Abode Above

Halloween is heading towards us at speed!
How about this amazing hanging candelabra, taken from nice to wow by Helen at Firefly Shiny Shop?! You can see a short reel on her page
It’s a most definite one off and is for sale here in Abode Above in Central Arcade, Wrexham, priced at £65

One benefit of dealing with small, independent businesses is that you’re usually face to face with the owner, who is grateful for every single purchase.
Takings stay local and are spent in the local area, not getting sucked into large, national or international companies
If an independent shop has been having a quiet day and needs to make a sale, you could always try an offer - especially in a shop like this one, where most of the items are vintage or pre-owned

UPDATE: I totally forgot why I wrote this post! I meant to say that my quiet days are Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday each week ... if you know, you know :)

After yesterday’s ‘flick’ which became ‘Gluck’ somehow, today’s is just pics of random items to clear at Abode Above.
Red sticker = £5 and blue ones on an item denotes just £3. More added daily

I have about a dozen strong boxes, along with some packing paper and inserts
Available today and tomorrow at Abode Above in Central Arcade, Wrexham until 4pm
Once they’ve been taken, I’ll delete this post. Until then just pop down for them
Size is approximately 43cm x 31cm and 17cm deep

Browning wax is back in stock at Abode Above! Yahay
Open until 4pm today and tomorrow

Brain teaser! Here’s a puzzle for you all

How can Abode Above be deadly quiet and deafeningly loud at the same time?

Post your answers here Replies accepted until midnight today and the winner will be rewarded with chocolate

If you’re planning on painting this bank holiday weekend, don’t let yourself run out on Sunday
Abode Above has so many Frenchic tins on the shelves, ready for you to take away today - no waiting for a delivery!
Find us in Central Arcade, Wrexham
We’re treating ourselves to a bank holiday, so the shop will be closed on Monday, but here until at least 4pm today

Temporary changes to shop opening times at Abode Above with immediate effect:

Sunday - closed
Monday - 10.30am to 4pm
Tuesday - 10.30am to 4pm
Wednesday and Thursday - shop closed
Friday - 10.30am to 4pm
Saturday - 10.30am to 4pm

You may notice that I've not mentioned the Monday market, where I've had a stall since the beginning of June. Unfortunately, much as I've enjoyed talking to people and making them aware that Central Arcade, Wrexham is open for business, it's just not worked for me. I do hope that people who've been buying pre-owned clothes from me there, will continue to seek out the gems at the shop.

I've added an extra hour to the shop days. I realised that I seldom leave before 4pm anyway, so I've been staying open longer and this will continue

Just in case anyone would like to think me lazy with an extra 'day off', it's purely because my lovely mum's house has sold STC within days. Didn't see that coming! It has to be cleared, of course, so this is how my 'days off' will be spent. By the time this is all sorted, I'm hoping that the Wrexham Butchers Market will be open ... don't try any breath holding, but think positive

A new delivery of Frenchic should be with me this week, so anyone waiting for Blackjack and Cool Beans in particular don't have long to wait now

Pop and see me please

UPDATE
Think we’ll have another random discount day tomorrow, Saturday 3 August!
If you need Frenchic Paint, there’s plenty to tempt you and there’s a shelf full of Original Artisan range waiting to be rehomed

It’s a random discount day at Abode Above in Central Arcade (next to Bodycare)
There’s even a discount on Frenchic Paint!

I detest lies!
Came back with my coffee and cake earlier and there was a woman digging through the dressmaking patterns in a basket priced at £1 each (tatty envelopes and similar)
She then brought three patterns inside to me and I recognised one as from the (still reasonable) £4 whirligig and said “that one’s £4” She said ‘no English’ and insisted that they were all from the £1 basket, so how do you argue?! I took the £3 from her. Irritatingly, it was a children’s coat pattern which I seldom have
Partner checked the cctv footage later and, sure enough, I was correct - although the person was long gone
It’s not a large amount of money, but every penny really does count for small independents and it’s dishonesty.
I know it’s a stable door and bolting horse scenario, but the envelopes for all £1 patterns are now orange-blobbed 🙂
Phew, that’s off my chest now

I can get distracted quite easily, which is what must have happened when I re-painted and re-worded the shop's A-board this week.
I'd written the words out and had the paper by my side, so why did this happen?
This could mean that enter Central Arcade, Wrexham from the north and you can have costume jewellery, but approach from the opposite direction and you can't!
Open for everything from 10.30am

So you write a post and attach a video showing Monday's market offerings from Abode Above. Probably my first mistake was trying to do it on my phone, without wearing my glasses. Second mistake was closing phone, not realising that text had disappeared and the post became simply a reel
Now I can't remember exactly what I wanted to say!

