Ministry of Found RIP

18 May

So…that’s it.

It’s been an emotional (and sometimes stressful!) journey. It’s been like a surreal dream from thinking up the initial idea of starting my own pop up shop, to seeing it actually come to life. Not to mention working with some of my 90s music idols and organising a celeb-studded launch night. Madness!

Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way. There are so many people to name, but special thanks go to the guys at Yell for supporting the venture from the start and all the experts who offered their pearls of wisdom – Savannah Miller from Twenty8Twelve, Lee Lapthorne at On|Off, Taryn Ross from Urban Junkies, Aysun and Morag at Selfridges and Dan Thompson from the Empty Shops Network. The team at Mixmag have been great supporters of Ministry of Found too and their help in getting the word out was invaluable in making it a success.

But most of all I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who took the time to read the blog and leave positive comments, all of you who came down to the Ministry of Found and visited/bid on my eBay auction. It’s been such an amazing experience and I’ve learnt so much. Plus, it’s all been in aid of some worthy causes: Centrepoint, Oxfam and the Jamie Oliver Foundation.

Keep an eye out for my next venture, whatever that may be. Thinking about it, the shed could do with a clear-out…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

SOLD!

17 May

They say that the thrill of an auction is addictive…they could well be right there. On Sunday evening I sat glued to my computer and watched some lucky bidders snap up the final lots of my 90s dance vinyls.

I’m delighted to say nine out of the 12 lots had winning bids, raising over £400. The proceeds from the sales are going to Yell’s charity partner, Centrepoint benefitting homeless young people.

Thanks to everyone who took a look and bid. Lots of memories in those stacks of 12 inches, so it will be a tearful goodbye!

Tags: , ,

Going once, going twice…

13 May

It’s the final few days of my vinyl auction and I’m finding myself religiously checking the eBay page for more bids and watchers – can’t imagine what I’m going to be like in the closing seconds on Sunday evening!

Thanks to everyone who has already taken a look at my lots and especially those who have already bid. Remember, 100% of the proceeds are going to Yell’s charity partner, Centrepoint – the charity for homeless young people – so it’s all in aid of a great cause.

The most popular vinyl bundle so far includes Infidus, Illegal Rave, Speedy J and the 90s classic ‘Step On’  by the Happy Mondays. Bez was my hero back in the day!

There’s still time to pick up an absolute steal (these lots are valued at £600 each), so take a look now or you’ll kick yourself!

Bid at http://shop.ebay.co.uk/auction-for-a-cause/m.html

Tags: , , , ,

We’ll start the bidding at….

6 May

If you saw my post yesterday, you’ll know that I’m auctioning off the leftover vinyls from Ministry of Found on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to one of Yell’s Trusted Places charity partners, Centrepoint – the charity for homeless young people.

I’m thrilled to say the auction is now live! You can get bidding at http://shop.ebay.co.uk/auction-for-a-cause/m.html

There are 12 different lots up for grabs, each with over 200 vinyls (12-inch), including rare and collectable records. Each lot has been valued at a hefty £600 quid, but bids start at just £40 so you’ve got a great chance of walking away with a great deal.

The auction will end on the 15th May. Happy bidding!

Tags: , , , ,

Going, going…

5 May

I think I under-estimated just how many vinyls I had hoarded up in my attic. After raising almost £800 of sales at Ministry of Found, I still have a few boxes cluttering up the house.

As much as I’d still like to hold on to these lasting memories of my youth, I’ve decided to auction them on eBay for charity. So, if you missed the chance to visit the shop, fear not – there’s still chance for you to get your hands on an amazing collection of rare and collectable 90s dance vinyls.

This lot is every DJ’s dream, with highlights including Utah Saints, Aphex Twin, Daft Punk, DJ EFX and Andre Harris. They’re definitely worth a few hundred quid, so you could get yourself a bargain – plus, 100% of the proceeds are being donated to Yell’s charity partner, Centrepoint – the charity for homeless young people – so your money is also going to a great cause.

I should have the auction all sorted and set up in the next few days, so I’ll keep you posted.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

And the total is…

14 Apr

I’ve been massively busy in the last week packing up Ministry of Found and sorting out all of the loose ends. But the part which has really made it all worthwhile is totalling up the amount raised from the sale of my old vinyls.

I’m so proud to say we raised a total of nearly £800, all of which I’m dividing up amongst the charities we chose to support for this event – Oxfam, Jamie Oliver Foundation and Centre Point.

So, not only did all my dusty vinyls go to some new homes (and finally make some much-needed room in the attic!), but it has also benefited worthwhile causes.

