Independent Shops Tour in FarGo Village

When I travel and visit new places there are always a couple of things in particular that I look out for when I’m there, good food and drink and AMAZING geeky shops to visit and spend all my cash at!

When Amy (Writing into the Ether) asked if she could take me around FarGo Village in Coventry on a little tour, I couldn’t say no really. Although my boyfriend is from Coventry and we often ventured into the town centre when he lived there, we never really went to FarGo Village. Why? I don’t actually know!

We’ve been since, but Amy took me around everywhere, which was so much fun!

In return I recently took Amy on a tour of my favourite places to visit in Birmingham, which she’s written about and posted today on her blog! I’ll link her post here so you can go and read where we went. Birmingham is amazing for geeky shopping, as well as amazing Asian food and drink, so much so we are planning another trip to tick off the places we didn’t manage to go.

FarGo Village is classed as Coventry’s creative quarter and from photos I actually thought it was bigger than it is. I feel like that due to the fact they’ve made so much use out of all the space, which is amazing. It reminds me of the Custard Factor in Digbeth Birmingham, which is somewhere I practically lived in as a student and in my early 20’s.

FarGo is an artistically re-purposed industrial space in Coventry City Centre, designed exclusively for creative, independent businesses and like-minded visitors. Located on Far Gosford Street, a recently regenerated area with a rich cultural heritage.

We are fiercely independent! We have an eclectic mix of over 40 independent businesses based here, including a craft brewery, artisan food, vegan shop, printing , a museum dedicated to Sgt Bilko and a Crossfit Box!

Quote taken from FarGo website

FarGo Village isn’t just a place to go shopping but is also great for food and drink! As of yet I haven’t actually eaten in FarGo Village, although I have eaten at places on Far Gosford Street. I’m sure in the future I will have something to eat at FarGo Village!

They so have SOME geeky things, including some Studio Ghibli art books which you can pick up from TAG! Artwork.

FarGo Village isn’t full of geeky places to shop, but it does have a lot of amazing independent shops to visit, with some already becoming must have shopping destinations for whenever I visit Coventry moving forward.

The first place we ventured to was Sgt Bilko’s Vintage Emporium which was pretty cool! It’s a vintage memorabilia shop with various different geeky bits and pieces, from Doctor Who, Star Wars, Marvel and more! They had loads of comic books in there where you could grab 10 for £10, which Amy took advantage of. I’m not a comic book girl myself and much prefer manga. This being said, the shop still had some amazing geeky pieces though, a definite must place to go if you’re into vintage geeky films and TV shows, I’m more of an otaku girl. 😛

We popped into Budda Boutique where I picked myself up some incense cones, which I have since used and have made my house smell gorgeous. This is the perfect place for hippies to visit, as it is a holistic shop that sells various different products ranging from clothing, healing crystals, jewellery and more! I loved collecting and using healing crystals growing up so whenever I venture into shops like this it really does bring back some nostalgia for me. This is a lovely store and one I will go back to time and time again when I visit FarGo Village.

We ventured onto the opposite side of FarGo Village to have a look at some of the stores I love the most in Fargo Village.

TAG! Artwork is definitely one that has caught my eye due to the cute and quirky books they sell! They do also sell art supplies too but I was in there for the manga! They sell quite a bit of manga to be fair, which is really nice. However, a lot of the manga they sell is also faded from the sunlight, which is a bit of a shame all around but mostly due to the fact they’re selling these for full price too. :S I’d want a discount considering they’re technically “damaged”. They also sell some quirky books and I regret not picking up the book Japanese Floaty Food Guide as I would love to have this for when I go to Japan. Next time I’m in FarGo Village I plan to pick it up!

Container No.8 is full of some right little gems and it’s a shop I would love to buy something from, but both times I’ve been (once with Amy and once with Dane) I’ve always wanted to be good. If I had of splurged a little, I think I would have ended up getting one of these cute little dinosaur necklaces by Bekbek Makes. Honestly, I always eye these cuties up whenever I go in but I just never buy one. 😦 I really love the green triceratops pin badge that I saw, but again. I left him behind. 😦 Bekbek Makes does have an online shop, which I have linked back to under the sellers name here. 🙂

Check out some of the items I love from Bekbek Makes:

Stegosaurus Necklace Large – Pastel Purple & Blue

Triceratops Pin Badge- Dark Purple & Green

Stegosaurus Pin Badge – Pink & Green

Container No.8 was a bit of a mix match of local sellers produce and items, which I really like! It means there is one shop with all sorts of different goods. These cute little honey bar bottles were too cute to not snap a photo of.

I’m not a vegan, hell I’m not even a vegetarian but The Green Unicorn Vegan Store is an interesting little store and I actually picked something up from there during our shopping trip. This gorgeous little store is promoting not only vegan produce but also for people to cut down and stop using plastic, which is something I would like to stop doing and I’m trying to do. The Green Unicorn Store is perfect because you can bring in your own jars, bottles and more to fill up with goods and take away. I ended up buying some cloth bags which I now use when I’m out shopping and want to buy fruit. I feel good not using plastic one use bags. 🙂

The last shop we ventured into before we decided to get a drink was, and I LOVED it so much! Fantayzia Designs is a retro style store that creates things out of stuff people bring in, as well as sell some of those items too. For example the owner has created lamps out of old cassette tapes, which looked really cool! I’m gutted I didn’t take a photo of them to be honest.

