Casa London Magazine #1 // November - December 2016 | Page 10

Duck and Dodo

London ' s First Antique and Artisan Supermarket
With the antique mall at Brydges Street Merchant Market shutting down and the artisan community in London booming , there is an untapped need for somewhere to house all these vendors . Enter Tiffany Hillman . She has worked for 12 years as an interior designer , and is ready to combine those skills with her love of arts and antiques to create Duck and Dodo , a fresh and exciting new antiques and artisans market in London .
CASA : Why don ’ t you start by telling us a little about what you are doing with Duck and Dodo ? It ’ s going to be an antique and arts market , but there will be strict guidelines for what people can bring and sell there . For the artisan side of things we want anything that people have built or upcycled using old materials , to try to be as eco-friendly as possible . We want it to be everything from the homeopathic side of things , like natural creams and body lotions to artisan food , large pieces of furniture , and even clothing for infants and baby items . I ’ m trying my best to get a good balance of everything . Then for the antiques , we are trying to avoid anything younger than 20 years . What I want is good quality items , with a strong emphasis on home décor and decorating as opposed to collectables and nicknacks .
CASA : Where did the idea come from ? The idea came from a couple of different places . I did an outdoor market in the summer , with a whole range of antiques and artisan items that I thought was really amazing . It pulled in so many people in just one day , but there wasn ’ t a fixed place in London that brings these two worlds together . There are antique malls , and then there are local artisan shops and markets , but they can be quite small and restrictive . They don ’ t give the vendors any room to breathe and grow . So I wanted to create a market that was in the middle of those two worlds , somewhere that would give the customer a shopping experience that is really interesting and unique .
CASA : And you think you can bring them that ? Well , I personally have been in an antique mall for 3 years , the one that is shutting down at Brydges Street Merchant Market . I have my own antique business , I sell on Etsy , and I ’ ve been involved in a number of summer antique markets ; so I can see where there is a gap . For example , the furniture dealers , who make incredible live edge furniture , don ’ t want to go antique malls because it is too much like a flea market . They play AM radio !
CASA : * laughter * So you ’ ll be doing what differently ? Playing FM radio ? I am going for a 100 % hipster feel . There ’ s going to be a stone fireplace , comfy chairs and a record player ! So when you come in you can flick through the records , put one on , and shop . I want it to be more of an experience , I understand when two people come in to shop they might want to sit down for a while , so that ’ s why I want to have a seating area . I wanted to make this market for everybody !
The market itself will house ( hopefully ) up to 50 vendors under one roof ! You could almost say it ’ s an antique and artisan supermarket !
One thing that some of the vendors are struggling with is that there isn ’ t going to be any walls ! It ’ ll be well organised but there won ’ t be any dividers between the stalls . I don ’ t want to put walls up because the ceilings are too high and it would ruin the open feeling . I want the vendors to be able to see it as almost like their mini store ! I am encouraging them to really own theie space . The whole place has just been freshly painted . The Landlord has been great . Together we are trying to promote Hamilton Road as a destination , because there are so many great stores .
CASA London : Why now ? What gave you the motivation ? The Forest City Flea which was hosted by Heist , and Illbury + Goose , that I did in the summer sparked the realisation that I ’ ve been giving up my items for other people to sell for so long that now I really want the opportunity to sell my own work . I don ’ t want other people having the feeling that they are handing their items to someone who won ’ t represent or sell them in a way that they disagree with .
I am in sales , so I understand the importance of networking and bringing people together and I think that ’ s what the market is going to do . I am one of the few people with the stupidity or the guts to do it - I don ’ t think my thoughts and aspirations are too far-fetched .

10 CASA London