It’s a crisp Sunday morning in south-west London. Tucked within rows of terrace houses, the playground of a primary school has been transformed into an outdoor treasure trove. Tables are filled with stacks of books and board games; clothes hang from metal racks or are piled into boxes which are strewn over a hopscotch. It’s the 10am opening of Balham car boot sale. A modest queue filters through the entrance: families, pensioners, fashion influencers, TikTokers.
Three friends – Dominique Gowie, Abbie Mitchell (both 25 years old) and Affy Chowdhury (26) – arrived an hour earlier, to set up. They are selling at a car boot for the first time, enticed by the growing hype circulating on social media. “If you go out and say: ‘Oh I bought this at the car boot,’ I think it’s actually cooler than saying I bought this on Asos,” says Dominique.
“If you go into Zara and H&M, it’ll be the same stuff. But here I think you’ll find something really unique, especially on this stall,” says Affy, gesturing towards three bedroom floors’ worth of hardlyworn clothing flung over a picnic table.
View image in fullscreen First-time sellers at Balham car boot sale: (from left) Affy, Abbie and Dominique.
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