Five Go Camping at Berkeley Castle

Saturday dawned and with it, the realisation that the end was nigh.  No, not the hidden planet that was making the news - supposedly heading for an apocalyptic collision with Earth on Saturday! For us, Saturday marked the end of 2017’s festival season: Berkeley VW Show.

Entrance to Berkeley VW Show

The plan was for Gaz to travel down on Saturday and set up, ably assisted by Brutebox’s Baz and Issy, who were on a five-go-mad-in-the-country weekend (five being Gareth, Baz, Issy and their two dogs, Bob and Dexter).  For once, plans ran like clockwork. 

Brutebox's Bus

Weather forecast?  Fair.

Traffic?  Light.

Automotive mechanical issues?  None.

Location?  Stunning.

Local pub? Tick.

Company? Alright.

 By 8.00 pm, Voodoo Street was set up, closed up and the famous five were ensconsed in the local pub just down the road in a village called Ham (no, I’m not making it up).

With no evening meals on offer at the local, the famous five were instead offered plastic tubs of food left over from the lunchtime service, which included chunks of bread and cheese, grapes and cold meats.  These were enjoyed around the campfire later with some slightly inebriated word-association games.  So far, so Enid Blyton.  That is, until Baz and Issy decided to turn in for the night. Gaz still had some adventuring left to do.

Backdrop for the weekend

 The sound of music and frivolity floating down from the castle and across the meadows spoke to Gaz and he decided to explore.

Meanwhile, at home, surrounded by f*!&ing enormous spiders, I was busy building my own fortress.  During one of many mobile phone conversations on Saturday night, comparing notes, I was fortunate enough to enjoy the full audible experience of Gaz very nearly falling into the moat.  

A Ha-ha

He had assumed that the black chasm in front of him was a ha-ha and had considered jumping it, before realising (too late) that it was actually the castle moat.  After a slide and a scramble to avert disaster, the result was badly nettled wrists and injured pride. 

A moat

At home, I had sealed off the bathroom where my 8-legged nemesis was last seen loitering and Caleb had built a wall of cardboard to cover the gap beneath the cooker to head off its hairy mate.  Some time around 11 pm, Gaz and I both admitted defeat and went to bed, 70 miles apart.

Thankfully, Sunday went off without a hitch.  I arrived at lunchtime (ish), delayed by road closures resulting from Velo Birmingham, the 100-mile charity cycle ride.

The weather held, trade was steady and the company was good. 

As usual, there were some classic rides, including this non-VW but stunning classic E-Type... 

 

...and this stunning, steampunk-inspired interior, photographed with our steampunk props.

After the show ‘n’ shine, we said our goodbyes and started to pack away.

High jinks

On the journey home, we noted the falling leaves, marking the gentle slide into Autumn.  We’re looking forward to some free weekends, catch-ups with friends and time to seek inspiration for new product designs.  

That said, we know it won’t take long before we start to get itchy feet again.  Who knows where we might turn up?

Staying out for the summer, playing games in the rain.

Ever heard the expression “They f*!k you up, your Mom and Dad?”

Well, sometimes, a lifestyle brand can do the same to your lifestyle.  At the end of July we were jaded, overworked and creatively spent.  The obvious answer may not be a 1,700 mile road trip around the Scottish Highlands, incorporating a 4 night stay in the Outer Hebrides, but that’s exactly what we did.  

Regular visitors at the croft on Lewis

Horgabost, Harris

We drove on pothole-ridden roads through stunning mountain ranges and around hare pin bends rivalling Italy’s alpine roads.  We lost count of the number of lochs and lochlets we passed, although we kept a close eye on Loch Ness (the monster was a no-show) and walked, awestruck, along deserted silvery beaches - some without names - and even squeezed in                        an arduous 6 hour trek to the                      summit of Ben Nevis and back.

A witty sculpture at a road side on Lewis

Returning home, we couldn’t shake the feeling of wanderlust and so didn’t turn down the offer of a weekend in Cornwall with old friends.  We visited Fowey Regatta, sampled the local ice cream and pasties and again found ourselves strolling along yet another sandy beach.  

Gaz's favourite shop, Fowey

Driving rain and weariness provided enough justification for us to have a final, cheeky holiday. A most decadent Exmoor homeward-bound stop off in a hotel suite once occupied by C.S. Lewis (the author of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) complete with – yes – a wardrobe, plus an enormous four poster bed. our guilt assuaged by the supply of stickers we took along for the trip, enabling us to process and despatch orders on the road. 

