The Coolest Stores Selling Crafted Goods in the UK

The Coolest Stores Selling Crafted Goods in the UK

We’ve searched the length and breadth of the UK to find the community-first businesses supporting a revival of British heritage trades. From London’s last umbrella maker to a Margate seaweed skincare store, here are the coolest places selling crafted goods.

Read more heritage crafts and artisan stories in Vol. 37: Craft.

Over the past few years, “shop local” has become the slogan of
the UK high street. But, as retailers across
Britain continue to navigate supply chain pressures and the beast
that is online shopping, the thought of rambling past boarded-up
buildings is far from attractive. While most of us are quick to
praise independents, it can be difficult to know where
to find the community-first businesses that are truly making a
positive impact.

So, we’ve been on an adventure through our towns and cities to
find the people and places supporting British heritage trades. From
a ceramics store in Kent to a Scandi-influenced studio in Devon,
these are our favourite UK stockists of handcrafted goods.

Community-first craft stores: the design spaces to shop at



Crafting at Wanderlust Life, left, and two of the brands
ditsy necklaces.

Wanderlust Life

Braunton, Devon

Jeweller Georgie Roberts and her all-female team opened this
Scandi-influenced studio and retail space in sand-dusted Braunton
back in 2018. Come to browse the artisan’s signature embellishments
– think ditsy moonstone bracelets and necklaces strung with petite
semi-precious stones – alongside a curated edit of coastal living
homeware including ceramics, pots and planters. Special occasion on
the horizon? Wanderlust Life has an impressive range of gifts. Our
favourite? The birthstone drop earrings.

14 Caen St, Braunton EX33 1AA
+44 1271 815 456
wanderlustlife.co.uk

Potters

Ramsgate, Kent

In 2019, Wednesday Lyle and Alison Murphy opened the popular
Ramsgate craft store Potters – a space dedicated to showcasing the
beautiful ceramics coming out of Britain’s pottery renaissance. The
duo have since introduced plants, homeware and soft furnishings.
Expect to find subscribers to Laura Jackson’s Hoste newsletter
hanging out here – the pottery is envy-inducing. If, like us,
you’re a new plant parent (or are struggling to keep your plants
alive), be sure to steal some tips from the green-fingered in-house
experts.

72 High St, Ramsgate CT11 9RS
+44 1843 591 800
pottersramsgate.com

Fabrication Crafts

Leeds, Yorkshire

Social enterprise Fabrication Crafts supports local makers
around Yorkshire by offering work and retail spaces at a reduced
cost. As well as browsing pieces, you can book onto workshops to
level up your own crafting skills. Also check out nearby Colours
May Vary, a niche magazine store in the iconic Corn Exchange
building. The shop stocks local and international titles in a bid
to fulfil its mission of bringing things to Leeds that can’t be
found elsewhere.

79 Albion St, Leeds LS1 5AP
+44 113 243 9410
fabric-ation.co.uk

Ryder & Hope

Inside Ryder & Hope, left, and a staff member of James
Smith & Sons repairing an umbrella | Photo credit: Jacob
Elwood.

James Smith & Sons

Soho, London

There’s never a good day to venture out without an umbrella in
the UK. Should a shower strike and you find yourself sans brolly,
hop over to London’s New Oxford Street to find the city’s oldest
and best-loved umbrella emporium. Having first opened its doors
back in 1857, the esteemed establishment is still owned by the
fifth generation of the Smith family, and is the only place in the
capital that still crafts its own umbrellas on site. Step inside to
find walls lined with polished shafts – which can be cut to size –
and intricately hand-carved handles – think hares, skulls and
faces.

53 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1BL
+44 20 7836 4731
james-smith.co.uk

Haeckels

Margate, Kent

Skincare enthusiasts will no doubt already have a basket
brimming with Haeckels’ hero products. The luxurious goods, crafted
using surplus seaweed, are sold all across the country, but the
brand’s flagship store is located in the heart of Margate. Come armed with a spacious tote bag and pick
up oils, lotions and scrubs concocted from beach-harvested
ingredients, all packed into elegant brown glass bottles displayed
in illuminated wooden cabinets. Haeckles is hot on conversation:
get involved in its Rubbish for Product scheme – an incredible
initiative that enables customers to receive a free product in
return for a bag of beach rubbish.

18 Cliff Terr, Margate CT9 1RU
+44 1227 203 675
haeckels.co.uk

Ryder & Hope

Lyme Regis, Dorset

The coolest kid on Lyme Regis’ postcard-perfect high street,
Ryder & Hope fills a Grade II-listed, double-fronted building
with the kind of design-led edit of utilitarian homeware we wish we
had in our own pads. Ostrich-feather dusters, stone-washed hammam
towels and enamel pitchers share shelves with locally made
lifestyle products including oak-recessed mirrors and alpaca socks
made in-house by Ryder & Hope. After grabbing the goods, swing
by the sea-facing Swim restaurant, where crab sandwiches and
chocolate sourdough make for the ultimate cheat-day lunch.

30 Broad St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QE
+44 1297 443 304
ryderandhope.com



The exterior of Berties Of Bay, left, and hand-printed paper
at Choosing Keeping. | Photo credit: Maria Bell / Steve
Harrison.

Choosing Keeping

Covent Garden, London

Those that relish the feeling of a fresh set of stationery
should skip straight to Covent Garden’s Choosing Keeping – look for
the sleek, matt-black facade with gold-embossed detailing on the
corner of Tower Street. Inside, bare-brick walls are lined by
walnut-wood shelves stacked with notebooks, hand-printed paper,
pens, pencils and so much more. Truth be told, we had no idea that
so many pen types existed before we got lost here. Hone your
writing skills by picking up a fountain pen or mechanical
pencil.

21 Tower St, London WC2H 9NS
+44 20 7613 3842
choosingkeeping.com

The New Craftsmen

Mayfair, London

Seeking handmade homeware expertly fashioned by British makers?
Head to this Mayfair haunt. Housed in a striking, light-filled
studio, The New Craftsmen is a space that allows creatives to
collaborate and thrive, with some 100 artists and artisans on its
books. Through exhibitions and workshops, design lovers are invited
to learn traditional craft skills, as well as to shop for items
made by talented designers. If you’re hankering for some fresh
armchair escapism, visit the website, where enthralling stories
from makers of all kinds are shared.

34 N Row, London W1K 6DG
+44 20 7148 3190
thenewcraftsmen.com

Berties Of Bay

Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire

Challenge: what does a fisherman wear? Ten points if you shouted
“gansey” – an intricately knitted jumper specially designed to keep
heat in and water out. Step forward, Berties Of Bay, the
Yorkshire-based heritage boutique dedicated to reviving traditional
nautical styles. Brought to us by Matthew Pugh, the unique range is
100 per cent British-produced. Swing by the shop in Robin Hood’s
Bay to pick up beautifully crafted ganseys, beanies and chunky
throws.

Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby YO22 4SA
bertiesofbay.co.uk

Discover more stories from the Craft issue here.

Discover More
Rare Talents: The Makers Keeping Britain’s Traditional Trades Alive