Stonham Barns Car Boot Blog Archive: Jan - Jun 2014 

suffolk's traditional car boot sale ~ every Sunday from 8am 

 

The last two weeks have summed up Car Boots in Suffolk lately. The forecast for the 11th was wrong again. We were told that it would be ok until 3pm but, by 7am it was raining and looking very dead. We still managed to get sellers turning up and because they persevered they did manage to sell. It was very on off with the rain but, it was finally killed by about 11.30 when it rained pretty hard. My scouts out and about told me that most the other Car Boots had closed or had about 4 sellers. We managed about 14 sellers which sounds quite feeble but, with the weather so bad and with buyers still wandering about looking for any Car Boot open they did ok. It’s obviously not ideal weather for a Car Boot but, I know that everyone who came to sell at least broke even. I always appreciate everyone that turns up to sell at the Car Boot. We have to pay a fee for the field irrespective of how many turn up so, it’s great that people take advantage of the covered stalls. Even in the rain you always get buyers so, it means that we can also at least break even. 

 

Last Sunday was the complete opposite. We had advertised that there was an Antique Fair on as well. We never really know how many will turn out at the Antique Fair but, we know that they will advertise their event as well and it will be signposted for the Antique Fair so, at the end of the day it adds to the day for Buyers. I didn’t get to look in at the Antique Fair but, the weather was great and Stonham had a good trickle all day of buyers. We had over 70 sellers so, it was a good turnout. If the weather remains warm it should grow weekly which will be great. 

 

We have a few more events coming up (which are new) so hopefully they will be good. These offer camping as well so, i’m optimistic that there should be extra people at Stonham before our crowd arrives. are on the Tourist Route and as we get nearer to Summer more and more will stay at Stonham in the holiday homes or camping + many pass through on the way to the coast so busy times ahead. 

 

My signs are disappearing still. Lost about 6 last week. Two were down to grass cutting which I can accept but, the route between Stowupland and Stonham I tend lose one every two which is either the council or a resident who has a sign complex. Seeing as I put the signs out every Friday I do note that all the other signs do not get touched but we always lose signs. 

 

Somebody somewhere must have a shed load of signs, literally. 

 

If anyone knows why are who or whatever please let me know as it’s boring now. I have made so many signs that i’m getting to the end of my tether. I’m temped to make one big sign that goes from my house to Stonham…other than that i will have to guard them one night. 

 

Somebody really hates signs or just hates Stonham Barns. 

 

 

There I was telling everyone I would keep up to date with this and I failed the following week. My apologies… It can be really hard keeping up with everything as I have a full week. I’ve bored everyone with the details of my week before but, I do all the promotion for Stonham Barns Car Boot, put out and collect all the signs and put all the stalls in place and cook on the food trailer. I would like to say a huge apology to everyone that had to wait for food last week. We were one down in the food trailer and were doing fine until crowds increased rapidly and suddenly we were way behind with orders. By the time we had assistance in the trailer many had had to wait quite a while for food and it wasn’t how we normally are perceived. We cook all the food after taking the orders so that the food is fresh and hot. We insist on doing it that way rather than have loads cooked and sitting around. I think it’s time to buy another hot plate.. We will be more prepared next week. 

 

The last two weeks have been good Car Boots. The Mid & West Suffolk Show was possibly a little disappointing as we had many more sellers last year. This was possibly due to the fact that this was held a lot earlier this year and was on the same day as the Norfolk Show and three other big events in Ipswich. Even so, we had 80 odd sellers. Again the forecasts weren’t great for weather either but, it turned out ok (as usual). 

 

On the 4th May we had a beautiful Bank Holiday Sunday morning and again 60 odd sellers. This was again good numbers because there were so many Car Boots going on and quite a few events (Antiques and so on) at the same time. We now need a good run of decent weather and we can grow even more especially with the Tourist Route starting to fill up. Stonham has the Campsite + Holiday homes filling at this time of year + the occasional event to boost numbers even more. The next event is the 17th with the Antique fair. We always get good number of sellers and also get the Antique Fair crowd as well. Everyone loves a Car Boot. 

