My Big Merchant List

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with any of these businesses, save as a satisfied customer or appreciative observer. I have done business with almost all of these people, think they're great and want to share them with the world, that's all.




Garb-Related

Fire Mountain Gems & Beads
Fantastic prices and great service. Just about any kind of bead or gemstone, you can find it here. They also stock pearls in a great profusion of styles, shapes, colors, and prices. The online catalog doesn't do the selection true justice -- their paper catalog is truly a wonder to behold (and very dangerous to anybody who likes sparkly things).

Calontir Trim
Splendid and not-too-expensive trims of all kinds and for just about all periods.

Historic Enterprises
Wonderful garb and accessories for reasonable prices. I've ordered from them and was extremely pleased with the results.

Billy and Charlie's Pewterworks
Buttons, belt findings, and brooches, all made of soft pewter. A very informative site, very fun to prowl.

Grannd Garb
Their main thrust is Victorian corsets, but this is the place to come to for lacing cord and aiglets. Inexpensive, and the shipping is fast. You will be shocked, once you start using aiglets, how fast you go through them. Same for cord.

Hedgehog Handworks
Very SCA-friendly business that sells just about everything that relates to handsewing, including hand-dyed silk embroidery floss and 100% linen thread. Also sells a lot of books and tools, like little wooden needle cases.

The Pillaged Village
SCA business that sells just about everything, from inexpensive shoes to mugs to t-shirts to all kinds of books to a kabillion kinds of trim. Very friendly people. Only drawback is that you don't find out if something's on back order till too late, and back orders happen a lot to me for some reason.

The Viking Trader
Leather supplies and finished goods. These are absolutely wonderful people to work with and very flexible. If you have any kind of need for leather stuff, I heartily recommend them. Their main thrust isn't actual supplies, but I get all of mine from them, and gladly -- their prices are way better than most online retailers.

Phoenix Textiles
An excellent place to get fabrics. Their selection is truly staggering and the prices are excellent. I've ordered a few times through them and have always been happy with the results. Their customer service standards are superlative and the goods live up to the descriptions.

Chain mail & More
Chainmail accessories. I've purchased from this vendor and was thrilled with the speed of delivery and high quality of the goods. I was looking for belly-dancing jewelry and found it in spades, but there's a lot of other stuff there. Bonus: Ladies of substance should find plenty of fun on this site.

Errant Knight Jewelry
If you need a very classical-looking belt, this gentleman stocks several in gorgeous detail, several styles. He's not specifically doing Italian Renaissance belts, but several of these look perfect for that era.

House of Dra
Reasonably priced Renaissance Fair and mundane garb, made of lovely soft cotton. I've seen this merchant at fairs and events for quite some time--lovely people, and I'm happy to have them here.

Illusion Jewels, Renaissance Jewelry by Dorothea
Lovely, period-looking jewelry for those who need English or European finishing touches. Her girdles are just gorgeous, and it's all very reasonably priced.


Cooking and Living

World Merchants (Herbs, Spices, Teas)
Just about any kind of herb, spice, tea, or seasoning you can possibly imagine. Great people, excellent service, and fantastic products. Very SCAdian-friendly -- and they have medieval spice powders and rubs, too! Go try some of this stuff! Especially don't pass up their saffron and vanilla beans. Whatever you choose, you'll never buy those teeny bottles at the supermarket again.


Books

Edward R. Hamilton
If you don't already know about these guys, click on this link. Extremely affordable discount books, with cheap shipping. Terrific customer service, too.

All text copyright Vangelista di Antonio Dellaluna, except where otherwise noted. You may use anything you find here for any nonprofit purpose, but please give credit where credit is due.