Vintage Shopping fun!

When I was in Richmond

last weekend

I decided to take a few hours 

late in the afternoon to drop in to

one of my favorite places...

Carytown.

Lots of wonderful restaurants, one of a kind shopping, organic local grocery,

fun people to watch and just a wonderful place to walk.

Little did I know that on this particular

day the annual Watermelon festival was being held!

So...

by the time I got there it was pretty much over 

but a lot of the shops had either never opened that day

or they were soon closing.

I made the decision to dash down 

to where I really wanted to

visit...

Bygones 

They specialize in vintage clothing

jewelry and accessories.

I had not been there in years

and really wanted to see the shop.

They were literally only going to be open

for 5 more minutes when I got there!

The girls were packing up the street display they had...

 so

I decided to ask if they minded if I ran in?

In true Southern fashion 

"Sure, no problem and thanks for at least asking!"

How sweet?

You ask nicely and you get a nice answer!

Aren't you used to people saying

Heck no -we're closing!

 (Excuse the blue photo! I forgot to change my light setting!)

The store display windows done here are amazing works

of art in my opinion!

Peek at their web site to see several of the window displays

they are so gorgeous!

look here

bygones vintage window displays

Makeup counter!

Vintage type lipsticks, Mascara, perfume pots, 

the makeup tutorial book was so cool !

I wanted to buy the Violet Powder tin ..

but I have been trying to cut back on my purchases so I'm waiting!

Notice the cabinet everything is on...one long vintage display case!

 Hats, Fascinators, Feather accents, and Tiaras!

What else could a girl need to get all dolled up?

Also a great display of postcards with retro and vintage images...

 Did I mention they

don't just sell ladies clothing and accessories..

they also sell Mens!

Notice the flasks, shaving brushes and tonics on the right of the counter

and the gentleman perched up on the middle shelf 

with his summertime suit and hat...

Loads of jewelry in those cases! and two more

rooms in the back with shoes and more clothes

even a wedding gown section!

 I didn't take too many photos because I knew

they were being gracious by letting me in at the tail end of the day.

The best thing was

 what I

 DID

 buy for myself.

I wear plus size clothing

and it can be very hard to come by.

I love pouring through the pages of Etsy looking for it

but I am always cautious because I know sometimes sizes aren't quite what

they seem in vintage.

 I looked through all the racks 

and when I got to the back room they had two

"Sale" racks!

Sale or Clearance?!

You know me- right up my alley...

I found this....

Handmade wrap dress!
I'm guessing from the 1940's or 50's.

 I love the colors and the collar...
it was labeled as a medium?!
But I slid it around me and I could completely close the wrap...
so
I snatched it up!

when something is handmade
sizing can be a guesstimate...
the person who tailored this did a beautiful job
with the seams and darts...

Here is a little close up of the flower detail...
The fabric is so soft from years of wear...
It reminds me of the patterns from feedsacks
but I know this couldn't have been feedsack there is too much fabric.
Want to know how much it was?
$20.00!
Added bonus was that it was a tax free weekend here so
no tax at all!
Now I just need somewhere to wear it!
Hope you enjoyed a peek at a wonderful store.
I plan on going back when it is a bit cooler
with more money and more time to take photos.
Tomorrow
I'll show you the fabulous dessert I had at Can Can 
with a few more shots of Carytown.
Please go take a peek at the link of the storefront windows
above...
they are so wonderful and true lovers of vintage will
totally appreciate it!
Happy Saturday!