 

Not that I go on about this regularly but, i’m still recovering from losing every single Car Boot sign in one day. Luckily I had a spare 50 boards hanging around…. but, I had spent ages making these and some were pretty big, laminated etc etc. I hate putting out signs that look tired but, i’ve had to whilst I make new one’s. I also need to repaint the food trailer etc etc. I’m hoping to get a lot of this done on Saturday. I won’t be beaten by the sad person that thinks is fun but, it does annoy. 

 

The one reason I started the Car Boot there was because there are such a good number of lovely people in Suffolk that could benefit from the Car Boot there. Stonham needed something to liven it up and the Car Boot opens the door from the shops at Stonham too. I’m not saying that everyone will go to the Car Boot then go to the shops, but, a lot of people now do whereas before they just drove off. Stonham has some good shops, a good restaurant and the Garden Centre is now a good Garden Centre. The area hasn’t got one of those and people are now seeing it as the place to go if you need plants. i could go on an on about each shop but, it does have a good Pet Shop, Post Office, Upholsterers (:)) Toy Shop and the Owl Sanctuary too. 

 

Anyway, that’s enough of that . The Car Boot is getting busier each week. We have a good reputation with most people that go and so many people are selling well there so.. I have no complaints at the moment. It doesn’t take much to get me going though. 

 

At present my only moan is that i’ve been unable to get out and about talking to sellers/buyers as much as I used to but, i’m resident chef at the moment. And before anyone queries my credentials I am actually a fully qualified chef which is why I insist upon cooking everything thgere and then. Anyway, make sure you come up and say hello. 

 

 

I’ve decided i’m going to try and do this each week again so that I can remember all the fine details. yet again the weather was foresoothed as being poor and come Sunday morning it wasn’t that bad. The week of doomed forecasts worked and numbers were surprisingly low on the selling side. It appeared that all other Car Boots had the same result. We have 30 odd sellers and it was weirdly quiet on the buyer side although it did pick up. Being Easter I was always under the impression that everyone would be at home bored stiff dying to get out and go to a CarCar Boot. Suffolk always confuses me when it comes to the buying crowd. One week we can be heaving with buyers and everyone talks about what a great day they had at Stonham and how wonderfully friendly it is and then, the following week, they decide to not go again… 

 

I know i’m turning into the Car Boot crazed madman that talks about Car Boots only but, if you enjoy youself somewhere, don’t you get drawn into the terrible world of becoming obsessed with Car Boots? My experience of Car Boots up and down the country is that once you go you end up automatically waking up in a sweat thinking that you might miss that one amazing bargain. Terrible isn’t it but, it does get that way with so many people. The same happens with sellers. One chap came up to me last week (and I know him quite well as he comes most weeks) and he said that he had his best Car Boot takings ever since over 15 years ago. Wonderful news yes but, he is now going to be at the Car Boot thinking that he may get those takings again each week! Every Sunday when he is craving to stay in bed and just get a few extra needed hours of sleep he is going to find himself scraping himself out and into his preloaded car having dreamt that he was going to get £10 more than the previous week. 

 

This is why i’m always shocked when numbers are down. Especially at Easter when we have so much time to find things to do. 

 

I said it last week but, the forecast really kills the Car Boot. This makes me laugh because many listen to Radio Suffolk as the definitive weather predicter and it is Radio Suffolk that, virtually every Sunday, tells Suffolk that the Car Boot at Stonham Barns is getting busy and on. Couldn’t they just say that it’s going to be lovely and then after about 10am tell everyone it’s actually pants. I’m joking of course. 

 

The Car Boot has to be the most frustrating thing at this time of year. We had 70 sellers a week or so ago and then down to 30 when the forecast is poor. This Sunday I expect there to be over 100 sellers as we have the show on too. The following Sunday, when you expect everyone to have enjoyed the show, numbers could be high or low. No one knows. Except, of course, if Radio Suffolk tell everyone it will be awful and then tell everyone we are open. 

