A different kind of shopping experience is on its way to Newcastle. 

You might not be particularly excited at the idea of spending your Sunday rummaging through other folks’ cast offs.

On the other hand, if you’re fond of vintage clothes but not so fond of the price tags frequently attached to them, you might consider going along to the Boiler Shop, in Stevenson’s Quarter, on Sunday, May 14th. 

The Boiler Shop will be hosting an event called Newcastle Vintage Pay and Weigh. There you’ll be able to stuff a bag with vintage gear, have it weighed and be charged at just £15 per kilo of clothing.

At Newcastle Vintage Pay and Weigh, which will take place between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm, there will be six tonnes of clothes to choose from. You just need to grab a bag as you go in and then browse the gear hung on rails or piled in bins. 

The threads will, apparently, be genuine articles dating from the 1960s onwards. 

photo courtesy of Chris Phutully, from Flickr Creative Commons
Vintage clothing and accessories will be available (photo courtesy of Chris Phutully, from Flickr Creative Commons)

You can try on any vintage clothes that catch your eye and check how much weight you’re clocking up by visiting the store’s weigh station. When you’ve got enough, you can head over to the pay station where your purchases will be bagged and tagged. 

Both men’s and women’s vintage clothing will be available, along with accessories, and new stock will be put out throughout the day. 

You will, however, have to shell out for tickets before you’ll be allowed in. They are priced at £3.00 per person. 

Shopping for second-hand clothes by weight has long been popular in Eastern Europe, but it hasn’t really caught on in the UK till now. As well as Sunday’s event in Newcastle, Vintage Pay & Weigh events have recently been held in Manchester, Sheffield and London.

Is the Pay & Weigh phenomenon a piece of entrepreneurial genius that gives fashion lovers the chance to snaffle up interesting vintage articles? Or is it another sad sign of austerity Britain, the sartorial equivalent of food banks?

Well, you could pop along to the Boiler Shop on Sunday to find out or, alternatively, let us know what you think in the comments below.  

(Featured image courtesy of Joseph Brent, from Flickr Creative Commons)


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