Shop
Established by ex-Dazed editor Isabella Burley, Climax Books (which also has a branch in NYC) is a temple to rare books, publishing ephemera, erotica, VHS tapes, and cool merch, like latex shopping bags and collab Chopova Lowena undies. It’s definitely not your average book store. Meticulously curated, you’ll find works by cult figures in the worlds of art, photography, fashion, film and music behind the signature pink door.
Photo credit: @climaxbooks
Originally opened in Clerkenwell, design-forward stationery shop Present & Correct has since moved to Bloomsbury but is still stocked with a cracking selection of pens, planners, crayons, labels and other writing and organisational ephemera. The store is owned by graphic designers and they put a lot of effort into sourcing pieces that are “inspired by homework, the post office and school”. Everything inside also has a strong aesthetic quality as well as being functional – like 1970s letter labels, serif alphabet stamps, stick diaries and shape scissors.
This family-run Exmouth Market hardware store has been serving the local community for almost a century, so you can be sure that whatever your home or DIY needs, they can help. The shop is stocked with everything from screws to gardening supplies to power tools, and the team also offer key cutting and locksmith services.
Founded in 1799 by Annie Bliss and run as a company that hand-coloured maps and plans, A. Bliss was bought by Sydney Mawby post-WW1 and has remained in the family for four generations. Following the advent of economical colour printing, the business moved towards mounting and framing and as specialists in this area, they’ve worked with a range of artists and institutions as well as taking on individual personal projects, and they can do pretty much any framing or mounting technique you could want.
Photo credit: A. Bliss, artist details, Joanna Piotrowska
This Chelsea store is one of the best places for pre-loved fashion in the city. Originally opened as a place to sell clothes that belonged to celebrities, it’s become a treasure trove for secondhand designer pieces, including clothing, jewellery, shoes, bags and accessories Sign of the Times stocked with the likes of Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Celine, The Row, Saint Laurent, Prada, Loewe, Isabel Marant, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Moschino and more, and all of the items are selected for their quality.
MacCulloch & Wallis has been selling cloth, thread and trimmings to Londoners since 1902, so to say these are experts in the world of drapery and haberdashery would be an understatement. It’s stocked with a variety of yarns, threads, fabrics, buttons and trimmings, plus all the accessories and equipment you’d need to knit, sew, crochet and make hats.
Taking place on the second Sunday of the month, Chiswick Antiques & Vintage Market sees some of the best antiques and vintage traders in the country pitch up with their goodies. You can find everything French brocante pieces, mid-century furniture, art, haberdashery, jewellery and pretty much everything else in between here, so you never know what treasure you might stumble upon.
After starting life on Columbia Road, Choosing Keeping moved to a bigger space in Seven Dials in 2018, with more room to display its unparalleled range of pens, paper, stationery and other desk objects. An antidote to cheap, mass-made products, everything at Choosing Keeping, from silkscreen paper from Japan to German pens to American paper decorations, has been intentionally chosen and designed to last. It’s worth coming just for a browse, especially during the festive season when the festive ornaments and Christmas cards are out, but it really should be your first port of call anytime you’re in need of a good gift.
Charity shopping in posh areas is the best way to find pre-loved designer gear and this branch of Royal Trinity Hospice on Kensington Church Street is suitably well stocked. Go digging for high-end pieces, shoes, accessories and menswear, and it’s all in aid of the charity, which provides palliative and end-of-life care in south west and central London.
After spending years adjusting men’s shirts for her own wear, former Vogue stylist and Tatler editor Pip Durell decided to start making her own, and With Nothing Underneath was born. Shirts are what WNU is best known for – inspired by men’s tailoring but designed to fit women, they come in a variety of shapes and materials, so you can just as easily find a smart silky number for date night as you can a oversized linen one for the beach. The brand also does a range of wardrobe essentials, all in the same pared-back, timeless style.
Founded in 2016 by Freddie Elborne, MONC is an eyewear biz that puts as much emphasis on the craft as it does on the aesthetics of its glasses. The designs are inspired by creative districts around the world (there’s one called London Fields) and the frames are made from conscious materials, like bio-acetate and mineral glass, by craftspeople in Italy. The range is tightly curated but there’s plenty of choice across frame shapes and colours.
Award-winning jeweller Castro Smith specialises in hand engraving and is known for his illustrative and painterly style. Blending both European and Japanese techniques, he does a lot of seal engraving but with a modern twist – he engraves around an entire ring rather than just on the face, and takes inspiration from history, mythology and the natural world for his designs. You can buy his jewellery online or make an appointment to visit his workshop.
If you’re on the hunt for some good eyewear, Rae’s Glasses & Sunglasses should be your first stop. After starting at a pop-up, Rae set up shop in Camden Passage with a cracking collection of unworn vintage glasses and sunglasses, with one-off pieces, designer frames and some less well-known brands, and you can get prescription lenses too.
Positive Retail, which has a store in Dalston as well as in Margate, Deal and Faversham, is a curated resale (and B-Corp certified brand) that gives retail overstock and pre-loved designer pieces a new life. The store partners with a range of cool brands, like Margaret Howell, Ganni, Universal Works, Goodhood and Aligne to sell on their surplus stock, alongside pre-loved designer garms from the likes of Comme des Garçons, Raf Simons, Gucci and Acne Studios. If you’re bored of Vinted and want to shop sustainably IRL, this is the store for you.
The section of railway arches around Spa Terminus has become a hub for food and drink businesses to run their wholesale and distribution operations from. Open during the week for wholesale trade, many of the producers open up to the public on Fridays and Saturdays so you can buy direct from them. And with the likes of the Fresh Pasta Company, Maltby & Greek, Little Bread Pedlar, The Kernel, Ice Cream Union, Natoora, Poon’s, Neal’s Yard Dairy, London Smoke & Cure and Mons Cheesemongers there, you won’t be short of delish produce to pick up.
Grocery shopping becomes a pleasure rather than a chore at this cute shop on Bermondsey Street. As well as having nostalgic charm, Giddy Grocer is filled with some of the finest artisan produce from around Britain, so you can shop from seasonal fruit and veg, fresh meat and fish, deli items, breads, pastries, wines and more. There are also cakes and other goods on the counter that are made in-house using any produce that’s nearing the end of its life.
A new market has started in Tottenham, running on Saturdays from 10.30am – 3.30pm in the grounds of the Harris Academy. As well as produce, baked goods from the Dusty Knuckle, coffee, and street food from jollof rice kitchen Jim Jima, you can also pick up flowers, vintage homeware and other goodies from local traders. Well worth heading down if you live nearby.
The Clapton outpost of Fink’s (which also has spots in Finsbury Park and Clissold Park) is the pink shop on Chatsworth Road. Head inside to shop from a range of the city’s best producers of jams, honeys, spirits, hot sauces and more delish things. Or if you want something to eat asap, you can grab one on of their cakes or sarnies (made with Dusty Knuckle bread and always deep-filled) and a brew from Scenery Coffee Roasters.