 

The frustrating thing is the fact that many turn up to buy, having travelled from miles away, because they have read that it is thriving, fun and with a great crowd. If they arrive and we only have 30 odd sellers they end up leaving thinking that we must lie on the website. I’m still practicing how facebook and twitter manages to juggle my pictures despite me always loading a recent shot and then seeing a really old picture of the Car Boot when it wasn’t that busy… that is also frustrating. I do all the advertising myself and place on a million websites from gumtree to yahoo, brityevents to all the Car Boot sites. I have all sorts of price ranges for selling popping up despite there only being one set of prices. The worst thing at the moment is the fact that i’ve been cooking the food on the food trailer for the last 4 weeks and I don’t get to see half the sellers. Maybe it’s a good thing as I always make the mistake of asking people how they have got on. I seem to get stock answers from many people because they seem to think that I might discount the prices…. Many though are genuine and I ask everyone to tell me honestly how you have got on. To some £30 is a wonderful result, to others £200 is a poor result.. I feel sorry for the one’s that are collecting for causes and are doing it for kids to raise money but, many sell lots and it’s great to see the smile on people’s faces. Stonham Barns is a wonderful Car Boot with some great characters there. I know which ones will moan irrespective of their sales. It wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t. Speaking of characters… to the people that have persevered and read this weekly (other than me) I noticed the strange German chap reappeared last week. I haven’t seen him for months. He was the one that was buying to take them abroad and sell at various European Markets and Car Boots. I expect he has returned having taken so long to carry the wads of money that he made from last years’ sales back from Europe. Who knows? 

 

Anyway, make sure you pay a visit this Sunday to buy or to sell as it should be a great crowd. If you are selling, make sure you get there a little earlier as we can squeeze 110 in the field and after that we place everyone a little further away from the food trailer. It doesn’t matter as the buyers will always look wherever you are but, if you want a tea or a loo run make sure you have my number and i’ll get someone to stay by your stall whilst you grab a bite to eat or drink. generally though the stalls next to you will do this but, if all fails call me on 07817539168 and i’ll find you. 

 

 

Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun. Now, let me think what you have missed. March 30th, April 6th and last weeks 13th April. What a mixture of good and then poor weather forecasts. Mothers day had a great number of sellers but, the clocks had changed and it was, of course, Mothers Day so many had chosen to take their Mother’s out and not go to Car Boots . We had over 50 sellers and, to me, it was the kickstart we needed. The following week (April 6th) our good friends at the weather forecasters brilliantly told everyone, all week, that it would be awful on Sunday. Saturday was glorious and even Saturday evening they were threatening poor weather for the Sunday. Naturally it was ok Sunday but, the damage had been done. Even so, the one’s that did sell did well as there was only 20 to 30 sellers. 

 

Last Sunday we had our first event at Stonham and almost 70 sellers and a hearty crowd for the Hot Rod and Custom Car Show. This was their third year of running and it seems to take three years for the events to grow. We have quite a few events that are now seeing these benefits and luckily the Car Boot takes full advantage of this. 

 

This Sunday we have the Easter Sunday Car Boot and I have already had a lot of interest despite the slight threat of rain. I expect the forecast to change and be fine and I also expect a good crowd. We are up to 70 sellers already in April which is why i’m really expecting this year to go off the scale with numbers. The Sunday after Easter we have the Mid & West Suffolk Show which is a definite full field event. last year we had sellers going up the road because we filled up our side completely. When numbers do get too big for the one field we will start to take both and push the buyers further up but, we will worry about that when it happens each week. 

 

I’m really hoping that this Sunday is great weather after all as it will be a busy day. Everyone’s on Holiday and looking for something to do and we are on the Tourist Route. 

 

I didn’t get to find out who stole all the signs and have made new one’s but, haven’t had time to create bigger one’s as yet but, i’m tempted to make them about thirty foot long with cameras attached and barbed wire around them. I’m not sure who has decided that the Car Boot has upset them because we run for ages without losing a single one so, losing all was quite weird. The council, as i’ve mentioned before, stated it wasn’t them so, it must be either someone locally who hates signs or someone who doesn’t like Stonham Barns and things we are part of Stonham Barns. 

