The name and exterior of Petticoat Lane seems to suggest a wondrous jumble of vintage charm. The exterior features a sign written with old-fashioned lettering, almost foreboding black iron bars, and one of those old deli open signs advertising Coca Cola propped up on the pavement.
Although during my first visit to the store, the second-hand stench, dim lighting and vast amount of easily accessible, chain store clothing did not match the magical expectations I had, things got better over time.
The lighting brightened and the odour faded. I once came across a spectacularly disgusting eighties dress made of ruched black velvet and puffy green sleeves, also in velvet. Though it was nothing like that romantic idea of beautiful vintage clothing it was authentic; perfect in hilarity and ugliness for a dress-up party. At another time, in search of an ‘eighties Kylie’ costume, I bought a magnificent black spotty dress with puffy sleeves, ruffles and a bubble hem.
The country op-shop pricing system, where the stock price is calculated at the counter and most items are never much more than a couple of dollars, was a new discovery to me. Once, I bought a vintage-style dress in a lovely, thick cotton. When the lady working there put the sale through, she said to me tentatively “$3?” as if she was asking an exorbitant price I would surely be outraged by. I happily paid the small sum with coins and left with the feeling that I had just had a tiny adventure.
Pleased you squeezed some magic out of the adventure! Petticoat Lane and Merredin seem to be a good example of binary opposition! Enjoyable reading.
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