More than 1,200 people went down to Ipswich Town Hall yesterday for the Preloved Kilo fair where shoppers pay by weight and are charged £15 per kilo.
The nationally recognised company, Preloved Vintage, visits two towns or cities every weekend and yesterday brought six tonnes of vintage garments to Ipswich.
The fair has been to the town on a handful of occasions but this year was the best yet, according to marketing manager Cole Procter.
“Our events are always massively popular in Ipswich and today we’ve been overwhelmed by the floods of people with some even queuing up before we opened the doors,” said the 24-year-old from Sheffield.
“We bring enough stuff so that there’s new things being put out all day and no matter what time you come, you’re promised a huge variety of unique items.”
Shoppers were able to rummage through accessories, jumpers, branded coats, jeans and all the retro items you could ever need.
Two girls even came back for a second go in the afternoon, after being impressed with the purchases they had made earlier in the morning.
Azuleia Perez-Oxley and Olivia Tolputt, both 16, had never been to an event quite like this before but can’t wait to return.
“I love charity shopping,” said Azuleia, who lives just outside Colchester. “There’s such a big variety here and it’s all well priced. We just had to come back to see what else we could get our hands on.”
Olivia, from Boxford, said: “We came here because we were recommended by our friends and there’s so many cool things on offer.
“It’s good for the planet too because it’s reusing items, which is a really good feeling.”
Preloved Vintage is a family-run business, says Mr Procter, who has only recently joined the company but praises its owners for their energy in making it a success.
“The owners, Wayne Stocks and Mark Lynmam, bring energy into the room as soon as they arrive and this is transferred to the customers,” said Mr Procter.
“They bring so much fun into the workplace and you can see this in the clothes they sell. It’s all the very best stuff from around the globe.”
All of the products are handpicked by Wayne himself, who travels to various countries to chose the very best items for the fair.
Yesterday was their last visit to Ipswich until next year when the company hopes to attract even more visitors as the vintage craze continues to gather popularity across the country.
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