Malvena Pearl’s Emporium will be participating in the 2011 GBACG Costumer’s Bazaar, held on Sunday, August 28th, 2011 — from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the Veterans’ Memorial Building in Albany, CA.
Here are some samples of the treasures that will be on sale:
The location of this year’s Bazaar is the Albany Veterans’ Memorial Building at 1325 Portland Ave., Albany, CA.
We hope to see you there!
Malvena PearlPurveyor of Millinery, Ephemera and Artful Diversions to Inspire the Costume Enthusiast
Peruse our selection of handmade & vintage hats from many eras, hair adornments, books, vintage catalogs, as well as accessories for men and women. There will also be framed Godey’s prints, ephemera and a special treat this year: vintage estate jewelry from a hobby collection. It’s all antique or vintage, unique, rare and one-of-a-kind costume jewelry made between 1850 and 1970. We will have patterns, sewing manuals from the 1920s-1950s and theatrical lobby cards. We also carry vintage ribbon, trim, buttons and other vintage notions. Bibliomania and Black Swan Books will provide assorted posters, prints and clothing, including embroidered nylons. We will feature four handmade bags by Wendy Lou in vintage fabrics.
A client came by Casa Roo for a fitting/hemming of a pre-bought 1850s-style, cotton dress that she has asked me to embellish. Yay! She came by during the rainstorm, so that’s motivation for you.
Ms. Sahrye Cohen expertly helped us put together an entry for inclusion in the exhibit at the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition in Emeryville March 12 – March 14, 2010.
On March 20, 2010, Malvena Pearl will have a table and display set up at the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild Costume Academy. 
I’m also working on the White Queen outfit, the Red Queen outfit and Queen Alice’s outfit for the 9th Annual Blind Babies Foundation Annual Beeper Egg Hunt in San Francisco. I’m organizing the first-annual Tea and Raffle with the theme of Alice through the Looking Glass. Come join us! Here is Zasu helping me complete the White Queen dress:
Sunday morning, I ventured forth with pastries and will-call tickets to meet several of the costume pals, the other hunter/gatherers of our little group. We met in line for what I call the Annual Department Store of Used Stuff in a huge warehouse in Oakland. All the proceeds go to support the Oakland Museum.
Throngs of people were in line, but (unlike the SF Opera Costume Shop Sale) there was much organization — volunteers handing out pre-purchased tickets in line to those who had pre-paid and answering questions. The line was moving quickly, right at 10 am, when the doors opened. (we didn’t have to get there to hold a place at 8 am, only to meet several other groups who had been there hours before, sleeping in tents on the sidewalk, as if we were waiting for the new Star Wars film to start.)
The selling floor covers an entire warehouse and is organized all year round by diligent veteran volunteers. Each area of merchandise has its own section and they have a system for writing up your purchases and bringing the bag to the entrance of each “department”, like at a real department store. At least that is what Macy’s was like last time I went there. This warehouse accepts donations All Year Round but is only open to the public on specific days. You never know what you will find.
Did I mention that all proceeds go to the Oakland Museum? Well, it’s worth repeating. Their volunteers are either teenagers or 50+ and are really helpful folks. The volunteers told me that this was the largest turnout they had ever had. It was jam packed with hardly any room to move in the fabric section with lines everywhere. And still, I didn’t have to wait 3 hours to get in, and another 3 to check out, like at the last big warehouse sale I attended. Phew.
One woman in line said she and her sister go to garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets everywhere they travel. They’ve been to sales like this in England, France, Italy and in other states in the U.S. They’ve come every year of their adult lives to this sale, in Oakland, though.
I spent just a little over $40 of my hard-earned money; that is equivalent to four hours, one half of one shift at my Saturday job. Here is my haul.
Thanks go to HH for giving me a ride home with this bag o stuff:
6 yards of gorgeous, flower-patterned turquoise/light blue and white cotton to make a 1960s Mad Men dress (inspired by Dress a Day blog) with my vintage 1960s sewing pattern
2 pieces of white fake fur with a pattern of black and brown and gray – for $1.00 each (more than a yard each) – I got these for LaRue who was bemoaning the lack of fake ermine when she was making a ‘Wives of Henry the 8th’ project least year
at least 4 remnant bundles of 1 – 2 yards of “masculine” patterned/colored flannel for Hank’s doggie outfits – his parents are designers who are very discerning about what he wears!