I try to mix my offerings at the market each Monday. Yesterday was clothes, lots of fabric, assorted odd bits, hundreds of buttons and a range of vintage and new dressmaking patterns. A small display of Frenchic came too, along with some small painted pieces to show off the amazing finish you achieve with Frenchic
As the market is free for new traders until the end of August, I'm using it as an opportunity to spread the word about the Central Arcade, Wrexham and the shops. Many people have thought that everywhere was closed, because the Butchers Market is still being renovated - we're in month 12 of the work, by the way, with 12 months of barely any footfall
I've learned not to have great expectations of takings: in that way I'm never disappointed :)
Anything else you think I should be taking with me on Mondays?

A badly needed top up for the Frenchic paint shelves is in the house!

This isn’t my normal Monday post!
I’m at the shop today in Central Arcade, Wrexham and NOT at the Monday Market.
Same stock available here, plus much more than I can fit on the market- Frenchic Paint, in particular

Monday is almost here again and car is packed ready for an early start
This week's theme is creativity, most particularly FABRIC
I have what seems like miles of brand new unused dressmaking fabric to offer, as well as an assortment of more vintage pieces and bits and bobs
Vintage dressmaking patterns and knitting patterns will feature too, along with decorative scarves just waiting to be re-invented
Plus a smaller amount of pre-owned clothes
Sounds like your cup of tea? Pop along and have a mooch

Sorry, but no pics as yet ... so here's a couple from last Monday

How fabulous is St Vincent's Wrexham's window?!
The clothes are not for sale until the end of the month, BUT they're all Made in Italy/similar brands and there's a host more inside - many brand new with tags - at amazing prices
In my defence, the Frenchic rainbow is far more even viewed from the inside 😄🙃
Please share and give St Vincent's Wrexham some love and custom

It's almost Monday and my 6am alarm! I'm not a lark, more of a night owl or, as someone described it 'a permanently exhausted pigeon!'
Anyway, I shall be on Queen's Square at the Monday Market from early until 3pmish
With me will be some super-value pre-owned clothing, along with costume jewellery, wooden signs and decorated logs made in Wrexham and an assortment of cut-price offers on all sorts that you don't yet know that you need
Should you need any Frenchic Paint goodies, let me know by 6am tomorrow and I can bring it along to the market for you for collection
Pop in and see me
Pics are from last Monday and, yes, I do move things around during the day to keep myself entertained!

So much colour in the arcade - thanks to a new Frenchic Paint addict, Helen of Firefly Shiny Shop in the Central Arcade, Wrexham!

Recognise the colours? Left to right it's Matcha, Raspberry Punch, Pool Boy, Bandido, anon (as I've gone blank!) and Hot as Mustard

The revived Monday Market on Queen's Square is growing, with more traders added each week
I'll be there tomorrow with pre-owned clothing and costume jewellery, plus half price craft kits, toys in a tin, half price mugs; vintage dressmaking patterns and knitting patterns, including a lot of vintage children's knitting patterns; alternative cards; hand-decorated logs; locally-made wooden signs and one or two Frenchic-painted items ... there's a lot, anyway!
Do pop down if you can
The weather forecast is 'summer' tomorrow :)

Empty cardboard boxes, anyone?
I have some from yesterday’s Frenchic Paint delivery, which I’ve not flattened yet. There’s also a considerable stash of flattened boxes. Size: 43cm x 30cm and 16cm deep
Also a quantity of brown packing/wrapping paper
Free for collection from Abode Above in Central Arcade

Someone has been having fun with Frenchic Paint for me! Worn metal mirrors from the cellar have been the main focus of some excellent revival painting, using paint from all of the ranges: Al Fresco, Lazy, Original Artisan, Trim and Wall paint
It's great to tap into my personal stash and show off colours rarely seen. These unique mirrors are all for sale now in the shop - £25 each and the bigger one is £35
Remember that the shop is closed tomorrow and every Monday, as I'm taking a range of wares to the Monday Market in Queen's Square. The market is growing week by week
Check out these mirrors ... and the dinky table in the luscious Raspberry Crush and Yes, Please