From 1920s flapper dresses to mid-century furniture, space-age 1960s design up to the recent rebirth of 1990s grunge, we never tire of revisiting and reviving the past.

Brighton, with its famous Lanes, street markets and junk shops, has long been a popular destination for those in search of vintage treasures, but now 34-year-old Darcy Shepherd is helping put neighbouring Cuckfield on the map too.

Shepherd’s monthly Cuckfield Vintage Emporium events have attracted more than 1,000 visitors since she launched them less than a year ago and she has plans to expand in 2014.

The mother-of-two, who lives in Lindfield, had always enjoyed picking up bargains at car boot and jumble sales, which developed into an interest in flea markets and antique shops as she got older.

A frequent traveller, friends and relatives would often comment on her finds from all over the world and ask her to buy for them.

By August 2010, she was spending so much time sourcing and selling vintage items, she decided to launch specialist event Village Vintage with friend Lucy Hayward. The two-day event, which takes place at Plumpton Racecourse, draws together 100 hand-picked exhibitors from all over the UK and specialises in French furniture, antique textiles and other vintage items. It was recently named one of Britain’s top three vintage events by Homes & Antiques magazine.

Vintage Emporium offers a similar aesthetic but on a smaller scale. “Our take on vintage is not so much about prom dresses and polka dots as a decorative country living feel,” says Shepherd. “I love French linens, beautiful vintage haberdashery items, painted furniture… We also take a lot of high-quality handmade crafts – embroidered lavender cushions, candles, painted furniture, pretty picture frames.”

Although she no longer buys to sell, Shepherd remains a keen treasure-hunter. “I love going to all the fairs but I’d particularly recommend the antiques market at Ardingly, which is held about nine times a year [the next is on January 7] and is absolutely packed with stalls selling beautiful stuff.

“I’m always on the lookout for Louis XIV furniture and anything decorative but one of the most popular items for our buyers at the moment is vintage china. Some people just love collecting sets but others are buying it to make into quirky cake-stands or candle holders. We have one lady who exhibits with us who makes them into bird feeders.”

Shepherd believes the interest in all things vintage is down to a number of factors: tough economic times tend to make us nostalgic for the past, when life might appear to have been more simple; many of us stay in more so take more interest in what our homes look like, and of course there’s the fact that buying second-hand from markets and fairs tends to be cheaper than buying new. TV programmes such as Kirsty Allsop’s Homemade Home have helped bring the trend into the mainstream, she adds.

“I’ve always loved vintage and have always decorated my home in that way and worn vintage clothes. It’s cheaper, prettier and more individual to furnish your home with treasures you’ve found than just to buy reproductions from the high street.

“I particularly love Kirsty Allsop – I think she’s a real inspiration and makes the homemade way of life accessible for everyone.”

While she’s currently taking a break to spend time with her nine-month-old baby, Shepherd has plans to expand the Vintage Emporium in the new year, with a range of food stalls similar to those at Village Vintage events and the possibility of large-scale events in the summer and at Christmas.

“We’re really lucky to have found such a supportive base for what we do in Cuckfield.

The village is absolutely gorgeous and I think Vintage Emporium fits in really well with the sort of shops on the high street there. They support me and I hope my events support the village.”

*The next Cuckfield Vintage Emporium takes place on Saturday, November 23, at Queen’s Hall, Cuckfield. Find out more about the event, as well as Village Vintage, at facebook.com/Cuckfield vintageemporium