Tucked away in a quiet street  a few steps from Kingston’s famous tumbling red telephone boxes, you’ll find Kingston Antiques Centre. Open for over 17 years, it has  quite the ‘lived in’ feel, housing over 100  antique and vintage dealers plus a Polish café over two floors.

As you’d expect with so many dealers under one roof, there really is an eclectic mix of wares, from retro coloured glass, to vintage wedding dresses to freshly painted kitchen dressers. Individual pitches vary in style, pricing, variety and quality, so it’s worth exploring every nook and cranny, and of course, the more often you visit, you tend to get to know whose stock appeals to you.

Just recently, I had one of those ‘love at first sight’ moments, when on an impromptu visit, I came upon the most beautiful vintage tray with a floral motif. Even though there was no-one else in the vicinity, I found myself grabbing it before anyone else could! And to my surprise, it was priced at just £8; bargain!

If you’re on a roll, then I also recommend popping into That Vintage Shop – a vintage clothing and accessories boutique just down the road, and the Princess Alice Hospice furniture shop, who often have some great vintage furniture for really affordable prices.