1 bundle of cotton velvet in a delicate moss-green color that is just screaming to become a Victorian bonnet
6 sewing patterns @ $0.25 each: children’s (for sizing Halloween costumes – never again will I “eyeball it” from an existing garment when a 3 year old grew two sizes in two weeks, know what I mean?); a men’s 1960s pajama/robe pattern with a festive drawing on the front; a women’s bathrobe pattern, and a set of Closet Accessories patterns! I’ve been getting organized!
2 -1960s dress patterns at $3.00 each – they are SO CUTE! Mad Men event, here we come!
Several $1.00 pieces of either leather or faux suede – I don’t care if it’s real or not, it’s a gorgeous color of pale blue/gray and will work well for linings or bodices or belts or hats or trimming corsets. I also got a $1.00 piece of ivory faux-or-real suede
2 pair of pink gloves from the Accessories section — one pair is real leather and it FITS ME – a rarity in the glove world; the other is just cute and has teensy buttons at the cuff (I think these were $3 and $4)
A 1930s/40s asymmetrical hat in gray tweed wool — this was going to be my big splurge of $15. I has to find out if Ms. S was going to “steal” or “borrow” it, it since it went home with her and and her partner, H. They ended up buying it for me in exchange for my providing H. with a ticket. I also helped H. pick out a parasol and an umbrella for his partner, S, who was late arriving. That was fun. HH and I helped him find an appropriate 1960s style hat and a different, yet matching purse. S. was very pleased with our “consulting” him. Again with the preparations for the Mad Men event!
And finally, I got a copy of Reader’s Digest Guide to Sewing that Ms. S recommended as she had used it for a sewing class. This item was purchased for a mere $5.00. It made my bag heavy but it’s like having a collection of Threads Magazine’s best instruction articles in one hardcover book – a deal by my standards.
We only had about two hours to hunt and gather, since this was the same day as the now-bi-monthly gathering of Mills gals in San Francisco for me, and the same day as the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild Open House, for the other costumers.
There will be photos at some point soon. Promise.
The cape is sold!
The current owner bought it in London at a jumble sale in the 1980s. It has been in her closet since then. She was told it was created during the Victorian period. The bead work is almost completely intact and just needs a tiny bit of loving care to restore it to near-perfect glory. The owner of Black Swan Books, Bonnie, is the gal to contact about this lovely piece.
Here are the snapshots:
It’s been busy around the Emporium these last few weeks. With help from Mr. Acorn, I’m listing all the books that I got from Vintage Victorian. I have done a lot of work in the sewing room, organizing and culling goodies to sell on the etsy.com web site. What films and books have inspired me, lately? “Persuasion,” based on the Jane Austen novel; the series “Jeeves and Wooster” with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry; and I’ve been reading “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens. I’ve also been perusing an interesting collection of works by 21st century artists called “1000 Ideas for Creative ReUse” by Garth Johnson. I had to special order that book from my local bookseller, as it was sold out.
The books I’ve posted on etsy.com are reprints of an amazing collection of catalogs, magazine articles and graphics with “how-to” instructions and inspirational drawings galore – material to inspire Victorian and Edwardian enthusiasts alike, not to mention those folks who are getting ready to make an outfit for a masquerade:
Team Rachel hit the East Bay pavements looking for accessories for Rachel’s wedding. We went exclusively to thrift and vintage shops and had lunch with our friend Charlotte and her charming pup Foxy Lady. We all felt like foxy ladies that day eating lunch at my sister’s restaurant, Sea Salt, and chatting with proprietor of Dolled Up Vintage, Karen. She helped us find the PERFECT dress for Ms Claire so she can be Rachel’s maid of honor. We hit Icon vintage, Pimlico Place, Discovery Shop and J. Sahadi for ring advice for R&R’s big day. Note: R&R aren’t just a couple. They are also sing, play and record with in the band they created, “Plot Against Rachel.”
At lunch Charlotte was trying to decide which parts each of us would play if she were casting “Sex And The City.” She wants to be Samantha and none of us want to be Carrie. But who would Foxy play? I told them I’d be Stanford Blatch.
Our previous public appearance with LucyLand Soaps and Babette’s BonBons was at the Costumer’s Guild flea market in Foster City, CA, 2006.
Check here to find out where we’ll be selling stuff, showing costumes and doing other interesting things for our audience.