Emporium
330-332 Creek Road
There are actually two different kinds of vintage shop from both ends of the spectrum which fill me with joy. The chaotic, full-to-the-brim junk store with piles of unsorted stuff where it's up to the buyer to sift through the rubbish to find a gem at a (sometimes, but not always) bargain price, and the more upmarket, beautifully arranged boutique where every piece is top quality - with prices to match. Emporium is defintely the second of the two.
It is one of those vintage clothing shops that make my heart sing and reminds me of the fabulous boutiques I used to frequent in Paris in the 90s (and which largely don't exist any more.) It also puts to shame practically every other clothing shop, vintage or otherwise, in Greenwich. This is clearly run by someone who cares.
Its exquisite vintage glass display cases house sparkling diamante and paste jewelery, dinky handbags, glorious gloves and fabulous compacts, lain out in mouth-watering treasure-trove style. High on shelves classic hat boxes with exotic names jostle with feather fans and old advertising paraphenalia, from old 1950s adverts for face creams and lipsticks, to the top of a Shell petrol pump.
High on shelves, old showroom-dummy heads wear trilbys, flat caps and homburgs. Even the pillars are covered in vintage wallpaper and age-spotted mirrors. Particularly worth noting are the fab chandeliers - of which there are several.
In the main body of the shop, the clothes, dating mainly from the 40s to the 70s, are beautifully displayed on easy-to-peruse racks of similar items - no rummaging to be done here. Not everything is stuff I'd buy - I found the selection of evening gowns disappointing and the vintage ties are frankly not much cop, but good examples seem to be very hard to get hold of nowadays. Where the emporium excels is in 70s jackets and trendy tops - I'd say there's more in the way of clothing for guys than gals, though the accessories are very good.
Don't expect to find a bargain here. What you're paying for is the rummaging someone else has done for you - but as opposed to Camden Market (one of the few places left where you can really rummage among unsorted stuff) you are far less likely to find an item ruined by moths, ripped fabric or - the real problem with the vintage lifestyle - heaviy stained with sweat or stunk-out with vintage B.O, perfume or must.
Placed on the 1950s cocktail bar are the usual clubbing flyers found in all trendy stores in the centre of town. There's a vintage cigarette holder/ashtray by the door, which often holds a lit fag - presumably the owner enjoys the odd drag when the shop empties for a moment. It creates an interesting aroma as you enter.
There are actually two different kinds of vintage shop from both ends of the spectrum which fill me with joy. The chaotic, full-to-the-brim junk store with piles of unsorted stuff where it's up to the buyer to sift through the rubbish to find a gem at a (sometimes, but not always) bargain price, and the more upmarket, beautifully arranged boutique where every piece is top quality - with prices to match. Emporium is defintely the second of the two.
It is one of those vintage clothing shops that make my heart sing and reminds me of the fabulous boutiques I used to frequent in Paris in the 90s (and which largely don't exist any more.) It also puts to shame practically every other clothing shop, vintage or otherwise, in Greenwich. This is clearly run by someone who cares.
Its exquisite vintage glass display cases house sparkling diamante and paste jewelery, dinky handbags, glorious gloves and fabulous compacts, lain out in mouth-watering treasure-trove style. High on shelves classic hat boxes with exotic names jostle with feather fans and old advertising paraphenalia, from old 1950s adverts for face creams and lipsticks, to the top of a Shell petrol pump.
High on shelves, old showroom-dummy heads wear trilbys, flat caps and homburgs. Even the pillars are covered in vintage wallpaper and age-spotted mirrors. Particularly worth noting are the fab chandeliers - of which there are several.
In the main body of the shop, the clothes, dating mainly from the 40s to the 70s, are beautifully displayed on easy-to-peruse racks of similar items - no rummaging to be done here. Not everything is stuff I'd buy - I found the selection of evening gowns disappointing and the vintage ties are frankly not much cop, but good examples seem to be very hard to get hold of nowadays. Where the emporium excels is in 70s jackets and trendy tops - I'd say there's more in the way of clothing for guys than gals, though the accessories are very good.
Don't expect to find a bargain here. What you're paying for is the rummaging someone else has done for you - but as opposed to Camden Market (one of the few places left where you can really rummage among unsorted stuff) you are far less likely to find an item ruined by moths, ripped fabric or - the real problem with the vintage lifestyle - heaviy stained with sweat or stunk-out with vintage B.O, perfume or must.
