What to expect from The Wildhood Collective Markets
What to expect from our markets
If you’ve only just discovered us and haven’t been to a market yet, you may be wondering what a Wildhood Collective Market is really like. What’s the vibe? What can you expect to find? What type of products will you be able to buy? And most importantly: shall I bring the kids or not? In this blog post we’ll answer all of your questions so you can get a good idea of what our markets are like before you come! And if you want to find out what markets we have coming up soon, head over to our Events page.
Who are we?
Hello! We’re Lucy and Susanna – colleagues from our ‘day’ job, turned besties figuring out motherhood, with a passion for secondhand.
A curated edit of your fave kidswear brands
We set up the market to help more parents (& grandparents, uncles & aunties too!) shop secondhand and with purpose. We source clothes which we’d dress our own children in, and focus on the good eggs of the children’s clothing industry as much as we can – ethically made with natural materials is the way to our hearts! Not so say that we won’t have the classics such as Zara, H&M and Next, and that’s the beauty of shopping preloved!
Brands to expect: Claude & Co, Organic Zoo, Another Fox, Bobo Choses, Oshkosh, Jamie Kay, Kidly, Little Green Radicals, SleepyDoe + Zara just to name a few!
The other half of the market is where you’ll find our carefully selected Toys & Books. We are very proud of the collections we put together and just like with the clothes, we only source toys & books which we’d be happy to buy for our own little ones. We are big believers in play and keeping childhood wild and magical. We focus on encouraging open ended play, ethical and sustainable brands where possible. And rest assured - you’re not going to find plastic tat at our market!
Brands to expect: Le Toy Van, Schleich, Plan Toys, Little Dutch, Green Toys, Djeco, Maileg, Orange Tree Toys + so many more!
Books always sell very well at our market, with most books priced at half the RRP. Susanna is our literature fiend and is very protective of our book choices; from the classic stories we all know and love to ones you never knew you (and your kiddo) needed. There’s always a huge variety and naturally the good books come with the best illustrations… which look great in your home IYKYK.
Hustle and bustle
Our events can often be busy. This is something we’re really proud of, as it means our mission of spreading the preloved message is successful, but we do need to manage numbers to make it comfortable for everyone. We’ve expanded our events to give us as much space as possible and we have designated buggy parking so you are able to leave the wheels outside the event space. This is why we have introduced a ticketing system to make the market experience more comfortable for everyone.
If you’re a wheelchair user and need more info about accessibility please do get in touch with us via email so we can help you enjoy the event as comfortably as possible and share any info you need!
Quality over quantity
We prioritise quality over quantity and put a real focus on curation: offering you up the best of the best of the best. We steer away from jumble sale vibes but we’ll always be restocking throughout the day so whichever time you arrive, there will be plenty of gems up for grabs.
A focus on local businesses
At each market we are joined by a local childrens class/group/space within Bristol. This gives them the opportunity to showcase what they are all about, with a little snippet of what they have to offer for you and your little ones to enjoy! In the past we’ve had cookie decorating with Cook Stars and crafts with ArtVenturers. We absolutely love to support our local community and it’s so special to see the little one’s having a great time at the markets too (not to mention some sneaky purchases made & hidden whilst they are occupied). If you run a local business and would like to showcase at our market, please get in touch!
A welcoming space for all
We pride ourselves on being a friendly and welcoming space for all. Our community of likeminded parents and carers are important to us. We love to have a natter about all the cute clothes, nostalgic toys and beautiful books, offer recommendations and share our knowledge on brands or play ideas. Although we cap our numbers so it will never be too crowded, we understand that a busy market isn’t for everyone. This is why we’ve introduced our ‘Quiet Hour’ where we will lower capacity further and turn off the music. If you have any questions or further suggestions please e-mail us HERE.
Great food and drink options
We always make sure there is an on-site café at our market location. Somewhere to have a sit down post market to refuel, rest and try out the delicious offerings.