London // For Creatives: Portobello Market

In honour of the Olympics opening ceremony later today, we’re visiting London for the next installment of Your City // For Creatives. A few months ago I was lucky enough to meet up with the wonderful Ana Maria of Anamu and The Pond Market to get some tips on how to source vintage items in style!

Ana’s online vintage shop features “small vintage pieces that make a big impact in your personal or work space”. We connected through Twitter and I fell in love with her shop. I’ve always been in awe of people who can find the good stuff at flea makets so I asked if we could meet up so she could show me the ropes!

We decided to meet at Portobello Market as it is one of her favourite London markets to visit. The atmosphere is friendly and the market itself is full of unique trinkets and antiques.
We met on Portobello Road and stopped off at a coffee shop to grab a cool drink and have a chat. It was an unseasonably warm day so it was needed! We discussed everything from where we’d like to be in the future, the life of a blogger and the remarkable opportunities available to earn a living online no matter where you are based in the world.

It was awesome for me to meet another multipassionate entrepreneur. Like me Ana Maria blogs, loves photography, graphic design and runs a small business. I don’t know many others in my “real life” that dabble in so many different passions so it is nice to know I’m not alone!

After our drinks we headed out in the sunshine to browse what Portobello Market had to offer. Ana Maria shared how she normally searches for great finds, explaining that she mostly shops with specific items in mind but she will occasionally find items by chance. She shares more tips in her vintage shopping manifesto.

Portobello is full of stuff which can be overwhelming to new vistiors but Ana Maria was able to zero in on things she liked almost instantly. What a pro!

We both loved looking at the vintage wooden type and came away with our initials. Ana Maria blogged her’s here.
Searching through old books and looking at so many different colours and patterns filled me with inspiration. If you are stuck in a rut creatively, visiting flea markets can certainly help get your ideas flowing again.

I had my eyes open for something unique for my office. I think re-using vintage or repurposed items in workspaces can add so much personality to a room so Ana Maria graciously helped me look for something suitable. It wasn’t long before she spotted this yellow vase on a junk/antique table. Since I love yellow (can you tell?) I snapped it up for a steal. Already the ideas where flowing on how I was going to use it and where I was going to put it in my studio office.

You can connect with Ana Maria on her blog Anamu, Poppytalk where she shares beautiful DIY tutorials, her shop The Pond Market and on Twitter.

I’m excited to share more places in and around London over the next few months that can inspire creatives. Want to submit your town or city, see our submission guidelines here.

Have you visited London before? Any places you’d recommend to new visitors?