The Pilgrimage- Going Back To The Start

So, I'm off to buy/trade some vintage in my hometown of Leicester.

I'm reliably informed that this is where my parents bought my first Star Wars toys from in 1985.

http://www.storyofleicester.info/ex...chive/kampalatoleicester/leicesterinthe1970s/

Those very figures were the highlight of Christmas that year as evidenced in the photo shown on Joes website.

http://trilogo.info/features/growing-up-trilogo/

And this is where I'm going today which is situated about 5 minutes from the location of Zodiac Toys.

http://www.leicestervintage.co.uk/

I'll be posting some photos later of whatever I buy for me as well as a teaser shot for the Secret Santa thread ad the second part of the present is being collected as well. Don't worry, it will be a group of items in the photo so you'll all have to wonder if what you've asked for is in the bag.

So here are the photos of the haul, sorry no shop photos- issues with my phone. Also no secret Santa sneak peak as Joe had the item separate for me already.

First up a little something for my son



Now the Wampa





Next up the At-St. This has a slight factory error with one of the lugs on the lid not being formed in the mould







Here's the Falcon, all complete, just needs a clean and stickers applying.











And finally a group shot.



All in all a great day out and what a feeling, coming home from a high street shop with bags full of vintage!

Nice idea, trip down memory lane. Look forward to seeing the photos.

Great little shop there and Joe is a top guy.
Don't forget to do lunch in Bruccianis with an ice cream soda.
Do you remember Dominoes Toy's back in the day?

Have a good day

So picked up a Falcon, At-St and Wampa. All boxed, the first two in Jedi boxes and the Wampa in an ESB Palitoy box plus a modern plush Chewie for my son. Joe was great, had a good chat and he bought me a coffee. You don't get that service on flea bay.

Photos don't seem to be loading from my phone so will get them up later.

As for Dominoes I didn't remember it until I just googled it. Did it have two or three steps into the back part of the shop and a rack of £1.59 figures near the steps?

Great story ,

My 1st figure was bought in 1979 , unfortunately all the toy shops are closed down !

Photos finally added!

Nice items ,

Still got my original palitoy hoth Wampa with his box

Great score

Cheers Steve, sadly I sold my childhood collection when I was in my early teens. You're lucky to still have some of yours.

Very nice days work. 8)

Some very nice pieces there. 8)

Wow, some great stuff there mate, you must be chuffed! and the bonus that you had a bit of history there to

Yeah, it was great going back and some good stuff as well. The Falcon will take a bit of cleaning but everything's there apart from the instructions. Going to take the boy next time now I've seen the shop, he'll love the boxes of beater dinkys.

lejackal said:

As for Dominoes I didn't remember it until I just googled it. Did it have two or three steps into the back part of the shop and a rack of £1.59 figures near the steps?

Click to expand...

Dominoes was the shop on the High Street that had three floors and had a rather cool train running around the first floor suspended from the ceiling. It had steps down to a lower floor to the left and had a back room that led to a side door to the lanes outside. The back room had stairs going down to a crafts room.
I don't remember the where the figures were displayed but that's where all my weekly pocket money went on our weekly visit to get a new figure.

I vaguely remember it but I left Leicester aged 7 or 8 and only went back to visit my grandparents. I think some of my memories are mixed up with Coventry as well. I have managed to remember what figures and vehicles I had though.

Great to hear about where people bought or were bought their childhood Star Wars toys. I find it really interesting to hear different peoples accounts of how they experienced it all at the time. This is a bit of a post I put on another thread about childhood memories of Star Wars:-

One of my best memories is actually of a toy shop and it makes me feel quite nostalgic thinking about it. It was in Rayleigh in Essex and it was called Peter Jones. Downstairs it was like Martins/W H Smith - books, stationary etc but upstairs was a big toy shop. I remember climbing up the stairs and as you got to the top there was this huge wall of Star Wars on the left. I used to stand there goggle-eyed looking at it! It obviously seems bigger when you're a kid but there was **** loads of stock in this shop. All the figures hanging on the metal sticks and the ships stacked up at the top. I would winge like **** to get one(a figure) but usually it would be..no not today! Occasionally you could get one and you'd root through to find a good un'. Best memories ever and prob the sole reason I collect now

This thread has made me think about going back to the shop/building that used to be Peter Jones. I'm not sure what it is now but there's every chance the layout of the place is still the same and the stairs still there etc. Would be cool to visit it again, maybe take a few photos or see if I can get any info about the people who ran it in the 80's or some photos of it from that time. It's prob a long shot but even 1 photo of that toy shop in the early 80's or a little bit of info would be amazing to me.

You may be somewhat underwhelmed when you find out what's there now, Zodiac now appears to be a Tesco if I've figured the Haymarket out properly as they seem to have built an extension on it now although as far as i know Dominoes has reopened as a toy shop again!

I believe Zodiac is now the Tesco. Dominoes is being refitted out to be a Lumbers the Jeweller's (I think ) and Dominoes is to reopen in a section of Fenwicks the department store I'm February.

According to this its been and gone?
http://toyworldmag.co.uk/news/leicesters-dominoes-toy-store-to-reopen/

Are there now plans to open it again?

I thought it was this February coming, must have been last one then.