Camden Market

This Friday I went to Camden Market!! It was such an experience, and although I was quite intimidated at first, it became so much fun to shop like this.  I've never been to a market like this, so upon walking up to it, there were huge crowds of people and tons of vendors selling various items along the streets.  Some were yelling at me to come over and check theirs out, others were focusing on a customer who seemed interested in one of their items.  There was a point where I just happened to look inside a store, and the vendor yelled "You see somesing you like?? Oh, come come!" I politely told him "No thank you" and kept moving along with Brooke and Amanda.

You can barely see it on the top picture, but there was a giant green sign which was a tent with loads of vendors underneath.  That's where we went next.  There was a very distinct smell of foreign cuisines, as it was lunch time for the vendors.  There were vendors in almost every aisle of clothing, ready to assist you as soon as you had a question or inquiry.  Inside the tent there was mostly jewelry and clothing.  The clothing consisted of anything from dresses and tank tops, to lingerie and pants.  They also had many iPhone cases for sale, as well as purses.  When we came upon a vendor who was selling sweatshirts that I liked, I stopped and had a look around.  I found a bright pink one that says "London, England" across the front.  When I asked the man how much it cost, he said "How much do you want it to cost?" The question took me by surprise in a sense, but I had also tried preparing myself for this, as I knew it was to be expected at such a market.  I said "10 pounds" just instinctively, not really having any reason behind it.  He said it was worth 15 pounds, and he wasn't so sure about my offer.  He walked away to grab a plastic bag, as if I had already agreed on a price.  He said 14 pounds.  I said "11 pounds or I don't want it."  I got the sweatshirt for 11 pounds.

I was proud of the way I was able to handle such a sale.  I never would have thought I would be good at a bargaining situation, but it made me feel accomplished because I was able to get a good deal that I worked for.  I was also checking out some small luggage, and the man said it was 30 pounds.  I realized I wouldn't have space for it on my travels back home, so I said "No thank you" and began to walk away.  He started shouting prices at me as I walked.  "25 pounds!  How about 20!!"  I just smiled and kept walking, as I knew it was all part of the game of shopping at a market.

I was able to get a few other things as gifts, so I won't share what they were here as they are surprises for certain people. :) But overall, I was extremely happy with what I paid for everything that day, and hopefully we can go to another market very soon to do some more bargain shopping.  It just made me think of my Grammy and how I know she would HATE being bothered by vendors while trying to shop.  Hopefully she reads this and if not, I can't wait to tell her how it went!