Once again, I want to thank everyone for coming down to Ministry of Found and making it such a huge success.

Tags: , , , , ,

Ministry of Found Dance & Music Exchange

4 Apr

It all happened so fast! The Ministry of Found Dance & Music Exchange! The opening night was a wicked start to the pop-up shop – it’s been a brilliant couple of months – I have learnt so much from everyone that has helped me so massive thanks to you all (hopefully I managed to thank most of you in person by the end of ‘that’ night…) and a massive thanks to my buddies at Yell for helping to make it all possible.

The best bit was when 808 State found one of their own records missing from their collection – was a bit of a Day V Lately moment. Oh and when Utah Saints played I felt like I’d never left the 90s (thought my dry ice was a nice touch!) It was a right celeb bash, check out some of my favorite pics below:

 

But as you all know the real fun started on Friday and carried on through to Saturday. Thanks to everyone that came in and bought a record – all the money went to some great causes and the dance lessons went down a storm!

I’ll post an update on money made tomorrow – spent Sunday taking everything down, made me start thinking about my next project…

Tags: , , , ,

Coming together nicely

31 Mar

Yesterday was the first day I got into my Ministry of Found venue down on Brick Lane. I was putting  up a few fake walls, shelves for my vinyl, laying new floor, putting posters up, putting up my sign. It’s a bit of a work in progress, but I’m quite excited about it all now and so wanted to share a few photos of how it’s looking.

I’ve also made another video all about my plans for the Yell videos page, which I’ll post soon, so keep your eyes peeled for more updates…

Tags: ,

All in the name of charity

30 Mar

I reckon I’ve got quite a few gems in my soon-to-be-sold record collection that I think might fetch more than a few pennies when I open for business. So, I have decided to use the proceeds from all of my sales to raise a little money for charity.

For every purchase made at the Ministry of Found Dance and Music Exchange, customers will be asked to drop a token into a fishbowl of their choice, each representing a Yell charity partner. These will be Oxfam, Jamie Oliver Foundation and Centre Point.

I don’t want to give too much away about what to expect from my record collection as I want people to come and make their own discoveries, but here’s a little taster of some rare records you can buy or exchange:

  • Global Method – Vibe Tribe EP (Orbital Good Life Remix)
  • New World Corporation 003 – Untitled
  • Rabbit in the Moon – Deeper
  • Kleptomania – Morf
  • Narc – Small Hours EP
  • Lifeline – In Control
  • The Criminal Minds – Autonomy EP

And a few more mainstream titles:

  • The Prodigy – Experience
  • Leftfield – Leftism
  • The Aphex Twin – Diheridoo
  • Underworld – Born Slippy
  • Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You
  • 808 State – Quadrastate

And that barely scratches the surface – I’ll have a good couple of thousand records in the collection.  I’ve only got limited stock of course, so hurry down before I sell out.

So even more reasons to come down to the store on Friday and Saturday!

For more information on what else is happening at the shop, see my previous post.

Tags: , , , , ,

So, exactly what is happening down at Ministry of Found?

29 Mar

Not long to go now until I open the doors to my pop-up shop, so I wanted to let you all know in a little bit more detail exactly what is going on and when. Here’s the line-up over the two days. Not bad is it?

Friday 1st April:

11am Store opens!

11.30 Q&A session with the legendary Utah Saints

12.30 90s dance lesson with a professional choreographer (show us your big fish little fish – please book in advance)

13.30 Live DJ sessions – ask whatever you want about learning how to DJ

16.00 Q&A session with Dan Thompson (good advice about opening your own pop-up)

17.00 90s dance lesson with a professional choreographer (please book in advance)

18.00 Store closes

 

Saturday 2nd April:

11am Store opens!

11.30 90s dance lesson with a professional choreographer (please book in advance)

12.30 Q&A session with Hacienda legend Graeme Park

14.00 Q&A session with Hacienda legend Graeme Park (in case you’re late for the 12.30 session)

15.00 Q&A session with Dan Thompson (good advice about opening your own pop-up)

16.30 90s dance lesson with a professional choreographer (please book in advance)

18.00 Store closes

 

Remember, if you want to book into one of the dance classes, just email me at found@dayvlately.com with the word DANCE in the subject line.

You can also try your new dance moves by featuring in your very own music video of Pulse and Thunder, by my mate Day V Lately.  Or just grab a coffee and browse my soon-to-be sold record collection, with all proceeds going to charity.

Hope to see you there!

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.