 

In terms of being at Stonham we are obviously part of Stonham but, privately run and everything made and placed by us for us. We help Stonham and promote Stonham but are not run by Stonham. I wonder who felt that annoyed with the signs that they took them. I can only take it as a compliment that Stonham Barns Car Boot is doing so well that it’s peeved another event. I can’t say I feel the same way about other Car Boots as I know what hard work it can be. I hope that we all do well. I’m more inclined to think it’s just an angry local who hates Stonham or just the signs.. 

 

Oh well, here’s to a busy two weeks ahead :) 

 

 

My apologies but I missed two weeks of Car Boots. I kept meaning to write this sooner but, I have had so many things going on. I had to renegotiate the field use, have to still take three days or so writing all the advertising for the Car Boot and tweeting etc, facebook and so on. Plus still work full time and try and cover the fact i’m doing this all week. 

 

My dad’s in hospital facing heart surgery and last Sunday I had every single Car Boot sign stolen.. So, i’m exhausted. Seeing my dad means driving to London to work and then driving to Southend hospital after work and then back to Suffolk in the evening. All good fun. 

 

The first week back in the field was really good as we had over 50 sellers and a good buying crowd. It’s difficult to say whether numbers of buyers was even more than the week before as the Car Boot was still squeezed into the car park and being a smaller space it looked really busy whereas the field is quite large so, no matter how many people are wandering around it never looks packed as the crowd seem to keep turning up from 8am till we close. 

 

I know that everyone was happy and they had all sold well. I didn’t get round to see everyone as i’ve been on the food trailer but, intend to get out and talk to everyone like I used to next week. I did see our intrepid visitors from Sudbury, the one’s that keep appearing on one of our photographs for the Car Boot. I do like to see them as they have been going pretty much straight from the beginning of the Car Boot. 

 

Speaking of which. We are coming up to 2 years of existance in May. Doesn’t time fly quickly. Having said that, it seems like we have been going for much longer. I’m quite proud of the fact that we have grown to what we are today. I can remember the first Car Boot we had where we had 17 sellers. I can particularly remember hiding behind the food trailer hoping that more buyers would appear. I still feel that same feeling every Sunday when it starts slowly. In fact last Sunday started really slowly and as usual picked up at 8am pretty quickly. I always panic until we have covered the field rent which is quite daft really beacuse we do get good numbers now. 

 

I’m looking forward to the event days coming up and hopefully having the problem we had last year of getting everyone in the field. We do have use of both fields and can fill up both if need be but, we will worry about that when it happens. I’m expecting to beat the 122 record of sellers but, to be honest once we get to over 50 sellers Stonham Barns looks good. I keep saying it but, we are getting great numbers of buyers so, it’s becoming a great venue to sell at every week. 

 

I mentioned Facebook earlier… Does everyone get warnings from facebook? They send you lists of people to befriend and ask you to add people that are on your phone lists. These are people that have rang about the Car Boot. So, I then send out freind requests to these people and the next thing you hear is facebook telling you you are sending out friend requests to people that don’t want to be your friend. Am I stupid or does someone have a vendetta against the Car Boot… we all get friend requests from people we don’t know. Normal people just ignore them or decline them. Who are these people that contact Facebook and complain about friend requests. These are friend requests from Stonham Barns Car Boot or Fishface which are where we advertise the Car Boot from. Unbelievable. these have rang me about the Car Boot in the past.. I wonder if it’s the same person that took 50 of my boards away on Saturday. It could be the council that did this as they also have something against Stonham Barns but, I don’t know as yet. When I say took all the boards that includes all the one’s outside Stonham Barns as well. Surely only the council would be so sad to do this. Stonham used to have the big boards outside Stonham that have been there for years advertising events and what is inside Stonham and the council came and chopped those down. What a sad lot they are. I don’t own Stonham but, i’d put them all up within the grounds and they couldn’t touch them. Anyway, I shall contact them to see if they took my boards. I can’t see another Car Boot doing this as we don’t have any local rivals. It surely, has to be the Council. To be continued. 

