Saying Goodbye to Shotsy

Dublin is about to lose one of its best vintage spots - Shotsy is closing down. 

Shotsy, for those of you unfamiliar, is a brilliant little vintage shop in Dublin's Temple Bar. It's one of the first shops I checked out when I started this challenge and I instantly fell in love with the small shop with big personality.  I wrote in an earlier blog post about my first visit to Shotsy where the owners gave me some really helpful advice when I told them about my fast fashion detox. Since then, I've been keeping up to date with the shop through instragram and pop in whenever I'm passing by. 

You can imagine my disappointment then when last week Shotsy posted not about new pieces but about a closing down sale! Wanting to support the shop while I still could, last Saturday I headed down to check out the sale. There was a great buzz in the shop with lots of shoppers in to pick up some vintage bargains while they still could. I tried on lots of lovely items and came away with 3 pieces. 

I bought two shirts and an amazing 1960s dress (pictured above). Shotsy's prices are always reasonable but the sale prices are serious bargains. If I remember correctly, the shirts were less than €10 each and the dress was reduced from €35 to €20.  I think the shirts will be great for work once the weather gets warmer and I can't wait to wear this dress on a nice Summer's day. 

At the moment the shop is still open but it's only a matter of time until the stock clears. Keep an eye on Shotsy's Facebook and Instagram for updates on what's happening and items still available. I thought of share some of Shotsy's recent snaps with you to give an idea what's available in the closing down sale. 

I LOVE these party dresses

I think the close of Shotsy is a reminder that we need to make the effort to support small, independent business, especially those going against the grain and promoting vintage. I wish I had supported Shotsy more when I had the chance. Wishing the Shotsy ladies all the best in their next venture!

Mary x

My first vintage kilo sale!

Today I attended my first vintage kilo sale – an experience to say the least! For those of you who are also new to the kilo sale phenomenon, the concept is pretty simple; items are not priced individually, instead you pay for the items based on their total weight. The cost is €20 per kilo so the price is dependent on how much/little you buy.

When Anne Marie told me about this sale I was excited to attend as I'm a big fan of the Folkster shop in Temple Bar. I was also looking forward to hopefully buying something for the first time since I've started this challenge!

When we arrived at the venue early this afternoon, I was surprised to see that although the shop had only been open for 15 minutes it was already jam packed full of eager shoppers. Most of the clothes seemed to have already been taken from the rails as people carried huge loads of garments around in big ikea bags or draped across their arms. We soon realised that people would take as much as they could carry, bring it to a quieter part of the room to sort through, and then leave what they didn’t want behind. With that, myself and Anne Marie found ourselves lurking around other shoppers until they had gone through their stash ready to riffle through their leftovers when they were finished – not my favourite way to shop! Agility, speed and a feisty attitude seem to be the best combination for tackling a sale like this. Nonetheless I managed to come away with one purchase – an oversized Aran jumper.

Although I’m happy with my purchase, I think I'll pass on shopping like this in the future. The chaos, competition and reaaaaaaaaaally long queues are just not for me. I haven't given up on vintage shopping though! I have a family event coming up in a few weeks and am hoping to pop into Shotsy in Temple Bar to try out a few of their lovely, sparkly dresses. Will report back if I make any purchases!

Mary x  

No Regrets!!

So it's been almost 3 weeks since I made the decision to stop buying fast fashion. I must admit there have already been several moments  of panic/regret where I worried that I've set myself up for too much of a challenge. I've noticed myself lusting after everything from trendy jumpers to gym pants and feeling sorry for myself that I can't have them. I've find myself worrying "what if I get invited to a wedding?!". Then I remember that these are ridiculous concerns and people in the world have real problems. I also remind myself that lovely things are still accessible, I just need to re-adjust my shopping routine.

Today I decided to prove to myself that shopping second-hand doesn't mean giving up on buying nice things. On the recommendation of my good pal Anne Marie I decided to check out Om Diva. Close to one of my favourite teenage haunting sites, George's Arcade, this is a shop I've passed many times but never stopped to have a look inside. I'm glad I did. The vintage part of the shop is downstairs and it's so cute I had to take a picture:

I tried on a few dresses here; they were lovely but just not the right fit for me. I will be back!

While I was in town, I also decided to check out Shotsy in Temple Bar. My visit here reassured me that my concerns were unfounded. Firstly, Shotsy has some seriously beautiful dresses so weddings / Christmas parties are covered. Secondly, I had a lovely chat with the ladies behind Shotsy about ethical fashion and buying second-hand. Not only did they make some brilliant suggestions for books I should check out but they also made me feel that this challenge is totally do-able. I'm hoping to make a visit to Shotsy again either tomorrow or next week and will take pictures the next time so keep an eye out for that!

Mary x