A pop-up ‘supermarket’ installation that merges vintage design and furniture with objects of Contemporary craft is coming to Soho, London.
Running from May 15-18 at the Vinyl Factory, The Vintage Supermarket was organised over a five year period by online vintage retailer Merchant & Found. The firm said it is emptying its warehouse for the project, showcasing the full range of its stock in the midst of London Craft Week (May 13-19).
The somewhat tongue-in-cheek ‘supermarket’ is organised like one of its real-life counterparts, divided into departments: a butcher’s, brush department, fresh produce and fish counter. There is a series of games and prizes to be won, including a daily supermarket trolley dash.
However, the craftsmanship going into it is serious. The vintage furniture on offer includes makers such as Tolix, Baumann and Esavian, while the ‘goods’ that fill the aisles are the result of international commissions made over the last five years – for example a quantity of ‘fish’ created by textile artist Kate Jenkins and paper ‘fruit’ by Hattie Newman.
Described as a “large-scale selling event”, it also features a talks programme and café while the workshop team from Merchant & Found will demonstrate their refurbishing skills.
Merchant & Found is an online vintage furniture and lighting retailer founded in 2018. It stages this installation in collaboration with London Craft Week (May 13-19) and online antiques and interiors platform Vinterior.