I love how the entrance to the shop has some chairs and vintage games on old TV’s. Anything like this attracts me straight away and when we went inside I made sure to have a look at what vintage games, consoles and more that they had on offer. I’m a console collector so I’m always into finding gems like this. Due to this however, it did break my heart a little to see this Game Boy Pocket turned into a clock… 😛 That being said, it was pretty cool all the same. ^_^

When we were shopped out we decided to head to my favourite place in FarGo Village, Bubble Boba for some must needed drinks and natter. I ordered the Red Velvet cheesecake, which was AMAZING! Definitely my favourite drink from there now. I visited Bubble Boba for Mockail Party and Masterclass recently, which was organised by Bubble Boba and Amy, which you can read about here.

It had started to rain not long after we sat down outside Backhaus & Co with our drinks so we finished chatting, drank up and headed for shelter in The Big Comfy Bookshop.

I really love The Big Comfy Bookshop and this was my first time visiting. I haven’t ventured into FarGo Village since me and Amy did so I haven’t been back, but honestly that place is perfect for anyone who just wants a bit of piece and quiet to write on their own, or with friends. I wish there was somewhere like this near my home so I could venture there after work to grab a coffee and do some blog writing.

The thing I love the most about The Big Comfy Bookshop is how all the books they sell second hand books and let you sit to read them too. I found a gem from my teenage years and it made me so nostalgic! I still own the novel Guitar Girl which I still love and read occasionally (maybe I’ll write a story post about this book in the future?). I also found some amazing cookbooks for sale! They also have a selection of manga on the shelves, which they need more of. 😛

We stayed for a drink, a bit of cake and some more natter before we parted ways. It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed the little tour Amy gave me of FarGo Village. I really want to go again when they have an event on. They had a car related event on this day which to be honest annoyed me. People were revving their cars occasionally which just ruined the relaxed mood for me. I can’t moan about that too much however, as I know this doesn’t always happen in FarGo Village.

We didn’t managed to pop into some shops, as I have a feeling due to it being Sunday, they were shut. I think this is such a shame as it means if people work in retail and get Sunday’s off, they miss out on all the gems in FarGo Village.

Some of the places I’m sad we missed out on are:

Olivia Thomas Handmade – I don’t recall if we saw this or not, or if we did and it wasn’t open but the handmade pieces by Olivia Thomas look and sound gorgeous and I’d definitely love to go in the future to pick some pieces up for myself, as well as for friends and family as gifts.

Oshin Art & Craft – This place reminds me of Japan and I don’t know why. It just looks so crafty and kawaii inside, but I feel like when I went in before it just wasn’t for me. I’d love to go again to see what it’s all about!

The Drawing Room – A tattoo shop where (obvs) you can get tattooes done! I know a few people who have a few pieces done here, especially by Kerste Diston (kerste_tattoos on Instagram). Her pieces are gorgeous and she recently posted a photo of design she drew of Haku from Spirited Away.

Overall I loved the little tour Amy took me on of FarGo Village! I don’t think I could have asked for anyone better to take me around. Amy is so passionate about FarGo Village and it shows constantly. I can understand why she loves it so much, it’s such a quaint little place full of unique shops and little treasures. I really want to venture to FarGo Village more in the future, especially when there are events being held there.

Oh by the way, look at how famous Amy is in The Big Comfy Bookshop! 😛

If you’re ever in Coventry will you be popping into FarGo Village? Do you have anything like FarGo Village where you live? If you do, please let me know about it! 😀

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely morning so far.

Coventry SS19 Fashion & Beauty Press Day

Almost a month ago I got the chance to go to the SS19 Fashion & Beauty Press Day in Coventry and it was so much fun! I’d booked the day of work especially for the event, which in turn was also the day I found out I’d been offered my new job! Definitely a day for celebrating!

The event was organised by Coventry Bid, who partnered up with Emily who runs Coventry Bloggers (and also her blog The Emily Chapters).

Me and Amy (Writing into the Ether) decided to meet up before the event to go for something to eat and then head to the event together. It was a lovely early afternoon eating Japanese food together and talking about all sorts, from her weekend down in Brighton, to working together on blog posts.

We ventured over to the event and it was much bigger than I thought it was going to be! I’ve only attended one fashion style event before, which in turn was the first blog event I ever went to and by far one of the worst! We won’t go into that though now… 😛

The event was held in The Old Grammar School, a gorgeous church like building that was the perfect location for this event and as you walked in the main section was filled with various high street fashion retailers, some recognisable and some not.

As well as fashion there was a small beauty section located in one of the rooms, which was great but to be honest too small for how many people were at the event. This being said it was amazing for networking! I saw some old and new faces and spoke to loads of bloggers, which was lovely.

