Shop Small Special: The Bristol Artisan
A home for local craftsmanship and creativity, The Bristol Artisan embodies the spirit of community and sustainability of the city.
Go here if: you love contemporary design and craft, supporting local makers and feeling like you are truly in Bristol.
What is it: A home for local craftsmanship and creativity, The Bristol Artisan in Clifton is a charming shop that stands as a testament to the city's vibrant community of artists, designers and makers.
Why you’ll love it: Showcasing a curated collection of handmade homewares and gifts from independent makers from Bristol and across the UK, you’re sure to find something to take home. From ceramics, jewelry and original prints, to vegan beauty, living plants and dried flower bouquets, each piece tells a story of skill, passion, and dedication.
The Bristol Artisan embodies the spirit of the city. It encapsulates Bristol's ethos of creativity, community, and sustainability.
How to bring this into your life: The online shop is extensive so you can shop from home. Check out the gift guides for all seasons and occasions (we have our eye on cozy hot water bottles and the perfect ceramic ramen bowls). If you do get to visit, stop at Burra next door for coffee (Bristol’s Cafe of the Year 2022).
In their own words: “The Bristol Artisan is a curated space for contemporary handmade design and craft with a focus on homewares and gifts, supporting over 60 independent makers from Bristol and beyond.”
Shop Small Special: The Department of Hope, Joy and Wonder
An uplifting place to browse and meet friends that spreads joy and wonder in Cheltenham and beyond
Go here: for an uplifting experience, you love colour and sweary cards, or you are looking for the perfect gift, stationery or homeware for yourself or someone else (also to secretly meet friends)
What is it: Cheltenham, a town known for its history and charm, holds a hidden gem — The Department of Hope, Joy and Wonder. Nestled within the heart of Tivoli, an easy walk from the centre, since spring 2021 Catherine Colebrook’s shop has been spreading joy and wonder through its selection of homeware, gifts, and sweary cards.
Why you’ll love it: When we heard the name we just had to visit. It’s a fun place to wander from the first room which is a riot of colour to the more calming monochrome spaces beyond, but we particularly loved discovering The Secret Coffee Shed at the back. Tucked away in a courtyard it feels like the perfect hideaway for locally roasted coffee (by Gloucester-based Rave) and cake by local bakers Creme De La Em and S Bakes.
How to bring this into your life: Visit if you can and attend one of the creative workshops from modern calligraphy to paper decorations (details for which you’ll find on their Instagram). If you can’t get there, play with colour in your own home by making a rainbow of your bookshelves.
In their own words: “Catherine's aim was to create an inspiring space where you can browse and catch up with friends over a coffee. A place where people can reconnect or just come in & have a good laugh at our selection of thoroughly rude & sweary cards.”
Present and Correct
A beloved stationary shop to quiet the mind and spark your creativity
Go here if: you still enjoy the tactile experience of writing, the thrill of organizing (also we see that looming project deadline that makes you want to tidy your desk), and hold the belief that self-care can come in the form of the perfect planner.
What is it: Present and Correct is a carefully curated stationary shop founded by Neal Whittington that’s currently tucked away in North London (though there’s a summer move to a larger space in Bloomsbury on the cards).
A popular destination for stationery enthusiasts and lovers of unique office supplies, this small shop offers a variety of paper goods and office conveniences from notebooks to desk accessories that combine contemporary design with a nostalgic touch. You’ll also find vintage items sourced from overseas markets. This is not your typical high-street office supply shop.
Why you’ll love it: Present and Correct is known for its emphasis on quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, but we also love the promises it holds. Of creativity: its notebooks and pens are the gateways to journaling, sketching, and writing that memoir in long form. Of calm: its clean and minimalist interior, and artfully arranged displays hint at some degree of control over our lives, a possible neatening of our edges. And maybe of a simpler moment: something of the analogue, of the openness of a new page, and even the joy of childhood and those new pencil cases on the first day of school.
How to bring this into your life: Although our true love is the physical store, the website offers the chance to browse and purchase from their collection of products (and they ship worldwide). We love the Finnish School chalk, Things to do Planners and Two Tone Ballpoints. And we’re huge fans – as are many – of Present and Correct’s Instagram.
In their own words: “It's a showcase for the things we have enjoyed since school….We want to spark a distant memory, make you smile or look at the most mundane in a new, and fonder, light.”
Present and Correct
At the time of writing 23 Arlington Way, London
From 20 June: see the new Bloomsbury address
The Regional Assembly of Text // Update
We revisited one of the first places that we featured in our guide to see how they are sustaining a creative enterprise in the current pandemic.
Recently we reached out to Brandy and Rebecca, founders of Canada’s Regional Assembly of Text and one of the first places that we wrote about in our guide to ask how they are navigating the impacts of the global pandemic. Our conversation hopefully offers some insight into how one creative business is responding to the current situation and how you can continue to support their work and each other in the coming months.
How has the coronavirus impacted your business / space / you?
We closed both our storefronts in the hope of helping keep our staff, customers and communities healthy. We feel privileged to have been able to make this decision. We thank our staff for their support and we thank all the essential workers in our communities who continue to do their jobs amidst risk and uncertainty.
What are you doing now?
We are both sticking close to home... having meetings on the interweb, trying not to panic too many times in one day and finding solace in the simple fact that we are all in this together.
How have you shifted your business / space?
Because we just launched a brand new website with an online shop featuring our products, we are still shipping orders twice a week from our Vancouver location.
How can people still engage with you from home?
We are loving our Instagram community more now than ever and invite people to join us @assemblyoftext. We are posting letter writing prompts for people to do at home with the hashtag #staystationarysendstationery
How can people best support you?
By engaging with us on Instagram, by telling their friends about us or by supporting us with online orders.
We love your products. Are there that you'd like to highlight?
We just posted a collection of Stay Stationary, Send Stationery goods on our website... including an Activity Book, Off the Grid Stationery, Missing You Card and more.
In the coming weeks, we’re going to try to feature more places that are pivoting at the moment to offer support, creativity and wisdom for our stay-at-home lives. Follow along on social media for updates.