Jumble sales are back…

A curious thing has happened. Jumble sales, an event once confined to the yearly church fund-raising day or village fête, have become, well, cool. So have cake baking, knitting, and other crafts. In a time of recession, it seems the make-do-and-mend attitude has been adopted once again.

But jumble sales have also had a face-lift. Forget what you know about stalls selling broken toys or dodgy jumpers and loo-roll cosies knitted by gran. The new breed of sale has DJs, make-up artists, hair stylists, vintage and designer clothes and all the craft elements mentioned above. And they attract a crowd of fashion-savvy young professionals with an eye for a bargain and disposable income to spend.

What's more, this mini-shopping revolution is taking place in pubs, especially in London. Some licensees charge stall-holders to set up or customers for entry. Others have realised the sales are an excellent way of attracting new customers to their pub, keeping them there for a good few hours of drinking and eating, as well as shopping and encouraging repeat visits from them and their friends.

In venues ranging from high-end food-led pubs to scruffy student hang-outs, music pubs or 'old boozers', more and more pub-based jumble sales are popping up.

"It's more the fact that pubs are not just a great place to hold a jumble sale, but that jumble sales are great for pubs," says licensee Alfie Smith. "We mainly survive off our live music but with the government clamping down on that too, we have to make the money up elsewhere."

Alfie took on the tenancy of Charles Wells pub the Victoria near Mile End, East London with some friends just over a year ago. Their monthly jumble sale called the Queen's Crown, takes place on the first Sunday of every month from 1pm to 6pm. It was introduced shortly after the pub opened and includes a knitting club, arts and crafts lessons, haircuts, fry-ups and bloody marys. People are invited to bring their items to set up a stall free of charge.

Alfie credits the sales with helping to turn the pub around by attracting the right crowd, promoting the right image of the pub and providing much needed business.

"The sales are a massive part of what we do," he says. "Over the past year they have hugely boosted our business. On the Sundays we hold the sales, takings are double what they are on a normal Sunday even though the things we are making money from are the same things; the food and drink. We can get more than 100 people into the pub for a sale on a Sunday afternoon and all the seats are full.

"It has also helped us to draw the right crowd into the pub. Before we took over it was a bit rough. Many people who initially came in for the sale are now regulars. It's a really chilled-out vibe and people just stay for the whole day. It's been a fantastic thing for us and is about so much more than just setting up stalls. It's a brilliant and different way of socialising and our customers love that."

Some pubs, such as the Columbo Group-owned Albert and Pearl in Islington, North London, have groups that put on the sales for them. Rosalia Ferrara, an events organiser and PR, started the Jumble and Pearls sale with Willow Laybourne and Jacquilina Traher at the pub after pitching the idea to its owners. The sale features vintage, high-street and designer clothes. Early birds can pick up a cup of tea, and those who linger can enjoy a cocktail or two while listening to the sale's own DJ. It takes place on the first Saturday of every month.

The event is promoted on web pages, a Facebook group and a mailing list. Doors open at 1pm but Rosalia says there is always a queue outside waiting to get in. "We don't get charged by the pub for the room because we bring in good PR and also people who then spend money on food and drink," she says. "It does bring people into the pub who have never been before and possibly wouldn't ever have. Pubs are getting quieter, people are being careful with their money because of the recession, so anything that's a bit different that can get them through the doors and keep them there is a good thing. Columbo welcomed something different and it's a good angle for the press too."

The event will celebrate its first birthday in October with a special sale featuring a cocktail created for the occasion, the make-up artists of bands including Girls Aloud and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs offering make-overs and lots and lots of cake.

After watching large numbers of copy-cat events spring up since she started, Rosalia says these look set to continue to spread as consumers are attracted to the bargains on offer, and the convenience and ambience of attending a sale in a pub.

"A pub was the perfect place to hold the sale because it is open in the day and I wanted somewhere that represented what the sale was about and had that opulent feel with the chandeliers and everything," she says. "Pubs are the way forward for these kind of events because they're intimate and you can stay all day and eat and drink. It's great for both sides."