 

 

We knew that the weather would be good last Sunday but, I wasn’t quite expecting the crowd to increase as quickly as it has. The crowd was good the week before but, it was amazing and we had good numbers of sellers. We decided beforehand to use the Caravan sales land as overflow and it was a good job too as we quickly filled up the car park and almost filled the land behind as well. 

 

It looks like we are going to have another weekend of great weather and finally we will be back on the grass at Stonham Barns. Everyone knows how great the Car Boot is in the field so i’m expecting another bumper crowd at Stonham Barns. It’s daft isn’t it because a few weeks back it seemed like it would never stop raining and suddenly it’s warm and I expect the next thing we hear will be news of a water shortage… You have to smile. 

 

I’m really hoping to see Stan at the Car Boot soon as we do miss Stan the Help for Heroes Man. With the weather warming up I expect a guest appearance. Everyone knows Stan and it doesn’t feel the same without him. Likewise, our resident flower seller hasn’t been back for a while so, he must be due again soon. 

 

This Sunday you will be able to see the Car Boot from the road on the Tourist Route to the coast. This always draws extra people and also helps build the growing numbers of sellers as everyone suddenly wants to spend the day in the sun at Stonham. Suddenly it’s a completely different attitude. 

 

I noticed in the East Anglian Daily Times that only a few Car Boots are open at the moment so, it’s even more reason to come to Stonham Barns. Especially as others are so expensive to sell at.. You can guarantee a good turn out and sell from £5. Beat that. 

 

Whilst i’m in a positive mood it’s been two weeks of all my signposts coming home with me. This is just as pleasing. Something that will look a bit weird is the fact that our good friends at the council have removed the signposts from Stonham Barns. these are the one’s that have been there for years and years and state oncoming events and advertise some of the shops and attractions inside. I can’t quite say exactly what they have been accused of but, the council have decided that it’s fine to stick Helmingham Hall boards, Norfolk Showground or even the Plant Sale Boards everywhere through Suffolk but you can’t put a sign outside your own venue advertising what’s inside. Again, you have to smile. I’m putting mine up this Friday evening so, they will be the only signs at Stonham Barns… how weird. 

 

I wonder how long before they decide that everyone else can place boards anywhere but we can’t. You’ve all seen my boards as they only cover a small area but, i’m sure they will complain again. 

 

If I place Helmingham on them they’ll be left alone….. What a daft area…. 

 

 

Weather wasn’t great to start with but, although other parts of Suffolk had rain we didn’t get a touch and we had great numbers at the Car Boot. Not one moan from sellers and again car parks were full of buyers. I’ve mentioned that the Field is a few weeks away but, it’s looking a lot better than it has done for a while so, it could be sooner than I thought. I will take a quick look on Saturday and see whether it’s passable. 

 

We all know how good the Car Boot is in the field so, i’m getting to the point where i’m really sick of listening to someone moaning about parking space in the area we are in. It’s quite laughable really because without the Car Boot Stonham would not be as vibrant. It’s weird the way you either like Car Boots or you don’t. I don’t get it really because there isn’t anything bad about the Car Boot at Stonham. There are car parks all over the place so, there is no reason to moan. You just park elsewhere. We are coming up to 2 years old in May and I have generally put up with and done everything to satisfy everyone’s moans or adjustments but, at the end of the day everyone coming to Stonham just uses a car park. It is completely selfish and self centred to expect the public not to use a car park. Anyway… again I will cater for the selfish and make sure the public are shifted about. This is the same public that are often at Stonham for the first time having entered Stonham because they like Car Boots.. 

 

It would be so much easier if people amicably just spoke to me as it’s easily solved. I feel like I have had enough problems for what is a simple Car Boot. Prior to the Car Boot Stonham has been empty on Sundays. Now that we have people there everyone moans because it stops people parking outside their shops or attractions. Normal people just park and walk. 

 

What is the solution…… The best one is to be on the field and then everyone can go to the Car Boot and leave and ignore the shops. Exactly. That doesn’t help anyone. 

 

If we close December and January that will leave just a month or so in the Car Park and then someone else will moan about something else then. 

