Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the week: Piglets Vintage, Totterdown
In 2005, Jayne Brady was sat on the sofa in her Totterdown flat, one floor above the site of what she now runs as an antiques shop Piglets Vintage. She had just become a single mother at age 18.
She told Bristol24/7: “I just thought I don’t fancy a life just watching daytime television. At the time, it was harder for single mother to get jobs.
“So, I bought some stuff online and started selling it and it’s grown from there.
is needed now More than ever
“When we first started, we then had a little office on Raleigh Road, Southville. My dad was a builder, and I had a little desk in his yard there. The store here has been open for seven years.”
Kevin and Jayne Brady opened Piglets Vintage for their love of antiques seven years ago
Piglets Vintage offers items that appeal to a broad range of curiosities – there are old enamel signs, brass art work, ordnance survey maps, superhero magazines and much more.
The vintage shop on the corner of St John’s Lane is a family business at its core. Jayne’s father Kevin Brady, acquires most of the shop’s stock with Jayne’s kids gradually lending a helping hand over the years.
Antiques have a far-reaching history in the Brady family. Kevin’s dad used to sell building materials and tool out of a garage in Southville near the Tobacco Factory. This element of family history has been retained, as evidenced by the racks of tools available for sale in Piglets.
Traces of their antique roots can be found in carefully placed items, like a framed picture behind the shop’s main counter that dates back to 1953. A conversation with Kevin revealed that the picture was a gift by the final owner of The Boar’s Head Inn, a pub that stood where Piglets Vintage is now.
Brass and copper utensils dangle from a shelf in the shop
Even though Jayne’s initial sale of antiques was through eBay, she has found benefits about having a physical shop. Jayne said: “There’s people that I chat to about lots of different things going on in the world and loads of familiar faces. That is always nice.
“We do encourage people to come and look at the item, because that’s the only true way to understand it 100%.
“And when we have war items in, for example, we invite experts in and we won’t display them until we have confirmed what they are.”
The vibrant façade of Piglets pays tribute to Totterdown’s signature colourful houses, that extend down the neighbourhood.
Fancy some vintage posters for your home?
Having popped his head out from the storage room around the corner of the shop, Kevin recalled Piglets’ brushes with fame.
“We had Johnny Vegas here.
“Just before Covid, he came here and spent quite a bit of money for the show Channel 4 were making about him setting up a glamping site.
“We’ve been on Antiques Road Trip twice as well, and might be on again soon. That’s all Jayne though, I’m not too much into the publicity myself but I know how important it all is.”
Now, Piglets is also a vital hub for next generation’s creatives, as students doing art or film projects often come by to source materials.
Before Piglets Vintage, the site was home to a domestic appliances shop
Piglets Vintage, 2 St John’s Ln, Totterdown, BS3 5AA
All photos: George Dean
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