That UK tradition the ‘car boot sale,’ ‘boot fair’ or simply ‘car boot’ dates back to the 70s after a Catholic priest called Father Harry Clark saw something similar in Canada and decided to put one on here to raise cash for charity.
In spite of their popularity I recently went to my first one, held at the Princess May School in Stoke Newington and organised by The London Car Boot Co. who according to their website have been organising car boots for twenty three years.
The Stoke Newington sale takes place every Saturday and Sunday of the year, and on bank holiday Monday. On rainy days there is a covered area . Sellers pay £12 for a “walk-in pitch”, £16 to bring in car, and £22 for a van. Only vans have to book in advance. Buyers pay £5 to get in between 7.30 and 9am, and 50p between 9am and 2pm, and dogs are not allowed.
I liked the friendly atmosphere and the chance to meet new people away from social media. You can hear one of them (who did not want to be identified) in the film below, explaining how friendly people at a car boot are, and how it beats being “lazy” and buying this “in bed” online. And I agree with him! Car boots are so full of chat and domestic that they feel like a second home. You quickly feel like part of a family, in a place where you can share beautiful moments with the ones you love.
