The
Vintage Advert Shop/The Nostalgia Shop - Take a trip down memory
lane
The Vintage Advert Shop/The Nostalgia Shop is run by Andy Williams
in Leeds and is fast developing into a big on-line presence. Andy
sells original authentic ads covering all areas of advertising.
These ready-to-frame prints include military, railway, shipping,
automobiles, aviation and many other categories and make great gifts
as well as being good value rare pieces of original artwork.
Digger: How did The Vintage Advert Shop/The Nostalgia Shop come into
being?
Andy: I've always had an interest in old advertising and things like
that. I have a lot of them on the walls, old posters and adverts.
Digger: Why is that?
Andy: I just like the images and the colours.
Digger: Do you go into ecstasy like me when this stuff comes up on
the Antiques Roadshow? (Both laugh)
Andy: Yes, it just seems they had a better way of displaying things
back in the past.
Digger: They were very on the ball with promotion and advertising
back in the day - more sophisticated than people might realise.
Andy: They were so simple but they did it in a nice way and get the
point across. A colourful, visual way.
Digger: And a lot of the iconic brands have stood the test of time.
Andy: I don't think they do that these days and the adverts don't
stand out. There's too much monotony. It's a bit like the old
vintage cars. There's a lot more character than in the modern ones.
Digger: Yes, it's difficult to find the car these days in the
supermarket car park 'cos they all look the same.
Andy: The old cars, when they're done up, really stand out and
they're classics and I think that applies to a lot of the old stuff.
Digger: Why do you think Retro and Vintage are so popular?
Andy: People like to look back to the good old days and they portray
a happier, simpler life.
Digger: Do you think youngsters are looking back as well?
Andy: I think they are a bit now. I'm 43-ish and I certainly liked
older stuff, your dad's old car and what sweets you used to eat as a
kid and things like that. When you see an image it makes a
connection and you remember things like Spangles and it just brings
back memories.
Digger: What are you best sellers?
Andy: We do a lot of cars shows and events and the vintage car
adverts always sell well and we've got a massive range of those. You
never know what you're gonna sell there and it just depends who
turns up. The old car that their dad had or whatever. We do shows as
far as Kent and we do a lot around Yorkshire.
Digger: What impact has the Internet had on your business?
Andy: Not a lot so far as this is the third year in business but
this is the first one that I've really focused on the website. But I
can see it being a large part of the future business, if not the
main part.
Digger: Do you think it will go worldwide as a result?
Andy: Hopefully yes.
Digger: Will you ship to America and Australia, for example?
Andy: Yes, because I used to do a lot of selling on eBay and having
the website is a progression really.
Digger: Is there much competition?
Andy: It's very rare you see people selling the same stuff and I'm
sure there are people. It's a good thing really because when you go
to shows you see loads of people selling mobile phones and things
like that. With what we do it's few and far between which is a plus
point. I know when you go to car shows you see a lot of people
selling car-related products, but we tend to stand out. If you get
the right crowd we do well with it.
Digger: What happens if I can't find what I'm looking for?
Andy: I've got a contact section on the website and also email so if
you don't see what you're after then give us a bell or drop us a
line and then we'll find it.
Digger: What are your favourites?
Andy: My personal favourites are the wartime adverts and just
pre-war and then the fifties. I think they convey a unity of spirit
of that period, despite the darkness of that time. I think a lot of
the advertising brings forward that British spirit.
Digger: Have we still got it?
Andy: (Laughs) No.
Digger: I suppose it would need to be tested if we went through a
similar thing again. I think we still have it.
Andy: It's probably lurking in there somewhere but at that period it
certainly came to the front.
Digger: The cynics do say that not everyone then was full of that
spirit and there were a lot of people making money out of the bad
fortune of others and so on.
Andy: A few bombs going off that weren't from Germany.
Digger: I hope the spirit is still around.
Andy: I'd hope that, God forbid anything like that should happen
again, it would bring that spirit back to the surface. All the
adverts of that time - they all portray a jolliness if you like.
Digger: What about packaging? Do you sell that?
Andy: We do a lot of the vintage tins and some of the old boxes and
general tubes of cream with the contents still in. They're good
items, but not as big sellers as the advertising.
Digger: It's amazing how many businesses are making a living out of
retro.
Andy: I think probably in the last ten or fifteen years there has
been a big surge, maybe due to the old programmes that have been on
and the Antiques Roadshow and such. It's reminding people of what
we've got in our attics. In the 70s and 80s it might have been
ignored or thrown away but now our attention has been drawn to it.
Digger: There's now some companies that are selling the 70s fabrics
and wallpapers. The stuff that we lived through.
Andy: Yes, the multi-patterned blinds and curtains.
Digger: In those days they through it all in, floral sofa, stripey
wallpaper and multi-coloured carpets that didn't match! They look a
lot better if they are just the focal point of a plain colour
scheme.
Andy: They hurt your eyes!
Digger: How do you see the shop developing?
Andy: The on-line is just hopefully going to keep growing. The line
we're in, Vintage Advertising, is limitless really and we're
constantly finding new images and new adverts.
Digger: They're about £12 for the average one - a few are more
expensive, but they're really good value aren't they?
Andy: Yes, I think so. We present them in ready to frame and it
makes a nice package for a gift with a difference. We have that
phrase on our stall 'Gift With A Difference'. You don't get them
everywhere and it's a piece of original history because we don't
sell repro ads at all.
Digger: Do you think people appreciate that they're original?
Andy: We mention it on the site and that's a good selling point and
you can get re-prints anywhere.
Digger: The re-prints probably cost as much as your originals.
Andy: Probably more. People could be confused but ours are original
and from the date and period that the advert comes from.
Digger: Well, thanks Andy and best of luck with the development of
the web-based business.
Andy: Thanks David.
Contact
Details:
Vintage Advert Shop
Mr Andrew Williams
53 Bruntcliffe Road
Morley Leeds
LS27 0LJ
Phone number: +44 113 2520014
Email: andibusiness@gmail.com
For more
information go to:
The
Vintage Advert Shop
The
Nostalgia Shop
