Men's Department - First Level

As usual, there are a number of sellers at the Top Shelf Flea with very nice vintage menswear.  You know, actual suits and proper shirts, jackets and shoes and such.  At Carmen and Ginger, we typically have a lot of "girlie" stuff but want you to know we've got some fun stuff for the guys too!  A great selection of Hawaiian shirts plus a nice vintage jacket or two, rockabilly Jantzen sweater and rockin' 1950's fringe jacket.  And we've always got some great skinny and zoot-suit style ties!  We'll put the men's goods right up front, in plain sight and with easy access, so that you do not even have to touch the "girlie" stuff - we promise!

Pour Le Bébé

Yes, there will be some vintage wonderful for your precious little ones at The Top Shelf Flea II.

We'll have this lovely little girls vintage navy blue wool coat with matching hat from Ricky Craft Originals...about a size 3.

And for your little man, this charming Liberty of London double breasted tweed coat with brown suede collar. Start them early, I say.

Who could resist this custom made in Argentina/100% cotton sailor romper? Or the antique christening robe?

A Black Watch Kinloch Anderson pure new wool beret~for a CHILD? Tin Tin will be jealous.

A green velvet cropped blazer by Donna Capozzi will delight your little fashionista.

A little lamb basinette music box that plays "Rock~A~Bye~Baby" would make a perfect baby shower gift.
And this little ABC caddy would be perfect for stashing ribbons and bows.

"Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." Dr. Haim Ginott

So why not let some fabulous vintage clothing make an impression on your little people?

It's Leathah Weathah

At least that's what they'll be saying up in Somerville next weekend at the Top Shelf Flea!  (Translation from the Boston Accent: "Leather Weather.")  If you love vintage leather jackets, Carmen and Ginger is going to have some beauties for you at the event!   Each has it's own special appeal, so come early, try on, and find exactly what you want before someone else does!  This is all fresh stock.  Doors open at 10:00 am...

The Curve of Her Shoulder

Two lovely 1960s Regina Glenara for Glenoit faux~fur wraps and a few other Jackie~O worthy vintage coats on their way to Boston on the 24th.

A H(a)unting We Will Go...

Photo courtesy of Costume Craze

Last year at about this time, I blogged about my vintage seller angst with regard to the upcoming Halloween holiday. You see, Halloween is the one time of year when suddenly EVERYONE is willing to shop vintage. While it can be a "swallow your vintage snobbery pride moment" (i.e.: when someone thinks that vintage dress you thought was so beautiful is so "FUNNY! and the PERFECT costume!" Huh?) the fact that Halloween brings ALL people, not just the vintage junkies to vintage is a wonderful thing! First of all from a sales point of view, a sale is a sale. Who cares if someone thinks a dress is beautiful or funny? You can't control what people do with your items once they purchase them in either case. The person who thinks something is beautiful may end up trashing it while the person who thinks it's funny may actually have it cleaned after the holiday and carefully pass it along to someone else for a completely different purpose.

Sexy leopard items are always popular for costume or for clubbing! And leopard is so "in" again this season, baby!

This is why I realized having the Top Shelf Flea II a week before Halloween is PERFECT timing! First of all it's a transitional season. People are looking for not only warmer clothes, coats, etc. but also great formal items to wear to the flurry of holiday events taking place in November and December. Second, people are looking for fun, unusual items to wear for Halloween! What a great mixture of shoppers! Plus, likely some hard core vintage addicts will find some fun costume ideas, and, some strictly "here for a costume" types will get sucked in to the beauty of some vintage treasures. Win win

Mad Men Costume or Fashion statement? Patriotic 60's suit or crazy politician lady costume? These work equally well as both!

Last year I sold a fantastic hot pink 1960's cropped suit, just like the two above and was somewhat aghast when the buyer sent me a photo after Halloween of herself wearing it covered in blood! "Relax" she assured me, "the suit was perfect for my costume but the blood was temporary. In fact, I am wearing the skirt as I type this!" Whew, thank you for that. See, both costume AND fashion, who knew

Shiny metallic disco era costumes or Studio 64 couture revisited?

Keep in mind that the vintage sellers at the Top Shelf Flea will each have a variety of items for you again at this event! Whether you are looking for a formal affair, every day wear, costumed event or gift for that someone-special in your life we've got it! And, plenty of places to try on the goods for size! Bring your friends, bring your camera phone and get second opinions if needed! We all love to talk vintage shop and are happy to help you find exactly what you need.

Skinny ties for guys: Mad Men costume, or, back in style for Fall 2010!

If there is anything you are looking for specifically that you wish for me to bring for you to try on, drop me a note. If there is something in my shop you wish to see in person let me know that as well. As you can see, I have racks and racks of goods so will be choosing carefully which goodies to bring. I am happy to bring along anything special you need - for an event or costume, no worries! - so let me know!

Confessions of a Vintage Seller

I love anything old. Old photos, old books, old paper, old clothing, old coats, and, even for a while, older men (but - shh! - that's all changed since I married my young husband a few years ago!) I also confess I love to shop. Not at the mall, but, at places where most mall shoppers would never dare to go. Consignment shops, flea markets, yard sales, rummage sales and church sales are my favorite haunts. In fact, it was while shopping at a local consignment shop that I met my friend Michelle from The Red Velvet Shoe; a fellow old-stuff addicted vintage seller (rumor has it she has a thing for older guys too!).

For me, it runs in the family. Above, for example, is a photo of my dad, my aunt and my mom all diligently rummaging through items at a family-outing, um, I mean flea market last fall!

When I was laid-off from my full-time job in November of 2008, I turned to vintage selling to help pay the bills. I had sold off and on on eBay for years but had been away from it for a while. I opened an Etsy shop and was excited when I had a few "hearts" and my sales hit 10 in the first month! Now, my sales are 1780+ and climbing daily! I have over 2200 followers and a blog to support the shop as well. It has gone from a little idea to a BIG bear but I still enjoy it. Above you can get a glimpse into my storage area where I constantly try to keep things neat and organized.

Although on-line selling has its merits, and, I "talk" to people from all over the world on a weekly basis, I confess that nothing can replace the fun of selling to customers directly. This is why I LOVE to participate in the Top Shelf Flea! It is so much fun to enable customers to stop by and look at the items first-hand. They can try on jewelry, hats, dresses and anything else that strikes them! They can model for friends and family and make considered decisions about gifts for others. I get to meet them in person and help them to find exactly the vintage piece they are looking for. Everyone has fun and everyone leaves happy. What's better than that?


I will post some more detailed photos as we get closer-to the date of this year's show (October 24, pass it along!) but for now will leave you with this enticing photo of some vintage coats. Last May, of course, it was unseasonably warm and coats were certainly not on anyone's mind. This fall, however, I will have a plethora of real and faux-fur coats, capes, leather jackets, boucle beauties and many, many more! So save your pennies, bookmark this page, mark your calendars and tell your friends - the second Top Shelf Flea is coming!