My Quirky Vintage Hunting Ground!

 I thought it was time I shared one of my favourite haunts for vintage browsing and just a half hour drive away from me is the quirky seaside town of Hastings; it's an interesting place to muse away a lazy Sunday and what I particularly love are the shops that sell vintage-come-junk in the  'old town'.  Starting at the pedestrianised George Street and heading up the old High Street you can find all manner of vintage curiosities and a liberal dose of tat.   Vintage hunting makes me enormously happy even if I don't spend a single penny or come home with any goodies.  

Some of the vintage home-ware shops are beautifully laid out but a bit pricey; some are higgledy piggledy but you can find yourself a bargain as you delve further into the labyrinth of rooms and cellars within; others are a tad grubby and full of tut but no less fascinating than their more exclusive neighbours and certainly full of curiosities.  Whatever your vintage fancy, you are going to find something to tickle it in the vintage shops of Hastings old town.

On my most recent visit it seemed that many of the shops had tarted up their image and there were a couple of newcomers focussing on a particular theme.  There was a lovely shop specialising in vintage toys and childhood memorabilia where I spied this cute child's sewing machine.  

Another shop was more expensive than most but had some fab 50's and 60's vintage goodies.  Naturally, my eyes were drawn to this lovely vintage food mixer that could give my sexy KitchenAid a run for her money in terms of looks; looks like a prop straight out of The Jetsons!

To save me the bother, there is a fabulous guide to Hastings Old Town vintage shops in this blog post  to further whet your whistle; such beautiful photography in this blog.   We always refuel with a coffee at Hanushka Coffee House in George Street; the coffee is excellent and the walls are lined floor to ceiling with all manner of vintage books which customers are free to browse.  

The window display at Hanushka used to be quite saucy with it's book titles full of glorious double entendres, as you can see from above.   Sadly, it's lost this cheeky edge and is more refined now, but you can still find some fun titles on the shelves if you look hard enough.

Apart from the ubiquitous fish and chips on the seafront, there are some great restaurants in and around George Street too.  A particular favourite is the Two Bulls Steakhouse where you can get amazing aged steaks with all the trimmings at a very reasonable price. The Steak Satay Skewer for £8 is brilliant value if you fancy something different and really love peanuts, like me.   The staff are always friendly and the restaurant is always busy so get in there quick or make sure you book; oh and don't get me started on the cheesecake!

There is so much more to Hastings old town than I could do justice to in one little blog post so never fear, we'll be back again.    If you visit Hastings for the first time, don't be put off by the slightly tacky seafront and noisy amusement arcades, just head for George Street and turn left when you reach the end; go on, go exploring and have a rummage!  Hastings is in East Sussex on the south coast of England for those readers from across the pond; do visit if you are in the area and fancy experiencing the magnificent quirky beast that is an English seaside town.

Good Hunting!  Galx

PS The photo at the top of the post was taken in Little Treasures Vintage which is full to busting with gorgeous vintage clothes and Biba make-up and has a sexy boudoir feel to it; add it to your visit list!

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