You will always find something that catches your eye at the Village Green market during the National Arts Festival.
Whether that is some pretty textiles, the delicious fudge and fancy nougat, incredible woodwork, succulents or art.
This year, it seems, thrifting is in.
There are a few second-hand or vintage stalls offering some stunning thrifted trinkets and treasures from all over.
But what seems to be a real hit at this year’s Village Green, are vintage or thrifted lucky packets.
Yup, surprise packets with an array of vintage goodies for only R50.
“Curated Chaos has vintage grab bags, and when I was in Germany at their flea markets, they all do it and I thought it was just such a great idea,” Claudia Chandler, of Blackwoods Treasures said.
Her stall boasts various second-hand items she has collected over the years.
“But you’ve got to be a gambler, because there could be anything inside.
“To be honest, once I’ve closed them up I actually don’t remember what’s inside,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s glassware, a tile, a tin, crockery, cutlery, anything. But it’s all thrifted.”
Chandler said the bags had been top sellers from day one of the festival.
“By day three, they had sold out, so you know what that means … Me sitting every night putting lucky packets together for the next day,” she said.
“I get nervous and wonder if people are going to like what I’ve put in the bags, but people seem to be loving them and they keep coming back.
“One lady bought one bag and it had this beautiful tile inside that she loved so much.
“The next day she came back and bought another lucky packet and the matching tile was in that one. She got really lucky!”
Fellow second-hand stall, Curated Chaos’s vintage grab bags are just as popular, with only a handful left when I visited in the late afternoon.
While Chandler does not shop specifically for her bags, she curates them with thrifted items from her collection; all things she’s found over time, locally and on her many travels.
“I’m a shopaholic and a collector. For me, Blackwoods Treasures started when my house got too full and I kept seeing things I liked,” she said.
While you could lose yourself in her stall with all the beautiful things she has on offer, Chandler’s vintage glassware and jewellery collections are something to behold.
And to make things a little more fun, she has also started offering thrifted jewellery surprise bags.
“It’s all costume jewellery, but all thrifted too. Whenever I go and shop for stuff, I have to like it.
“But I try to go in with an open mind because maybe even if I don’t love it, someone else will, we all have different tastes.”
If you are a thrifter and love finding one-of-a-kind pieces, the Village Green might just be your happy place. Specifically Tent 1.
And if you are in the mood to be a bit of a gambler, a vintage lucky packet is a seriously fun buy.
There is just something about finding one-off pieces that nobody else has … and it’s even more exciting when those things are a surprise.
*Village Green is open daily from 9am to 5pm
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