House music

Regular readers may remember my first blogpost feature on Cherry Cherry (RIP). Whilst I was there I came across a beautiful papercut, and vowed to follow up it's creator.  As is natural in Norwich it didn't take much investigation... me: "kate, who did this?" kate: "that'll be Su Owen, would you like her number?".  And with that I thought I had a feature on a crafter on my books.  What I didn't expect was to get a returned call from Su saying that she'd jacked in her teaching job and set aside her papercuts to set up a new Home!  So a few months on and House cafe 52's doors are open, the license is in place, the menu is expanding and I thought it was time to let you in.

House is a home from home. All the furniture and crockery is sourced from boot sales and secondhand shops, ie: worn in and comfy.  The walls are lined with local art to be bought and books waiting to be read.  This is the kind of cafe where you feel comfortable to come alone, buy tea (there's lots and lots of tea, tea is Su's speciality) and just hang.  I went along with a couple of friends for a quick brew, bought toast and peanut butter for breakfast, settled on the sofa, and ended up buying a fish finger sandwich for lunch 3 hours later!

Kids are not only welcomed, but encouraged - Su is a mother of 3, god knows where she finds the time - and has catered not only with food but also activities.

And now her evening license has come through the fun has only just begun. Regular evenings are popping up such as Freestyle fingers, an arty evening for both relaxed and serious crafters, and - on the night I popped along - Tunesday Record Club.  A night for dusting down your old vinyl (anything, I repeat anything, goes...) and taking your turn on the decks...

Set just yards from the Art Centre on St Benedicts this is the perfect pre gig bar, it's cosy, lively and has some great tunes...

Oh, and in case you're interested, I couldn't go down without taking something to slot on the decks myself... so what did I take?  An old fav of mine... Je Suis Un Rock Star of course!

Don't knock it till you've tried it!! 

Prim Vintage Fashion

Being a child of the 70s my student days in the mid 80s consisted of trawling charity or 'secondhand' shops as they were then known.  There, if you were lucky, you'd find some local stylish gran had cleared out her wardrobe and you could fill up a plastic bag with some foisty, slightly grubby goods for a couple of quid to be scrubbed and fixed up at home.  

Oh how times have changed!  Second hand has now become vintage, with stock sourced from specialist dealers around the world, cleaned, pressed and in pristine condition ready to be discovered and loved all over again in beautiful little boutiques up and down the country.

And one of the finest examples can be found right here in Norwich Lanes.

Prim Vintage Fashion was opened on St Benedicts in 2008 by Shona Darling Daly and James Nisbet and is home to some of the finest threads for miles around!  These guys really know their vintage.  Shona has been trading online since 2003 and has built up relationships with some of the best suppliers in the country (which she quite rightly keeps close to her chest...).  Her boyfriend James worked for many years in retail management around central London - so when they decided to put their heads together, move to Norwich and set up in bricks and mortar a star was born!

The shop was designed and laid out themselves so they are proud of every inch and corner, but perhaps most importantly they know their stock!  They can (and are happy to) tell you which era every piece dates from, so if it's a particular look you're going for you're in luck.  Clothes, shoes, boots, bags, belts, jewels... it's all here, and not a plastic bag in sight!

The men's department is tucked away in an underground cellar.  There's some real finds down here, not least one of the best shoe collections I've seen in a while.  And if you're just hanging out while your girlfriend shops upstairs, there's plenty of reading material...

After a dose of serious shopping, do yourself a favour and head across the road to The Bicycle Shop, one of my all time favourite cafe bars...

I'll leave the final word to Shona and James themselves who can explain the benefits of vintage so much better - all I know is I love a good dress when I see one, and pay day can't come quick enough...

Why Choose Vintage?

Flamingo Amy

Let me tell you a little something about my hair. It's thick, dry, frizzy and if I must confess, going a little grey (ok more than a little...). I believe out of sight out of mind, it's all I can do to run my fingers through it most mornings.  I've got by like this for more years than I care to mention and I've passed caring about it.  But if I ever get the call to make a little more effort I think I may have found the lady to tackle the task!

Amy Taylor is a vintage hair stylist - and having watched her at work for two hours last Saturday I can tell you she's a damn good one.

Originally from Southend on sea Amy came to Norwich in 2003 to study at the NUCA. By the time she graduated in 2006 she had fallen for our fine city and decided to set up home. During this time she had attended a Rock n Roll weekender and it was here that her love for the 40s and 50s was born.  She even married a Johnny Cash tribute artist Sun Of Cash (who I've since checked out and is well worth a listen!).

So in 2008 she launched Flamingo Amy, originally selling hair accessories, she now has a Saturday residence in Flint Hair Salon on Bridewell Alley. From this lovely spot she styles hair for everything from fashion shoots to weddings and every occasion in between. Armed with not much more than a can of hairspray, a comb and armfuls of hair pins Amy can transform your modern day swinging locks into magnificent curls, quiffs and beehives! It really is something to watch...

On the day of my visit she was doing a trial run on bride to be Daisy who is getting hitched in April.  Daisy had brought in a picture of her beautiful 40s style wedding dress (her groom was dressing as a farmer - would love to see that!).  After going over images of the dress and a consultation Amy set about trialing various styles, taking pictures as she went so that Daisy could look through them in her own time ready for Amy's arrival on the big day.

It was such a relaxed sunny morning, Flint hair is a great place to be.  Owner Conor O'Brien who worked for years from his Clerkenwell salon is not only a top hairdresser, he also collects art - it's worth popping in just to check out his collection ranging Mr Bingo to Stella Vine.

For two hours we chatted & laughed while I shot and Amy worked her magic on Daisy. This really is quite a skill, but she makes it look all too easy.  And yes I asked, and yes she does set her own hair every. single. day!

I really do need to make more of an effort...

Flint owner Conor O'Brien sneaking a peek...

Amy will be showing at the Vintage Wedding Fair in St Andrews Hall on April 16th (where you can also catch yours truly shooting away). So if you want to see her in action yourself, this could be the perfect opportunity...

Daisy was off on her hen night straight from her session with Amy - and although she had no idea what her friends had in store, she was certainly going to bring a little glamour to proceedings x

Thanks for having me in Amy, you really are one talented gal!

And a special thanks to Daisy for being such a lovely model - good luck with the wedding, you're going to look Flamingotastic!!  sorry, couldn't help myself ;D