been busy

I've been busy with business, but things seem to be coming together :)

kate spade

I forgot that some Kate Spade employees came by the shop a few weeks ago to get hooks for their pop-up shop in London, Covent Garden. They ended up with about 40 hooks, and didn't care if they matched as they were going to paint them all. Tonight I accidentally came across the result!

Not too shabby, I think... A fun way to have a funky look while still staying uniform and letting the merchandise talk :)

old and new

Yesterday evening we were sitting in front of Ste's computer and his screensaver came on showing all the photos on his computer, and this little time capsule appeared...

This was taken in May 2007, when I first started at the shop, and this is our 'Quirky' room, and my oh my, how things have changed. I actually went into shock for a few minutes because I didn't remember it ever looking like this. Pre-low shelving unit, pre-tiles, pre-English, pre-almost everything.

So today we took a photo of the 'Quirkies' as they appear today. What a vast improvement in three short years. So much more inviting, and fun, and BRITISH.

Who knows what it will look like in an other 3 years...

tinny

With the lovely weather we've started to have here in London, we have been putting some eye-catching vintage tins outside to draw people in... and a lot of the tins have been my own finds...

And the shop is looking extra bright as well with country flowers, our collection of double tiles over the door, and knobs galore.

And , of course, more tins...

(note the Queen Elizabeth coronation tins, flamingo tin, Players tin, and George V silver jubilee tin...)

We have also taken the opportunity to publicize the local Museum of Brands and Packaging.

Don't ask me how those ducks got into the picture ;)

new

Chloe went away for a few days and created this wonderful ad to show not just our knobs but also all the architectural salvage that we have in the shop!

Chloe Alberry

1968

We got emailed this photo today of the shop back in 1968.

Groovy huh?

Back then the shop was where the Beatles got their uniforms for the Sgt. Pepper's album photo! You can see some of the clothes hung around the windows.

Not too much has changed since then! Though I think we may copy the past and get a nice big 84 above the door, along with our website of course :)

new goods

printer's blocks A-Z, 0-9, with ', ", !, still on their original storage board

I had to take some letters out to make them easier to remove

redoing the back room

copper print blocks

bakelite turning handles

cool wooden hook

old american yardsticks from across the states

1960s beechwood danish deck chairs

misc door pulls and letter boxes

door bells and escutcheons

mini hovis loaf tins

antique floor tiles

antique english fireplace tiles

that's all for now!

christmas

Christmas time at the shop

christmas tree

pirate ship

crystal drops

tiles oh tiles

At work we have a bit of an obsession with tiles, only the beautiful ones of course ;)

Most recently we have been surfing through ebay and by luck have found some very good finds.

The first was this Sherwin and Cotton, c1895-1900, "Village Belle", a very rare and collectable tile that was modelled by George Cartlidge in a rich cobalt blue Majolica glaze and in great condition.  It is a large tile, 6 x 12 inches.  What is very funny is that we had seen this tile before about a year ago when we went on a tile mission to a fireplace scrapyard, but the owner refused to sell it to us for any amount.

This one will have a place of honour in Chloe's new kitchen.

The original two designs

And then yesterday we had a bit of more luck.  This time there was a tile that David really wanted to win for Chloe for Christmas, and again, the ending price was a lot lower than it would sell for normally.  

Nice finds.

horoscopes

I have to admit that I do read horoscopes when I come across them.  I try to take them with a grain of salt, as most of them are so ambiguous that of course they become relevant to almost everyone who reads them.

However, recently my Mom forwarded me my horoscope from Harper's Bazaar USA for August 24th to September 23rd:

Work is daunting and colleagues have more confidence in your abilities than you do.  You should always take your career seriously and yourself less so.  You're getting wiser now, having recently pondered life's larger questions.  Let go of excess caution.

All I can say to that is.......

Thank you universe.

Maybe the next time Theo or David go on about how I am such a lucky person (like a good luck charm, not lucky for how things are) I will stop, let go of my caution, and just agree.

new stock

Chloe returned today from their travels with some new items for the store.  The new jewelry and belts that she bought were really exquisite, it seems that as our quality of knobs get better, in turn so do our accessories.  

Later I remarked to David on the phone that one woman who bought a few belts had a Primark bag, and I mused that the belts probably cost as much as what she bought at Primark.  David pointed out that what I described is what we always say about our knobs and IKEA.  Just like you can get some average dresses and make them special with a new sparkly belt, so can you buy a cheap dresser and make it look expensive with beautiful knobs.

I like this philosophy.

Abalone

Mother of Pearl

Stretch Belt

Stretch Belt 2

Brooches

Ring

Ring 2

Shell Earrings 1

2

3

agate

Agate drawer pulls.  Chloe is using these in her new kitchen.  So pretty.

Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rock or ancient lava floes where they represent cavities originally produced by the disengagement of volatiles in the molten mass which were then filled by siliceous matter deposited in regular layers upon the walls.

I love how in the side view you can see some quartz that has been embedded.  When agate is forming if water with a certain composition filters through may cause layers of crystalline quartz.

The stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the river Achates between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.

In many traditions agate is believed to soothe the mind, still thunder and lightning, promote eloquence, secure the favour of the powerful, and bring victories over enemies.

Nature is pretty cool.

* Agate pulls, £14 each, Chloe Alberry Ltd

tuesday inspiration: alexa chung

I'm not usually swayed much by the 'trendy' girls/women of the moment, like Alexa Chung.  She is very popular over here in Britain and in online fashion communities, but I can't help but like her comfortable sensibilities.  The other day she came into the shop and I didn't recognize her until I was charging her credit card, she was like any regular customer in jean shorts and a t-shirt.

I bought this dress the other day from etsy shop shu1245.  I really like crocheted dresses, I have another navy one from a store that used to be in Newark, DE that I will post a picture of sometime.  But this one kind of reminds me of the one Chung is wearing in the bottom right.

Just an fyi for those who care.  Chung bought this deer from the shop.  She also bought something else, but I can't remember for the life of me.

wholesome breakfast

I don't know what it is about Bran Flakes, but I never can get enough of them.  Lately I've been sprucing mine up with raisins and almonds.

yum yum in my tum

All of this talk about the Lake District and nature makes me enjoy the natural knobs in our shop even more.  Being around them all the time I can't help but save the river pebble ones that I like the most...