Today I squealed in excitement at a box outside a vintage shop full of £2 crockery. This is the kind of thing that makes my eyes widen, my heart beat faster and the irresponsible adult in me go ‘ooooh I’ve got an overdraft to exercise’. So imagine how I felt walking down the street clutching a bag full of beautiful mismatching plates and seeing this cute newbie on Friar Street.

Sable & Flea is coffee shop & vintage store and I have a feeling it’s my new favourite Stirling haunt…sorry Groundhouse. I’ve always had an affinity with this shop, it used to be a children’s clothing place called The Honeytree. My Mum bought most of my ‘fancy’ clothes from there until I was about 4 years old, it was a beautiful old fashioned shop and that carnival horse (which I’m SO GLAD they kept) had a bloody waiting list! When it closed down last year I was really sad, even if I hadn’t shopped there in quiiite a while, but it was a shame to see it go. I’m really chuffed that it has been used in this way.

We had a couple of post-walk hot chocolates to warm up our cold fingers and they were ideal. Frothy and thick, and those are some excellent sized marshmallows. We didn’t eat but I had a nosey at the menu anyway, it’s an ideal change from the usual fayre in Stirling and I’m going back to try some of the fantastic looking fresh bread.

The vintage buys are so tempting, but not anywhere near as cheap as my £2 finds. They are clearly handpicked and I looked around thinking, ‘I want that, I want that too’ but I’ve been trying to cut back on my taxidermy recently…

If you’re offended by taxidermy, you’re on the wrong blog. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not off out to the Trossachs with a shotgun, but really old vintage taxidermy that was done in a time before people thought ‘oh hey wait maybe we shouldn’t kill helpless animals for fun?’ is fair game (excuse the pun). Would you rather these vintage treasures sit in a damp back room somewhere or actually get to be enjoyed and have another kind of life? I really wanted this little squirrel pal, but I held back. Mainly because he’s so at home in the beautiful little cafe!

Can we also take a second to enjoy my new jumper? I’m becoming quite the social media geek after giving myself a kick up the backside to advance my knowledge and I just HAD to have this ‘trending‘ number from New Look.

So if you’re in Stirling and fancy an ideal place for a cute lunch or somewhere reasonably priced to take your mum, I know that one is often a struggle, then Sable & Flea is for you.

Find it on Friar Street, next to Europa. Don’t have a go on the horse, you’re too big now, get over it.