,pumps and boots in most sizes. The clothes rails are packed too thanks to a big buying trip ( so love getting to shop for a living!) and we have some really pretty pieces
like this gorgeous Paris themed skater dress ( Size 8, £10 ) and a big range of vintage Levis customised shorts
There are also some really nice vintage pieces. My favourie is a super-goreous 1970s tan leather backpack with Navajo/Aztec woven panels. So on trend and in great shape. Its £35.
Thats just a tiny selection of current stock, which as always changes every day. I absolutely love being here in the shop and its even better when I'm surrounded by such nice bits and pieces! I aways get a buzz from finding a customer the perfect piece and our clothes have been worn to weddings, christenings and even up on stage - all for a fraction of the price you'd normally pay :) Anyway, its good to be back blogging and I shall try to keep up to date a bit more from now on!
Enjoy that glorious sunshine x x x x x
Goodness me, don't we all go mental when a bit of cold stuff falls from the sky? In Newport Pagnell we've had a fair dusting as has much of the rest of the UK. Michael and I were watching the news last night and laughing at the hardy reporters who had braved 3cms of snow to report on the 'chaos' and 'disruption' it had caused. Skipton in Yorkshire was apparently 'full of icicles' and one woman had been 'left shaken' after a 'near-miss' on the A1. Honestly, I do wonder what our friends in Canada and the USA think of us when we start boo-hooing over a bit of sludge whilst they cheerfully hike through 50ft snowdrifts and laugh in the face of -30C temperatures. That being said, I have had to cancel plans to London to see two of my oldest friends tonight ( sorry Claire and Jacqui ) as I'm too much of a wuss to risk the trains, so I'm just as guilty as the rest of the country of hyperventilating over the 'severe' weather.
I've been pretty much wearing thermal layers and wool for the last two weeks so I've been fantasising about summer and all the pretty things that brings! I can't wait for maxi dresses and gladiators again rather than stomping about in my knitted hat, Uggs and Icelandic sweater. We have quite a few summery bits in the shop which is definitely wishful thinking in February, but I think its nice to be able to buy for every season all year round, especially in a shop like mine where you never know which one offs you might find. I've also been longing for the ice to disappear so I can get my high heels back on - speaking of which check out THESE beauties
by Kurt Geiger. They are the 'Bonnie' courts and are in black leather, a Size 4 and at the bargainous price of £30. They are new in and I expect they will sell very quickly so if you like, get your mitts on them asap!
In other news, I am very excited about developing our back room. Those of you who have been in will know this as the super-sized fitting room but we have plans to add homeware, gifts and furniture. The few bits we've sold already have done very well so I think it will be a nice addition to the Queen of Threads experience. Any suggestions about what you'd like to see added to the shop are always gratefully received.
That's enough from me for today so I'm off to panic buy some tinned goods and bottled water just in case we get another centimetre or two by the end of the day....:) x
Good morning folks. Apologies for the little hiatus in posts; I've was ill earlier this week and rather busy for the last couple of days ( as I'll explain below ) so blogging wasn't on the agenda! Fear not - I am on the mend and once again back to my bright eyed and bushy tailed self.
Its been quite a week. Apparently this is officially the most depressing week of the year - the Christmas glow is well and truly out, bills have arrived and there's not much to look forward to in the way of holidays. I don't really subscribe to all that but its been a somewhat unlucky week here. On Thursday I was minding my own business ( literally) when I heard a strange trickling noise. I looked up to see water gushing out of my ceiling. After a minor meltdown and headless chicken moment I managed to phone Michael who luckily was still at home and hadn't left for work yet. By the time he'd arrived two minutes later we had an impromptu water feature which was cascading across the entire width of our ceiling and down onto me, the carpet and pretty much everything else. Oh good. I should explain that our shop sits underneath some bedrooms contained in the hotel next door, so we alerted them to the leak. They were so lovely and came to the rescue with armfuls of towels, buckets and basins - and unceremoniously dragged the unsuspecting guest upstairs out of his rather lengthy shower! We think me laddo must have left the door open or something and in doing so, inadvertently allowed me and my shop to share his shower too.
I can laugh about it now, but at the time it felt like a disaster of Old Testament proportions. Unfortunately we had to close for Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, but we did get sorted and we are now thankfully up and running ( and dry ) once more.
I'll be back tomorrow with the serious business of clothes and the lovely new pieces I hope to have in store. Until then, adios
H x
When I was sixteen and doing my GCSEs, I got my first job at Accessorize in Milton Keynes City Centre ( or the Centre:MK as it now pretentiously calls itself). I bloody loved it. I worked the Saturday shift from 9-6pm for the princely sum of £27. That's right, £3 an hour. I thought I was rich - after tax I was earning nearly one hundred pounds a month. ONE HUNDRED POUNDS. Which bought at least 5 lycra based tops from Miss Selfridge and a couple of bottles of Lemon Hooch which was pretty much all I needed back then. I stayed at Accessorize all the way through sixth form and uni and learnt an awful lot about retail. Still, its been ten years since I last worked in a shop so I was a bit nervous about actual working bit of having my own boutique. I know it sounds weird but that was my biggest concern. Business plans, accounts, buying - didn't faze me at all - but operating a till? I woke up in cold sweats about it. Seriously.
