Wealden Times | WT186 | August 2017 | Wedding supplement inside

This page: SHOP sells a wonderfully mixed and gloriously displayed array of goods, in a casual perfection of chic bohemian style
Mattress Man. They’ll make one to any size for old beds.”
Having inspected every corner of the cottage, we head
down Norman Road for a cup of tea in the café within
SHOP, relaxing into the cocooning atmosphere of a
retail space both perfectly realised – and different every
time you go in it. None of this is a happy accident.
“SHOP is not just about shifting stuff,’ says Helen,
looking round her beautiful space. “We buy things because
we love them and we want other people to love them. We
like a free flow, quirky things that work together and we
move things around all the time – change is everything.”
The – always brilliant – set up of the merchandise is
Holly’s job. Before starting the business with her mum,
she worked in visual merchandising for Topshop.
They divide responsibilities up in this way – but do
all the buying together, choosing whatever appeals to
them. “Stock is very flexible – there’s no ‘that is or isn’t
what we sell’.” The only fixed thing is that it must be
what they like. It’s the best kind of family business.
“There’s a lot of love in SHOP,” says Helen, which is probably
why it’s such a delightful spot to visit. “It’s really important
to be surrounded by things that you love. Even if you only
have two chairs, have lovely ones…”, a philosophy Helen has
put into perfect practice in both her home and her shop.
Address Book:
Visit SHOP at 32-34 Norman Road St Leonards. Find them
on Facebook and follow on Twitter @ShopNormanroad
Ardingly Antiques Fair iacf.co.uk/ardingly
Flowers throughout the shoot were from
Blue Hen Flowers bluehenflowers.com
Hastings & Bexhill Wood Recycling Ltd.
01424 715566 recyclingwood.org.uk
Heal’s heals.com
Loaf loaf.com
Mark Tomlinson 07761 233785
Mattress Man mattressman.co.uk
Wayward St Leonards wayward.co
101 wealdentimes.co.uk