Vintage Showroom

[havocpaul]

Has any member visited this store in London?....

http://www.thevintageshowroom.com/

Scroll down and they seem to have some flying clothing too although their prices will probably be prohibitive due to their location. I would love one of those Ursula (Barbour) WW2 submariner jackets!

 

[johnwayne]

Hi Paul
No but looks like I'm gonna have to - maybe I'll try Earlham St first (W10's a bit of a trek unless your over that way and it's appointment only) - be intersting to see how they price things compared to other vintage shops (Rokit/Beyond Retro etc) in less celubrious areas! I guess if they know their stuff they aint gonna be cheap!! Thanks for that though!!!
Cheers
Wayne
PS still enjoying the book I bought from you

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Excellent stuff. Not cheap for most of it, but often not ridiculous either. They had a B3 at one point which i recall being a bit pricey. There was a pile of old British leather there for a wee while. Expensive, but it's very scarce, so understandable. The business appears to be a group effort of a bunch of very knowledgable vintage dealers. One guy i know for sure sells around the markets - he has the big militaria stall at Portobello, for example. For what it's worth his prices are better at the stall, as you might expect.

The rents in this area are ridiculous and i suspect that, like most niche shops, they won't be open for that long before being priced out. There used to be a very good surplus store across the street which had its rent bumped to £250,000 per year according to the owner. There's a Rockit quite nearby so similar rents but the Rockit stuff is cheaper - they cater more towards the trend driven vintage market than really good stuff and so have the ability to keep prices down.



bk

 

[Cobblers161]

Interesting. I'm meeting friends Up Town on Sat so I'll pop in for a little perusal. I hear you on the Ursula jacket there Paul!

 

[bobbyball]

Hi everyone,

A newbie here – have been a member over at Fedora Lounge for a while and finally joined here.

I have met Doug who is one of the guys involved in the showroom. He stalled out last year at Beltring and is a really helpful and knowledgable chap. A few weeks back I went to the shop in Covent Garden and saw an absolute mint B11 Parka (with AAF Decal) which I negotiated on – I had been thinking about a Buzz Rickson B9 for some time but this is original and NOS and was less than the Buzz.

While their stuff is not cheap, they do get some amazing rarities in and they go on regular trips to the US so you are paying for the time and knowledge it takes to search out the hard to find items.

 

[havocpaul]

Welcome! Do you mind me asking what he charged for the B-11? I keep meaning to spend a day up town and check out such places but think it would be wise to have enough spare cash in case I see some gem!

 

[pipvh]

That place is a bit of a gem. Lots of very interesting stuff - a little pricey, of course, but that's central London for you. It reminds me of the amazing vintage shops of yesteryear, when Londoners were spoiled for choice.

 

[bobbyball]

Welcome! Do you mind me asking what he charged for the B-11? I keep meaning to spend a day up town and check out such places but think it would be wise to have enough spare cash in case I see some gem!

I paid £320 – not exactly cheap but I have never seen one in unused condition. The Buzz ones are around £500 so I was very pleased.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

There's an A-2 in the window right now. I didn't get it off the mannequin as it seemed to be cowhide. I may go back and have a closer gander. It looked to be in pretty damn good shape, but i suspect a repro.

bk

 

[bobbyball]

There's an A-2 in the window right now. I didn't get it off the mannequin as it seemed to be cowhide. I may go back and have a closer gander. It looked to be in pretty damn good shape, but i suspect a repro.

bk

Yes, I saw it there last week – I think it is an Aero repro. Doug (one of the owners) has a Spiewak but it is pretty worn out – still looks good though.

His prices are high but he is open to negotiation. The B11 parka I bought late last year is mint and unworn – I negotiated £320 down from a ticket price of £450. He has an Eastman B3 in the shop but it is a very small size. I always check the shop out if I am in the vacinity.

 

[delta102uk]

Has any member visited this store in London?....

http://www.thevintageshowroom.com/

Scroll down and they seem to have some flying clothing too although their prices will probably be prohibitive due to their location. I would love one of those Ursula (Barbour) WW2 submariner jackets!

....here's some more cool waxed cotton....

http://waxmoto.blogspot.com/

 

[wvarnam]

Hey guys,

Newbie here! I'm a WWII US militaria collector, primarily focusing on USMC/USN navy items and have recently acquired my first few flying jacket. A B-10 with artwork which belonged to an armourer/gunner on a B-24 in the 307th BG, an AN-J-3A and a rather tatty M422-A. I'm planning a trip down to London to hit some vintage stores and markets, would anybody be able to recommend any good ones for vintage leather and militaria?

Thanks in advance.

All the best,

Will