Angela Linforth goes vintage hunting at Homesense

There aren’t many things that can get me to Staples Corner in the pouring rain at 8.00 in the morning (or any time come to that), but the combination of the 'Vintage Cool Collection' and bargainista’s favourite décor emporium Homesense (the interiors-only arm of TK Maxx) had me reaching for the A-Z. Anticipating much excitement in the vintage world, frenzied queuing and elbows as sharp as those on the first day of the Harrod’s sale, I aimed my arrival for 7.30am – and got there at, er, 7.10…

It was deserted as was the rest of rain sodden Staples Corner, but fortunately five minutes away, the Selco Builders Warehouse café was open, so I parked myself down in front of their Ultima Crème show kitchen with a coffee, listening to the rain hammering on the tin roof on the lookout for a victory roll or a tweed suit on others who had made the vintage pilgrimage.

8.00am came and I was still the lone member of the queue when the doors opened. Ta-da! Homesense’s first foray into pre-loved, retro gear. The verdict? A really well chosen range for chic urbanites – a kind of Castle Gibson/Old Cinema vibe. And while their regular stock is full of pulse-racingly good bargains, the vintage cache was reasonably priced. Shoe lasts started from £12 per pair, vintage trunks from about £30 and vintage signs from about £70-£80. The Ercol sofa was £599. Sourced from 'Nantucket to Newcastle' these one-off retro pieces had been restored beautifully and it’s an interesting direction for a store that sells new. Success permitting, they intend to repeat it sporadically at various different branches so watch this space for the next vintage drop, and pop into Staples Corner before it vanishes.