Weather Bombed!

It was not a great start to the weekend.  All geared up for Bus Types, the forecast was grim on Friday morning.  Periods of grey, wet nothingness, punctuated by biblical downpours and snow.  We took a view to pack the van and head off first thing Saturday morning, as the forecast for the rest of the weekend was good.

At 10.30 pm, just as Gaz packed the last box into the van, I took a call from Sophie, a Bus Types rep. 

“Have you set off yet?” she asked, “cos if you haven’t, I would recommend you don’t come.” 

With tales of traders being towed on site and off again, due to waterlogged ground, which would require days of blazing sunshine to recover, we reluctantly admitted defeat.  To top it all off, I developed a sudden and extremely painful toothache.  With a sense of foreboding that only a trip to an emergency dentist can bring, I topped my glass up and hoped for the best.  Hard liquor might just see it off.

The view that greeted us - bleary eyed - early on Saturday morning, was enough to cause snow blindness!  The weather was definitely living up to the apocalyptic warnings.  On the plus side, the toothache had subsided to a more manageable level.

At a loose end on Saturday with a van full to the brim of Voodoo Street stock which should have been unleashed on the unsuspecting revellers at Bus Types, we felt a little jaded.  This wasn’t helped by photos emerging on social media, with blue-sky backdrops, of a pretty good turn out in spite of the adverse ground conditions.  One point to note is be very careful how you search for “Bus Types” images on Google.  One small slip with the keys and some pretty alternative images pop up!

Time to count our blessings and make the most of some time off. 

Last week we sold one of our beloved barrel boards.  Never intended for retail, they were made with love and always draw attention on the VW circuit, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before we caved and agreed to sell one. 

This vintage oak beauty is on its way to a discerning customer as I write.

I also had some time to engage with cyber friends on social media.  Working so closely with Gaz from home, it’s easy to become detached from the big wide world.  Sometimes that’s a good thing, but it can be quite insular at times.  The awesome thing about Instagram is the immediate connection you can make with other creative, like-minded nutters!  Social media is like a virtual office to me, so I had an exchange with the lovely @Janie_evo, randomly, about sphinx cats and wiled away some time googling these fascinating creatures.

I managed to squeeze in an hour's shopping at a local emporium I've recently fallen in love with, which is like stepping back into a way cooler era.  On Saturday it was bursting at the seams with the usual suspects, pineapple ice buckets and vinyl collections, but I also spotted rolls of Flash Gordon wall paper circa 1981 and these playing cards, which I bagged for our road trips.

An impromptu basketball session in glorious sunshine finished off our Saturday and then we kicked back with pizza, a movie and a few jars.

Sunday we took a little road trip into the Shropshire countryside and admired the gleaming scooters grouped in Ludlow Market Square.  This one caught my eye, as it payed homage to one of my favourite TV series, Life on Mars.

Later on when we lamented our lost weekend in Oswestry, one of our mates sent us this photo, which kind of says it all really. 

  

We’ve put it behind us now and are crossing everything for a smooth run at Derbyshire Dubs in a few weeks’ time.

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 

Getting Our Groove On

We have finally christened our illustrated man, thanks to our two Facebook follower winners, Charlie O'Hare and Rachel Louise Lunt.  Now, when we dress (and, more to the point, undress) our mannequin and we actually know his name (Dr Edwin Jones), so it's less...awkward.

Facebook followers may also have noticed a couple of Wednesdays ago, we posted a link to an Undertones song featuring Wednesday in the title.  For some reason (wishful thinking?), we always think of Wednesday afternoons as gathering pace for the weekend and feel the urge to celebrate.  So yesterday, we interrupted our news feed with some classic Jimmy Hendrix - Voodoo Child.  From now on, we're christening Wednesdays, "Get-a-wiggle-on-Wednesdays!"  Any song nominations are welcome - just steer clear of boy bands and Bieber!  

Now that the weather's turned pants, we're taking stock.  Literally.  We're going to be adding beanie hats and hoodies.  Keep your eyes open and your ears uncovered and we'll update you as the new stuff arrives.  Also on their way are more of our popular hot rod tees - in "man size" and in hoodies - (we hear you!) and some logo tees.

