Today is Saturday here in London, so naturally I am focused on my day at Portobello Road to visit all my friends who are people with stories to tell. I love the “fish stories” about the antiques that were once on the stalls and about how the Market has changed. I love these stories because in the 50 years I have been haunting this market, so much HAS changed. Meissen, Sevres, Staffordshire figures, and pewter/ brass used to fill the stalls. Little by little, the excellent old dealers weren’t so young any more, and the people who wandered down the street weren’t looking for Sevres in any way, shape, or form. Once people wanted really fine pieces of pewter, then the taste for vintage clothing took over. Many of the old dealers just died off or couldn’t make the change to accommodate the tastes of the people spending the cash. Some dealers loved the Market so much, so they reinvented themselves to survive on the street. I write a lot about the wonderful Kashden family. They are honored PORTOBELLO ROAD dealers of years and years. They were young with black hair and long sideburns and sold fine pewter and very early documents. As the Market changed and as we all grew only a little older with gray hair– and well fed, yet retaining elegant figures, Portobello clients decided they wanted vintage clothes rather than fine pewter. My friends the Kashdens had handled fine clothing in the professional careers over the years, so they decided they could offer the best VINTAGE CLOTHING on Portobello Road. I love to sit behind their stall and watch hundreds of people try on Hillary’s hats, fur coats, and their daughter Laura’s fabulous vintage purses. I have more smiles watching all this than I do anywhere; it is the most exciting place in London. People are great, and people from all over the world are even “GREATER” when they gather on the Market. There are the Italians buying fur coats, Spaniards buying crocodile vintage purses, and young people from all over the world trying on Hilary’s vintage hats. Put it all together, and you create the electricity that makes us all best friends–now members of the MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY. Look at these photographs of the KASHDEN EVOLUTION. They are fabulous. Oh my goodness! The good old days! Na Na Na It is more fun now than ever before. I know because I have been on the street during both eras. Don’t miss out; this is great fun. I mean real fun!
I hope you have had some fun. We have.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