Placed on the 1950s cocktail bar are the usual clubbing flyers found in all trendy stores in the centre of town. There's a vintage cigarette holder/ashtray by the door, which often holds a lit fag - presumably the owner enjoys the odd drag when the shop empties for a moment. It creates an interesting aroma as you enter.
Labels: Shopping
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
08:19
9 Comments:
The Emporium, for all it's chandeliers and glittering jewellery, is really not what it appears. It's selection of vintage clothes is limited, with very little in the way womenswear. As for the prces - I have yet to find a bargain. The staff can be helpful, if they can be bothered or if they're not snooping behind you, watching your every move as if you really would even want to nick anything. I find this behaviour insulting and offputting. They stand behind the shop counter glaring at you, and if you are only browsing and aren't going to give them any money, the air of politeness soon fades. Far too arrogant for its own good, the only thing I like about the emporium are the window displays. And as for the burning cigarette - hardly enticing!!
This may be another case of my reporting things as I find htem. I confess no one snooped around me - in fact one time I was in there was no one in the shop at all. But I can see that it could be 'that sort' of shop. Clearly more research is needed here too...
The cig was pretty yeuchy. I'll give you that.
It's an imprecise science, but I'm learning. Slowly.
I agree with the first comments, this shop is a fine example of dressing up run of the mill second hand clothing in a glitzy enviroment and putting a very very very high price tag on it.the owners are realy rude and if you dont look like you have a gold credit card they look down on you.Thankfully just over the road The Observatory Vintage clothing shop is there with sensible prices and lots more stock, I wonder why you have not reviewed that one, its the best vintage shop in Town.But a word of warning, dont mention the Observatory in the emporium as the guy is so insecure he goes apeshit ranting on and on about it, so try both vintage shops and make up your mind but The Observatory wins hands down for me every time,and as it is very busy at the weekends its seems so does most of Greenwich.
This shop used to be fantastic sadly its just a shadow of its former self not much stock and very overpriced, the good items here are 'display only' or 'not for sale' the owners are rude and arrogant with no reason to be.
Used to be busy at the weekends but now the tumbleweeds blow through here and Greenwich as all the trendies are at Brick lane .
Not worth a visit.
I disagree with previous comments. The Emporium is a fantastic shop with a wonderfull selection for both men and women. I have shopped there for years and have never had bad service and find it better value than other vintage shops in Greenwich.
It was busy the last time I visited which was on a weekend and well worth a visit whenever I come to greenwich.
I too have to counter the comments made by others here. Emporium is recognised as THE best second hand/non-used/vintage store in London, bar none (why else do you find the likes of Jean paul gaultier browising the stock for ideas?). I have never found Jon and Jackie who own it or their staff to be anything less than friendly and helpful; they know their stuff and take pride in their stock, which has been amassed over several decades. And £70 for a pair of Lee Selvedge jeans is a bargain my friend; that is just one example of their extremely competitive pricing policy.
As for your whinge about a lit cigarette in the ash-tray by the door; pshaw you big Jessie. If that is the worst thing you can say about Emprium better give up now.
Have popped into The Emporium a couple of times, but this time bought a wonderful jacket. Found the owner helpful and chatty without being in my face. The stock was interesting and i thoroughly enjoyed my time, undisturbed at the back corner of the shop, trying on the wonderfully stylish coats which i thought were at a fair price. Some people always find something to moan about, but i must say i only have good things to say about this shop.
When I lived near Greenwich years back and made many trips to Greenwich specifically to go to The Emporium. I have bought clothes for balls, dinners and many occasions and each time spent DAYS in there coming to decisions. Once, when I was looking for something that was a real show-stopper, the staff bought out bags and bags of dresses that they had tucked away in storage and went through them together like two kids in a candy shop. I felt like a little girl dressing in her mum's best, and it was a wonderful experience.
The shop itself has (had) as lovely atmosphere and seeing the beautiful pieces so well displayed is pure joy. I am writing this because (after ten years spent in Tokyo-picking my way through the 'tat' that they have here in 'vintage' shops) I dreamt of Emporium. I will return on my next trip back and am crossing fingers that things are still looking dreamy there!
Having just made my first visit to The Emporium, I have to say that I absolutely loved it. The owner was so helpful, especially as the jacket I was buying was originally supposed to come as a two piece, he knocked the price down quite considerably (which he didn’t need to tell me because I was willing to buy it at its original cost). I agree that it’s not the cheapest vintage clothes shop around but the stock is laid out perfectly and the selection of clothes are just fantastic, I recommend a visit and will be returning asap.
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