 

In future, if there is anything that anyone wants to moan about. Call me or email or whatever as you all know me. i’m the one bending over backwards trying to make the Car Boot work and try to get everyone into the shops as well. I shall update this throughout the week as I think more and more about the coming Car Boot which could be a good one if the weather is mild again. To be continued. 

 

 

We had good numbers last Sunday and that was despite the weather not being brilliant. Also, not one single sign disappeared. I’ve said all this before but, it takes me 2 hours to put the signs out Friday night and that’s after an hour or so of replacing and mending the signs. 

 

I’m not sure whether I need to put all the signs out but, always have and there are enough people that call me ask if we are on when I don’t. I guess it’s all part of the weekly ritual which ends with me collecting all the signs on Sunday after everything has been packed away. 

 

We had a few sellers that haven’t been there for a while so, I would say that the Car Boot is now going grow rapidly and after an inspectiopn of the field this Sunday I expect us to be back ASAP. The hard ground is good but, it only holds 50+ sellers and we will quickly get that as the weather starts to improve. 

 

Something that I do need to mention is the fact that I have had a good think about the Car Boot at Xmas and January and will make a final decision this weekend about whether we should close at the end of November or after a week or two of December. The idea would be to restart in February. There are two reasons for this and the first is that we don’t get to have a holiday longer than Monday to Friday and the second is that Stonham want to increase the cost of using the field. I am due to have a meeting about this on Saturday but, I can only say that instead of being open in December and January when numbers can be up and down we will have to reduce the time we are open. In the past we have used any money we make to advertise the Car Boot and Stonham but, if we have to pay more than we do we will have to close in December and January. 

 

I am obviously very thankful that we have and are allowed to run the Car Boot at Stonham but, we use a field for 5 to 6 odd hours every Sunday and for what is 24 hours odd in a month pay more than some shops, lakes and many other rent payers at Stonham that use the facilities every day. We have built the Car Boot from nothing and we are the main reason that Stonham has any activity. Obviously events bring in people but, we do advertise and bring in a lot of people that also go to the events. Anyway, i’m not going to moan because this will be resolved on Saturday wgen I expect Stonham to realise how much we put into everything. 

 

This Sunday i’m expecting a good crowd and hopefully it won’t be affected by rain, snow, wind or whatever can be thrown at us. 

 

Either way, the Car Boot will not suddenly disappear it will continue to run and I expect grow as it goes on. Despite the recession the Car Boot has been strong and is widely enjoyed by all that come. We have maintained the friendly atmosphere and we are growing because everyone knows that you can sell without being harassed and that the crowd that comes is a really friendly crowd to sell to. 

 

Enough glorifying everything but, we haven’t built it up to what it is just to stop. So fear not. 

 

Once we are back in the field and our regulars appear I will start to rant on about the Car Boot and any plans we have. Talking of things coming up. If you look at the weekly updates on the Car Boot I have included a link to events at Stonham Barns. Each year these events get a little big bigger and many are pretty big already so, these will be days when you should definitely sell at Stonham Barns. I know I always say that but, you all know how many extra people we get on event days and how well you have done on these days… so I won’t say it too many times. 

 

To be continued 

 

 

Last Sunday was back to a decent day with blue skies and people milling around. we’ve had a bit of a mixed selection of weather over the last few weeks with good weather, awful weather and just plain horrible weather. It really was nice to see blue skies last Sunday and it felt like the Sundays we have been used to at Stonham when the weather is better. 

 

What seems to happen though, is as soon as we get a good day the following Sunday is rubbish. We will see this Sunday. 

 

I couldn’t put the signs out until Saturday last weekend as it was raining so much on Friday and even Saturday was blowing a gale. Once again, for no apparent reason, the numpties were back and I had about 7 signs either run over or literally taken down and thrown in the bushes. I’m not sure weather someone dislikes Stonham Barns or whether it’s a rival but, it’s always the same stretch between Stowupland and Stonham. Life goes on but, if only the people in question knew how much effort goes into making sure the signs go up. Each week I have to repair and replace the signs as they get splattered with mud from the road and often run over. It’s all a bit weird because a few weeks later I always find the signs discarded in the bushes. 