Finally, we are in the process of adding to our Voodoo Street Vintage line - currently featuring our "Haunting of Voodoo Street" retro hoodies.  From time to time we come across vintage items, something a bit special, we think you will love.  Given the success of our Vespa/Lambretta/Mod-inspired stickers, when we discovered a little cache of genuine vintage Mod scarves, we couldn't turn them down.  These are one offs and should appeal to all men who like to look dapper once in a while.  Everyone from Johnny Depp via Paul Weller and Martin Freeman to Liam Gallagher has been spotted wearing one of these scarves.

CJ has for this purpose, assumed the roles of blogger, fashion stylist and photographer.  Plus Dr Jones seems a little more upbeat, as these threads make a nice change from T-shirts!  He scrubs up well don't you think?  Little does he know that he's going to be donning Cuban shirts next, but more of that soon...

Shiver by the River to Heaven by the Severn!

Last week was probably our craziest to date.  On a weekend road trip through Shropshire, we spotted a sign advertising the first VDubs in the Valley festival.  On a whim, we decided that it was the right time to unleash Voodoo Street onto an unsuspecting public and where better to start than our favourite local market town, Bridgnorth!  Only problem was, we had less than 7 days to prepare.  And so, fuelled by coffee and adrenalin, we worked a series of late nights labelling and finishing stock, finalising paperwork and packaging, designing a trade stand, buying a weather-proof trade stand, sourcing props and signs to furnish said trade stand and sorting transportation.  Oh, and we also designed and produced a sticker to mark the occasion.  At first we decided it should read "Shiver by the river" (still loving that!) but after seeing a more promising weather forecast, opted for "Heaven by the Severn."

With very little time to spare, Thursday (set-up day) arrived, literally like a damp squib.  In relentless drizzle, Gaz pitched up next to an old oak tree in the middle of a damp but beautiful field by the Severn....with literally no-one else in sight. Starting to fear the worst and experiencing something like first night nerves, he set up shop (with a little help - you know who you are, cheers!)  He needn't have worried.  By the time Claire rocked up at 7 (ish), the place was full and she was greeted by security staff and organisers grinning like Cheshire cats, chuffed that their humble little festival was taking on a life of its own.

COMPETITION TIME!!

The rest of the weekend went in a blur of amazing people, awesome vans, huge support, a raft of compliments, a little alcohol, delectable food, great music and a few rays of sunshine!  Our tattoo'd mannequin (aka "The Illustrated Man) proved to be a big hit, so much so that we have formally adopted him, which leads us to the point of this blog.  No adoption process is complete without a name and our man desperately needs a show name.  So, we're throwing it out there.  The person who comes up with the best name wins a free goody bag!  To enter, simply check out our website and like our Facebook page (to get a flavour of what we're about) and then put forward a name you feel befits such a handsome dude!  Please post your suggestions on our Facebook page and we'll pick our favourite and notify the winner on Monday 6th October.  Good luck and thanks again!

Bloomin' June

Hope you all managed a break from the grind over Easter and the May Bank holidays.

We’ve hit the road quite a bit recently, heading up to Manchester for the BMX Supercross on Good Friday, taking the younger members of our team to the Insomnia Gaming Festival in Coventry and chasing the sun all the way to Cornwall last week.  Our Instagram followers have been treated to regular updates from action shots of the BMX competitors to gaming festival pics where pretty much everyone had a ponytail and/or a dose of acne. We spotted several confused looking dads roaming around the arena wondering how the hell they had ended up in the Minecraft Zone! 

Last week, we headed to North Cornwall in our ageing Golf - roof box all stickered up for the journey.  The waves were disappointingly flat (to quote Gaz, “Flat as a witch’s t**!,”) which leads me nicely to our pilgrimage to the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle last week, which even had it’s own Voodoo display! 

It wasn’t all play last week.  In between the sun, sea and cider, we still found ourselves posting out sticker packs on a daily basis.  As you will have noticed, the Voodoo Street brand now includes a pretty cool range of stickers.  Hot rod enthusiasts, surf bus/campervan owners, BMX riders and skaters are coming out of the woodwork and showing love for our limited edition vinyl sticker accessories. 