As it turns out, its all been quite lovely and I am an old pro now. I'm in my absolute element here in my little boutique. As I write this, its 2.10pm on Sunday and I'm doing a few online bits here for eBay and ASOS so I've opened up for the afternoon. We've had lots more customers than I'd predicted so I think we'll make Sunday opening a permanent fixture. Bang goes my day off....but, do you know what? I don't mind at all......
I am an absolute sucker for animals. If you've ever met me, you'll now that I love a bit of leopard print, a dog motif jumper or cute cat necklace. If its got four legs, I generally turn into a simpering mess and if said four legs are featured on a piece of clothing then it needs to be bought and sported proudly. I know this isn't for everyone; lots of folks eye my Russell and Bromley tiger boots and River Island leopard print fur coat uneasily, much as they'd assess an escaped lunatic. An old friend of mine had a huge phobia of dogs and used to physically flinch as I marched towards her wearing my Topshop angora puppy print jumper dress. However, the animal themed items I've sold thus far in the shop have been HUGELY popular so I know I'm not alone in my love of fur and feathers. We have a few bits in stock at the moment
including this gorgeous Butler and Wilson bag. It has a vintage print of sleeping kittens in black and white. Its £15 and is a lovely piece of animal kitsch - and of course, Butler and Wilson who are one of my all time favourite labels.
Continuing the cat theme, the above bag is a little treasure I picked out a vintage fair recently. Its all beaded and has a long shoulder strap. It would make a fab quirky evening bag and is excellent condition. A bargain at £20 - if someone doesn't buy this soon it might accidentally find its way home with me.....
If cats aren't your thing, how about this? Its a tapestry satchel style bag WITH A DOG AND LEOPARD PRINT! And just to make it extra kitsch, a ruffle lace trim. I'm not sure if this is handmade, but its a really gorgeous piece. And only £20. Bargain
I love this Yumi for Topshop dress. It has the cutest ladybird print ( ok, ok, I know I said 4 legs, but ladybirds are cute insects so we can get away with calling them an animal ). This would work for day or night and looks to be brand new. As with most Yumi pieces, its one size and will best fit from a UK8-12. Team with cable knit tights and mary janes for day wear or shove a biker jacket over it and a pair of heels for a night out
And finally....how cute are these? I don't usually get kids stuff for the shop as its really difficult to find vintage stuff in nice condition but I couldn't resist these. They are faux fur cow/pony print and are possibly the yummiest little things 've ever seen! They are a Size 8 and are only £8.
Greetings one and all - I have dipped my toe into unfamiliar blog waters in order to share a bit about my vintage boutique, Queen of Threads. If you're lucky you might even get a few snippets about Michael and I too....
I'm Helen Diamond, boutique owner, buyer, merchandiser , sales assistant - you get the idea! I've been selling fashion online for around eight years now, based in London. However when Michael and I got married in March 2010 we decided to move to Newport Pagnell where a lot of our family are. The premises for our boutique came up for lease in Autumn 2011 and we decided to take the plunge and expand the business to a shop. We had a lot of help from friends and family and,on December 3rd 2011 we opened the doors and Queen of Threads was born...
So, here it is, my lovely shop....
We're located at 31 High Street, Newport Pagnell. For those of you aren't local, NP is a pretty historic town in Buckinghamshire, very close to Milton Keynes. We are very proud to be here on the high street and part of the town and its community. I think that big shopping centres, superstores and out of town retail parks have really affected high streets in recent years. Newport Pagnell High Street has been the hub of the town for hundreds of years and long may it continue! Hopefully our little boutique brings something a bit different to our town and will ultimately bring a few more people out for some local shopping.
So, what do we do? Well, we describe ourselves as a 'vintage' fashion boutique and around 30% of our stock is bona fide pre 1990s fashion. We also sell more modern 'nearly new' items - Topshop, River Island, Miss Selfridge etc as well as a few designer items. Now and again we stock brand new clothing and we always have a selection of brand new jewellery too. I hand-pick everything - we're not a 'job-lot' shop. Each piece is unique and individually sourced. I only buy items in good condition and treasure hunt at vintage fairs, fashion markets and on my trips abroad to find unusual, one off pieces. I try to add new items in store two or three times a week - so there's always something new to find. We upload our new bits and pieces on our Facebook page here www.facebook.com/queenofthreads so customers can virtually browse before planning a trip to see us.
Anyway, that's us in a nutshell. I plan to use the blog to bring you updates about new items, fashion ideas and trends and probably a lot of blathering on about completely irrelevant subjects. You lucky people....x