 

I know there’s a chap that picks up litter but, I can’t believe he would do that as they do leave a few out. He would knock them all over if it was him. I’ll try and be above all that and ignore it but, come Sunday morning it really upsets me that every sign on that stretch had gone when I spent 2 to 3 hours making sure they were all placed and were in the ground hard enough to withstand the weather. As most readers of this thing will know, I normally get to put them out Friday night after work which means at about 9pm till 12pm in the evening. I will catch someone one day destroyng them and it will give me immense pleasure embarrassing the person. Whilst i’m moaning, whenever I put a sign up in Stonham Aspal by the road split (near the church) I can guarantee that the sign would disappear. However, Dog Shows seem to be left alone if they do the same thing. Equally anything that is relevant to the people of Stonham seems to be fine but, a Car Boot at Stonham Barns seems to mean that someone comes out and steals the sign… maybe one day the people that remove my signs would be gallant enough to explain why they do that. I’m a perfectly normal person that runs the Car Boot independently of Stonham Barns and puts a lot of effort in. Maybe if you explain where it is acceptable to place the signs everyone would be happy. 

 

I don’t understand some people’s way of thinking sometimes. 

 

Anyway, I shall repair annd replace and this time, when I drive in on Sunday morning, I will have some spare so I can replace any that are missing. Maybe they will get the mesage that I won’t be defeated… i suppose it’s all vert trivial stuff but, I literally do make all the signs, keep them in my shed and run out all the variations and stick them on before going out on a Friday evening, after work, and stick them up. Maybe if they went to the same efforts as I do they would understand why I get so peeved about it. 

 

Anyway, looking forward to the field being useable. I think I may have to remove some of the stones from it after the circus but, give it a month and hopefully it will be back to it’s normal state. 

 

Hope to see lots of you at Stonham Barns this Sunday from 8am. 

 

 

Busy, busy over Xmas and wow it’s 2014. I know i’m a bit behind but, the rain has affected my thinking. Jesus, when will it stop raining. As usual the weather forecast has ruined many a day’s Car Boot and last Sunday was probably the culmination of a week of hearing how the world was going to end and we would be struck by immense lightning etc etc. Well, that seemed to come Saturday evening and I had read that Sunday morning would be ok. It actually was but, quite chilly. Like every Sunday we set up as normal but, for once, we didn’t have the non predicted rainfall and it was actually not a bad Sunday morning. Sadly though….. the public had followed the weather forecast and numbers were down. 

 

I try not to be disheartened but, i’m constantly thinking about whether we should do what the others do and close at the end of December and January. I get so many sellers asking me if we are open in these months and seem really chuffed that we are then, they disappear. 

 

We do have our selection of good regulars and i’m glad that they continue to sell often in awful conditions. They do get some good days even in Winter and even on the days when the weather is pants. 

 

This Sunday i’m almost expecting a better morning as it’s due to be milder and often is the case the public suddenly appear looking for the excitement of the Car Boot. Being on the hard ground has been a saviour as everywhere is generally underwater. I imagine that our friends also running a Car Boot in the fields must be struggling a little. 

 

If anyone has any questions about the Car Boot and selling there you can email me through this or call me on 07817 539168. We are open pretty much every Sunday from 8am and that’s buyers and sellers. We are there earlier but, 8am is probably the earliest you need to get there as it’s quite a slow starter although not every week is the same. Covered stalls can be booked in Winter by texting or calling me with Car Registration number, Colour of car and make of car and surname of seller. In Summer it tends to be first come first served although we save them for our regulars (just tell me if you are there the following week). The stalls are great if you haven’t a table or room in the car plus they offer protection against sun and rain. They are also great if you want to sell antiques as they have an instant surface. We don’t tend to use the sides of the stalls although they are available if you want them. We also have the overhead covers that keep the walkways covered too. Again, based upon how windy is determines if we use those. 

 

Bring on Summer and the hosepipe ban…..