It's The End of the Road!

Has it really been a fortnight since I last posted? Time flies when you're having fun! I've no idea what I've been doing since we got home on Monday evening - I think I left my brain somewhere in field in Dorset - but our last festival of the season, End of the Road, was an absolute riot!

We left home at 6am on Wednesday 28th August and after a pitstop at Michaelwood Services (where I snapped the photo above) we rocked up at the Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset shortly after 10am. After saying hello to our neighbours, Sean & Amelie of Shilpa Silver, who we'd not seen since Glastonbury, we threw ourselves into building the stall, finally cracking open a can and calling it a day at 7pm.

On Thursday, we installed the lights, dressed the mannequins and rolled up the shop front ready for the gates to open at 12.30pm. 

Earlier in the day while we were setting up we'd heard some of the crew talking about us outside...Kinky Melons, my favourite shop, I cannot wait to get in there and get my fix...Man, their stuff is sick.....fingers crossed we wouldn't let them down!

End of the Roaders, we're ready for you! 

One last look at the yeti before the crowds descend....

The weather wasn't exactly tropical but we dressed like it was. Hola to my vintage Mexican maxi for the second time this season.

To say we were busy would be an understatement, trade was relentless! Other than a quick change of clothes when the temperature dropped, business was insane. By the time the last customer left at 12.30am the festival was in darkness, even the bar had closed. 

Kinky by night! Tartan skinnies and Docs for Lord Jon, sheepskin & psychedelia for me.

On Friday, still buzzing from the madness of the previous day and further buoyed up by the heat and sunshine, we rolled up the shop front at 9.45am.

Psychedelia and curtain tie-back earrings for me, skater-boi style for him. 

IDLES had been warming up first thing and sounded phenomenal!

The day turned out to be just as crazy although this time we managed to take a few photos of our fabulous customers. This guy was so thrilled with his 1980s Western shirt he left the shop wearing it.

Ditto this 1960s chick in her fringed suede waistcoat.

Here's our gorgeous friend Jeni rocking this 1960s Indian tapestry jacket

I knew these leopard print velvet hot pants with cat motifs would be one of first things to sell when we opened on Thursday. I lost count of the number of girls who came back for them - you snooze, you loose! 

This stunner bought this 1960s Dollyrockers maxi from us at End of the Road last year and has been wearing it on repeat ever since. 

IDLES were headlining on Friday night and with the Woods stage directly opposite our stall we were perfectly placed to catch their phenomenal set. Never fight a man with a perm....

Anyone who goes to End of the Road will know this chap and his three mates, their costumes are legendary. Check out this hat!

We rolled down the front some time after midnight and were in bed by 1am.

It's all a bit of a blur...

Despite another night of trading into the early hours, we were open before 10am on Saturday, blasting out some choice tunes on the old boombox. Although the forecast was for a warm day, there was a distinct Autumnal nip to the air - not our favourite kind of weather but ideal conditions for selling jackets, knitwear and sheepskin hats.

  

Well-versed in the vagaries of the great British festival season we'd packed for both hot and cold weather, everything from shorts and sandals to sheepskin hats and beer mittens. Jon's in his cool weather festival staple, his vintage cowboy shirt, I'm in my vintage maxi handmade from silk scarves (but not by me!)

The sales continued as did the happy customers popping in to show us how much they loved their Kinky purchases.

Richard, director of London City Voices choir has been one of our regular customers for years. How good does he look in this orange velvet jacket, which he'd snapped up on Thursday? 

We've known Asha since our Indietracks days. She's wearing a 1960s printed cotton midi dress she bought from us on Friday.

This girl didn't need a 1980s leather moto jacket from the iconic San Francisco brand, Johnsons until she tried it on and of course just had to have it. 

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the band with whom this guy plays guitar (fresh from their set on the Garden stage) but he's taking this 1970s Wrangler jacket back to the good ol'  US of A with him.

These guys are all wearing their Kinky Melon buys - the groovy flares, the fake fur gilet and the block printed shirt. The couple flanking the girl in the fake fur loved the shirts they bought from us last year so much that they wore them on the photo featured on their engagement party invitations.

I was excited when I found out that Curtis Harding was playing End of the Road and I just about died of excitement when he finished his set on the main stage and headed straight over to our shop, leaving with a 1970s belted leather jacket. You look like you've walked off the set of Fight Club, I told him...Yeah, Tyler Durden is my hero, he replied. What a talented and truly lovely man. I Need Your Love....

It's those dapper fellows again!

Terena bought this maxi dress from us a couple of years ago. How fabulous are her vintage Texan cowboy boots? I bought my vintage Swedish maxi from Happy Sundays Vintage at Glastonbury. It's been my evening at a festival go-to dress this year.

Jon's burnt orange velvet jacket came from glamorous festival regulars Paul & Celeste who you met on my Womad post. It's uncanny similar to the one Richard bought from us.

It was Saturday and traditionally our festival big night out and having not been further than the long drops since we'd arrived on site on Wednesday morning, we were beyond excited to escape the stall for a few hours.

First stop was the Folly stage where Big Special, were headlining. Frontman Joe is a Walsall lad and his voice is phenomenal. Anyone who moans about there being no good music these days seriously needs their heads looking at...listen to THIS! We can't wait to see them supporting John Grant at Birmingham Town Hall in October.

With a bagful of cans we ventured into Effing Forest and danced the night away to Tom Ravenscroft's DJ set over at The Ship, the open air forest disco. 

After wandering around marvelling at the quirky art installations, browsing the forest library and playing marbles we ended up at the Silent Disco for the first time. It was so good, I'm already excited for next year.

All too soon it was Sunday and our the last trading day of the festival season..sob!

Although the day started off drizzly and damp, by mid-morning it was so warm that I changed out of my long sleeves into my Ossie Clark maxi.

More sales and a few more photos.....

It's him again! 

Beautiful Amelie from Shilpa Silver (check out their amazing Mexican jewellery HERE) in her vintage Liberty dress.

Heath Ledger's Antipodean double rocking a vintage suede waistcoat.

The 1950s military jacket, 1970s suede waistcoat & 1960s Aertex top are all Kinky buys.

Wilf's a regular (he bought the 1960s Dunn & Co trilby from us this year) but it's the first time we'd met his gorgeous partner, Nina who treated herself to a couple of vintage blouses to wear at scooter rallies. 

This sizzling blonde had travelled to EofR from her native France and was very impressed by her first British music festival. She struggles to find affordable vintage in France and was thrilled with this 1970s maxi, buying it on Saturday and spending all day Sunday wearing it.

We met lovely pals Rachel, daughter Freya (and husband Matthew, who was chatting to Jon when I took the photo) at End of the Road when Freya was a tot. Rachel bought this block printed maxi dress from us a couple of years ago and Freya bought the rose pink retro sunnies from us this year. Rachel makes the most incredible jewellery - check out her website HERE.

I missed Nicola in the forest this year, we usually have a dance together on a Saturday night.

Sarah, who works in the box office, is one of our favourite people at End of the Road, we squeal with excitement when we see each other.

At 10.30pm we rolled down the shop front, bagged up what was left of the stock and collapsed into bed. On Monday morning we treated ourselves to a luxurious lie-in (8.30am!!) and after a leisurely breakfast continued with the break-down. By 1.30 we'd packed the van, hugged our festival family goodbye and headed home via Gloucester Services for a posh pie en route.

And so ends Kinky's festival adventures for another year. Summer 2024 was phenomenal...decent weather, amazing sales, gorgeous people & brilliant music, I can't wait to do it all over again next year! (Hopefully I might have been reunited with my brain by then.)