New designs are tested on Ebay, so check us out:

 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/voodoostreetwear/m.html?item=301211618824&hash=item46219c8e08&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562)

…and give our regular bidders some competition!  We also sell through our website, Facebook page and via Amazon.  As we speak, we’re compiling sticker packs specifically aimed at surfers, skaters and hot rod owners.  Gareth’s prolific at the moment, so keep checking in.  There are new designs all the time.

Meanwhile, we’ve produced a limited run of kids’ tees (age 9-11) in two designs.    They are very robust and, we are told, apparently don’t require ironing!  We only have a few left, but the response has been encouraging.  At only £12.00 (free postage) we think they’re a bargain.

Nobody's Fool!

It’s April 1^st and we made it through the morning unscathed, managing to avoid becoming fools for the day, although there was a close call when a friend posted a photograph of herself having undergone a quite dramatic hair transformation.  She is an artist and so her Rosemary’s Baby/Mia Farrow pixie crop wouldn’t have been a complete surprise, but something just didn’t ring true!  Also now questioning whether the re-christening of Wolverhampton Station as “Wolverine” Station for one day in honour of the new X-Men film is legit?!

Some very real news is that we’re testing the children’s market.  Why should the little terrors be excluded from wearing Voodoo Street apparel?  We’re hearing reports of how difficult it can be to find really good kids tees, by which we mean, quality of the kind you can repeatedly wash and wear (maybe even get away without ironing) and good design that kids want to wear – not just recycled, rips offs of old designs.  From the feedback we’ve received, we hope we’ve achieved that. 

Currently, we offer two designs (limited stock) for the age group with the most discerning fashion taste - 8-10 year olds.  This may surprise some of you, but in our opinion, this is the age when children decide that they are no longer happy to just wear clothes their parents have chosen for them.  It’s the age that marks the first bold steps towards attaining a unique fashion identity.  While many teenagers have the desire to fit in and wear similar clothes to their peers, we’ve encountered one 9 year-old child who is adamant that his favourite colours are red and green.  Nothing else will cut it.  He knows what suits him.  Another was keen to wear the design that his friends had not picked in order to stand out from the crowd! 

We’re now receiving enquiries from parents of children in other age brackets, so watch this space…and at £10.00 plus postage; we think they’re a bargain!

March-ing On!

Not sure whether you spotted us in the local press.  The Stourbridge News, obviously stumped for exciting news, featured us in last week's issue.  Inkeeping with Voodoo Street's underground image, we argued the case for donning masks (Point Break style), but sadly, the photographer insisted we reveal our identities to the folk of Stourbridge.  We guess it could've been worse.  The sun shone brightly that day for the first time in what seemed like months and we found a pretty cool graffiti backdrop!  

The photo which made it into the story was taken in front of the darker part of the graffiti, featuring a Slash-from-Guns 'n' Roses-style character, due to the intense sunlight bouncing off the wall and blinding the photographer.  But we managed to take this pic in front of the more vibrant part, which we think does justice to our new Vibe tee.  What do you think?  

As a result of the article, we've picked up some positive reviews of our new design and more new followers from the Dudley area, so it's all good!

Now Spring has sprung, we've launched our new 5 panel snapbacks in black and navy.  We decided to buck the trend of shouting from the rafters branding and have instead opted for a cool, more understated look.  

We're also continuing to develop new sticker designs, so any BMXers, skaters, car pimpers or stickerbombers, check out the website.  Our stickers now have their own category, to make the website more user-friendly.

We've also altered the category layout, so as well as having all the products available to view at one time, if you're specifically looking for men's tees, just click on "Men's" etc. etc.  This should hopefully save you all some time.

In other news, we're pretty excited to have got hold of tickets to see the BMX Supercross World Cup in Manchester next month. Anyone else going?  Look out for us and come say hi!

***

6.02 pm

Anyone been watching Inside No. 9?  Each week there's a new darkly comic story.  Tonight's the final episode and, judging by this promo poster, the producers have drawn upon the same influences as we did for our Vintage "Haunting of Voodoo Street" women's hoodies!