Carnival Ball 2014 with Showzam!

Now this is something I can get on board with. I know this won't be relevant to most of you guys but for my local readers I just wanted to share with you the annual Carnival Ball, at the world famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Each year the ball takes on a different theme, and this year it's 1950's Rock 'n' Roll!

The Carnival Ball is part of Showzam - Blackpool's entertainment festival celebrating of all things variety, circus and magic. The events are really engaging and a lot of it happens around the town's street. Showzam has grown into a massive attraction for our town and has been a great crowd puller for some years now. We haven't been to the ball for a couple of years, the last one we attended was 1920's themed and was a total riot. I did found these photos from 2010, of the Heat the Streets event. At the ball they'll be bands, performers and loads more crazy cats, including a DJ set from Broken Hearts, taking us into to the small hours.

The Carnival Ball is on 15th Feb - General tickets are £25, and go up to £150 for front row table with waitress service. The Showzam festival is on 14th-23rd Feb across Blackpool.

For more information visit here.

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Favourite Independent Retailers - Folklore

In-store image source 

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Barclaycard Freedom Reward regarding an interesting project revolving around Local and Independent retailers. The idea was for us to research into a few stores out there, then choose favourites to profile on the blog, before finally making a little purchase or two.

Being from an area where Local and Independent retailers don't flourish did pose a small obstacle so instead of shopping locally I decided to look through my bookmarked "shops" list and remind myself why I love shopping with smaller companies so much. I few retailers sprang to mind but I have chosen to profile Folklore. A store whose website we have been browser for yonks, constantly pinning, but never actually buying anything. 

Folklore is a home and lifestyle store based in Islington, London (damn I miss living there), and was founded by partners Danielle and Rob, in 2012. The store is based on commendable actions which lead to sustainability and the concept of "better living is possible through design". They're meticulous when it comes to choosing the right products to stock, always considering functionality, materials, integrity of design and craftsmanship. 

The thing I enjoy most about shopping at Independent stores is their customer service and openness, valuing every customer that comes through the door. Getting to know your customers is key, which in turn can create trust, a friendly environment and loyalty. Well that's the plan anyway, there's a few stores out there which seem don't subscribe to pleasantries (still not worked out why...) but my experience with Folklore couldn't have been better, and somewhere I will be shopping with in the future. I picked up the Kraft Notepad, London Plane Chopping Board and Cereal Magazine. 

If you fancy popping by their store, you can find them at 193 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 1RQ or shop online here. 

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Home of Millican

 In order - Les the Cooler bag, James the Duffle bag, Keith the Writer's bag, Rob the Traveler bag, 

Ryan the Domepack, Peter the Doctor's washbag

I've been itching to post about Millican's latest offering for a couple of weeks now so here goes. The Millican story began not too long ago in 2008 when the now married couple of Jorrit & Nicky met while backpacking around in South America. Their friendship grew on their love for travel, discovery and design; the pair moved to Keswick in the Lake District, soon set up a HQ (the shed) and started to produce a range of organic bags and travel goods.

The brand took its name from the legendary outdoorsman and self-styled "Professor of Adventure" Millican Dalton. Dalton left his life in the city and moved up to the Lake District in the early 1900s, to be entirely self-sufficient and live off the land. His life and values rang true with the pair and the Millican brand was born.

For their latest shoot they didn't have to look far for a suitable location, the above shots were taken in an abandoned pencil factory in Keswick (home to the UK's first graphite pencil, first produced in 1832 none-the-less!), just down the road from their offices. The wannabe Urban Explorer in me is mentally bookmarking this place for a trip in the future. Every piece in the collection is made with functionality in mind; using organic canvases, recycled polyester, tanned leathers and locally sourced wools. Each bag has been named after local friends who live in the Lake District, as a little tribute to the area. That's a pretty nice touch isn't it?

For such a young brand Millican have a real sense of identity and direction, taking inspiration Dalton's alternative lifestyle and turning that into products fit for the modern day. I just wish I got to venture out in the countryside more.

For more information on the brand and their products visit Millican.

Have you entered the Urbanears Giveaway yet? It closes on 25th September.