Gaz prepping orders in luxury

Four Poster Suite, Exmoor

Back into the swing of things last…er…Tuesday, we started packing up for another weekend away, but this time our destination, although picturesque, was Camper Calling, a music festival with a Vdub flavour, at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire and we had work to do.  A sticker was designed, orders placed, checklists were checked, boxes were packed, loaded and unloaded, gazebos were erected, clothes were hung and a “touched up” Dr Jones made a more low key appearance under cover of canvas, so as not to bleach his newly illustrated thighs.

Check out those thighs!

I had to wait in for a delivery on Friday and so sadly missed Thursday night’s set-up slot, which coincided with a torrential downpour of biblical proportions and resulted in Gaz taking to his bed in the changing room of our very understanding (or should I say tolerant) friends Vicky and John of Kinky Melon fame.

The scene that greeted me on arrival could not have been more different; blistering sunshine, a stunning stately home, manicured grounds and a glistening lake flanked by mature trees.  Friday afternoon was a pretty laid back affair, which allowed Vicky and I to disappear for an intended foraging workshop, cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.  Instead we sat and whiled away the hour with another festival goer over an early evening tipple.  The vibes were good and the line-up even better.

Gemma in her Voodoo St headscarf, Camper Calling

Friday night saw polished sets from Dodgy and The Magic Numbers which set the standard for the weekend.

Saturday morning was a mixed bag in terms of weather and there was intermittent, brisk trade. A deluge of rain during the afternoon forced us to shut up shop for an hour, but weirdly as soon as Dodgy frontman, Nigel Clark, was spotted walking around the trade area, the weather seemed to clear up….dare I say the sun was

“staying out for the summer?”  

Soon talk turned to outfit plans for Saturday night’s headliners, 80s icons, ABC.  Having Kinky Melon trading near by is always a bonus, but with an 80s theme on the cards, their rails of vintage clothing beckoned.  However, cocktail dresses and gold lame suits were not to be, for once we spotted a pair of unicorn masks, there was no going back!  We struck a deal on the masks and with the addition of a couple of flowing ivory gowns, hey presto, we had nailed our festival look.  Gaz was a little more reluctant to depart entirely from his Voodoo Street wardrobe, but did agree to don a safari jacket alongside this year’s magic eye/camo bucket hat.

Camper Calling, with Vicky Brierley and John Baker

It turned out to be a most surreal, enchanted evening.  The unicorn masks were a real hit, providing photo opportunities, tears of happiness, high fives, drinks on the house and to top it all off, a song dedication from Mr ABC himself, Martin Fry, who dedicated Poison Arrow “…to the two unicorns.”

Available to order at www.voodoostreet.com

Sunday brought with it steady trade, chats with our regulars, positive comments aplenty and we more than covered our costs.  We had sold out of our Voodoo Street Camper Calling stickers by close of play on Saturday and so re-prints are available to order online as we speak!  

As last minute decisions go, the decision to trade at Camper Calling was one of our best.

Bikes, Boxes and Blogs

OK, so it’s been a while since I posted and today is the day that I make good on my new year’s resolution to bore you, sorry, blog more frequently.

Running a business, child containment, crappy day-to-day domestic stuff and maintaining sanity and fitness is a struggle many of us deal with.  Waiting for the perfect week to blog about is never going to happen and there aren’t enough hours in the day to labour over the words to write, so this week’s as good as any to let you in on the random events, irritations and lifestyle of the three of us here at Voodoo Street.

Monday dawned with the usual mixed feelings; a new week in prospect and all the potential that brings, coupled with the knowledge that we face the nightmarish back-bothering task of lugging our entire stock down from the loft (once quite a nice room, now a dumping ground for Voodoo Street’s growing collection of stock, skulls and curiosities) to the front room and again outside into our VW van ready for Bus Types this weekend.  An intense 30 minutes swim at the local pool helped reinvigorate the senses (or dull them just enough to cope with the week in prospect!)

Tuesday was a race against time to supply our friend and super talented BMX rider Pinder, with some Voodoo Street tees.  He had been asked at short notice, to film a video for Rockermini BMX in India, but we all failed miserably with Pinder stuck at work in Birmingham after 9 pm having still not packed for his 3 am flight.  Thankfully he still has enough Voodoo swag to rep us out there and we’ll hopefully share some of his updates.

In between, I’ve been assisting the boy with SATS homework, babysitting tortoises (!), booking a ferry to the Outer Hebrides (more of that at a later date), talking Gaz down from finishing off our complete tool (not in a good way) of a printer with a lump hammer, tackling a gremlin on Facebook which has served to arbitrarily delete our posts, ironing stock, updating our web store and photographing an array of items we have accumulated in recent months, some of which might be on offer at Bus Types. This Packaway Stove might be on offer for example.