We were given a drink upon arrival and after a little introduction to the evening and what it entailed, we were let free to venture around and look at all the clothes coming out for spring and summer 2019!

There were various people there including Milk Vintage Clothing, Marks & Spencer, Topshop, Yours Clothing, Debenhams and more.

I was really disappointed that I never got to have a look at Topshop and what they had on offer. They left early due to a launch/sale the next day. I did go over to the stand to look at what was on offer, but everyone was swarming the area so I couldn’t really get a chance to look, which was a shame.

I have to be honest and say my two favourite stands were Marks & Spencer and Yours Clothing. Now I’m not a plus size lady but I LOVED all the styles that Yours Clothing had on offer for plus size ladies. It’s great that they make fashionable pieces that are up to date with the catwalks but they don’t charge loads for pieces because “they have to use extra fabric”. This is an excuse that most stores out there use and it pisses me off. It’s just bogus and I don’t agree with it at all.

Marks & Spencer were amazing and they were by far my favourite. I actually used to work there for a couple of years and I was always so frustrated at the clothes range and how they’re aimed at older women. They’ve taken a lot on inspiration from massive brands, the one that stands out the most being Chanel. They had some gorgeous pieces that really stood out alongside the other stands in my opinion.

They had a mannequin that was dressed perfect for the office, or an evening out with friends or a partner.They also had a gorgeous tea dress that would be lovely to wear during the later spring months when the weather is starting to get warmer, as well as summer when the weather is gorgeous and an evening in a beer garden is a must!

The piece I loved the most on their stand is their leather slingback shoes which shout Chanel! They had the nude pair on show and I would love to pick them up for work now. They’d look perfect with the tea dress I mentioned and a nice black or navy blazer.

Finally another stand that kept drawing me back to it time and time again was Milk Vintage Coventry. When I was in my early 20’s I was obsessed with vintage clothes and was always down at Cow Vintage in Digbeth. These days that isn’t so much the case, but I do rather like to flick through vintage finds as and when I get the chance to.

I loved the variety of vintage pieces they had on show, but I particularly loved a tartan skirt they had on show! I love wearing tartan trousers (in various colours… Not just the standard red!) which I thought this was when I first saw it. Everyone was commenting on this piece though and I think if these had been on sale at the event, it would have been snapped up straight away! A geeky black tee or a band shirt and some Vans trainers or Converse would look amazing with this in the summer!

Me and Amy ended up going our seperate ways on and off during the event but I walked around with Gemma (Just Gem) who is such a sweetie! I love her so much and she always makes me giggle when I’m in her company. 🙂

However before I lost Amy, we had a good nose around the beauty section and I watched Amy get her makeup down by the gorgeous girls at Benefit. She looks beautiful in the photos I took of her! 😀

I would have had my makeup done by Benefit, but as my readers know, I’m not a makeup wearer. They made all the girls look stunning (even though they did previously!) and gave them a bit of colour with their Cheekleaders Mini Bronze and Mini Pink palettes!

Me and Gemma ventured over to the Clarins section of the room, where they were talking about some of their new skincare, which we also got to take home samples of! I still need to give them a go, I’m really excited for them. 😛

Sadly I can’t remember names, but the woman at Clarins was so thorough about everything and the even tried both of the products on the back of mine and Gemma’s hands.

We got to try the Re-Boost day cream and the Re-Charge sleep mask. They both feel really refreshing and hydrating on the skin and as I said previously, I’ve got some samples to try but as of yet I haven’t give them a go. I will do very soon though and when I do if they feel lovely on the skin I might treat myself to one of them. 🙂

I wanted to get my nails painted as well but it was so busy I just left it in the end, but Amy and Emily (Coventry Life) got their nails done and they looked gorgeous! 😀 They both went for a raspberry pink colour.

We all sort of gathered together as we waited for Amy to get her nails painted and then ventured over to the last beauty stand, which was Dior. This area was incredibly busy and me and Gemma never got the chance to ask what they were talking about and showcasing at the event. However, later on the lady who was in charge of the stand noticed that she hadn’t yet spoken to us and said how she felt bad for missing us. Even though she had packed everything away at this point, she still went out of her way to go and get both me and Gemma a goodie bag with some little bits and pieces in! We both had a sample of their Joy perfume, as well as a mini sample of their Dior Addict Lip Maximizer. I’ve used this product a couple of times now and it’s lovely! It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s good and does me for work. 🙂

Before we all headed home after the event we had loads of selfies! I loved seeing Emily as I hadn’t seen her since before Christmas! She’s such a great person to talk to and always so honest in her blog writing, as well as just her in general. I also love that she collects pin badges like I do! 😛

Overall I had such a fun time at the event! I’m not the most fashionable in the world anymore and I don’t really do much in the world of beauty either, but most of all I loved seeing my blogger girls and just having a good natter with them all!

March was such a crazy month for me and I feel like this event (as well as the news I received earlier on in the day) was just the beginning of the crazy. 😛

Do you love fashion? If so which trends are you looking forward to this spring and summer?

Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, take care and I hope you had a lovely weekend.