Bus Types is in Oswestry, one of Britain’s oldest settlements, and in keeping with Voodoo Street’s trading history, no doubt set to be the scene of apocalyptic weather for the next few days!

As I type, the living areas of our home have been sacrificed to boxes, filing cabinets, paperwork and our SMEG fridge door sticker display.

 

I have accepted that until Monday evening, our home is more likely to feature on TV show “The Horders Next Door,” rather than gracing the pages of Ideal Home magazine.

Today, with Gaz organising stickers, lifting boxes, ensuring Dr Jones, our tattooed mannequin, is ready for business, I’m wrestling with the more important business of what to wear.

Always keen to rep the brand, I shall be donning one of our logo beanies at the very least.  But those of you who know me, also know my penchant for vintage and that I like to mix things up a bit.  So, given the forecast is damp and chilly, these are going to be my key pieces:  Voodoo Street Logo Beanie, Doc Martens, ageing nicely and vintage faux fur jacket.  I might also throw in one of the maxi dresses acquired from our trader friends Kinky Melon’s Retro Boutique alongside my jeans.

If it ain’t nailed down, it’s going in a box or a suitcase!  Til next time. x 

Soft launch...

Who else but Voodoo Street would choose to launch a new clothing brand selling predominantly T-shirts during what is now officially recognised as the wettest and stormiest winter on record!

Undeterred, we’ve been busy working up new designs, getting to know our uber-cool followers and doing a little promotion here and there.

We met with the guys from Unit3Sixty on 4^th February at their first public consultation.  Cool to see so many skaters turning up.  Look out for Voodoo Street merchandise in future Unit3Sixty promotional events.  We’re proud to support such good guys.

Inspired by that meeting, we’ve returned to our roots.  We’re off to the  SuperX in Manchester in April.  We’re also hoping to rock up to a few of the Vdub events running throughout the UK this Spring and Summer.

The youngest member of our team, who just turned 9, is stickering up his new stunt scooter, trying out new designs for us.  Our stickers are attracting their own following!  Anyone wishing to sticker bomb their wheels (BMX, skateboard, scooter, car or surf bus) keep checking in on the website, as we regularly add new ones.

We’re also due to make our first appearance in the local press.  The Stourbridge News has featured us in its pages.  We tried to persuade them to let us appear in the photos donning masks - think DaftPunk (or for the 90s brigade, KLF), but they were having none of it, so we can only apologise in advance for our mug shots!  Just focus on the clothes and the street art backdrop.  The sun came out for us too, which we hope is an omen!

As ever, don’t forget to sign up to our contacts list for the latest news/exclusive offers.  You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VSTREET, Twitter (@VoodooStreet) and bombard us with your questions on tees, life and the universe at enquiries@voodoostreet.com.

Speak soon!

Voodoo Street. Something wicked this way comes.

We've had a busy year working on the itty bitty details that make all the difference when starting your own streetwear clothing line.  We've been there, seen it, done it...and nearly got the T-shirts!

Every stage of development has been analysed intricately and debated and deliberated over; from labels to logo, from website to weight of cotton.  So here's an abridged version of our year so far...

Madness takes hold.

When, on one dismal day in March (after yet another unresolved discussion on our logo design), Gaz stated that God had emailed us telling us that we had definitely gone crazy, we decided we needed a break.  That break came in May, from both a hefty workload and the longest winter on record.

Sun, sea and stickers

Cornwall came good and we soaked up the sun and witnessed some pretty amazing waves, particularly at a little known beach named Duckpool.  We were so inspired by good company and spectacular scenery, that we began our gorilla marketing campaign and left a little adhesive reminder of Voodoo Street behind.  Anyone spotted it?

The word on the street!

 Renewed, we hit the high street in June to conduct some market research.  Our general approach was to shove a page of designs under the noses of unwitting shoppers and blurt out our stock phrase: “We’re not selling (not yet anyway) and we don’t want any personal details!”   Maybe it was that we weren't talking about energy supplies or maybe not.  The fact is we we were overwhelmed by positive feedback.

Light at the end of the tunnel...

There followed a period of web development, sourcing suppliers and acquiring samples of our designs, which is ongoing.  We also managed to squeeze in an inspiring visit to Giffords' Family Circus, a surreal, vintage affair.

Halloween, our favourite time of year, was spent riding the ghost train out into the darkness of the Severn Valley.  The event is gathering momentum and for once, we didn't feel over-dressed.  This year's costume inspirations were equal parts Day of the Dead, Voodoo Priest, Mighty Boosh and Tim Burton heroine.  

The dark nights, comfort food and frosty mornings have firmly taken hold (good job we're working on some awesome sweatshirt designs).  The moon is almost full and as every Voodoo aficionado knows, the lunar phases influence the magic....so watch this space.