Turpentine Grand Opening!

It's a well know fact that us North Londoners rarely venture south of the river and vice versa but last night I made the journey from (almost) one end of the Victoria line all the way to the other for the official opening of Turpentine, Brixton's newest lifestyle boutique.

Set up by friends Jude, Amber and Alice the store, on Coldharbour Lane, showcases the work of designer/makers from all over the UK, each handpicked for their craftsmanship and individuality.  Having run the successful Turpentine pop-up markets at the nearby Effra Social for a few years the girls decided the time was right to create a more permanent space for design-led crafts and took the plunge by opening their very own bricks and mortar shop. 

Inside, there is an air of east-end warehouse-meets-art gallery and the simple fittings allow the products to really stand out.  Prints are displayed on wire hanging from a bare brick wall, tea towels and homewares are hung on a pegboard painted with blackboard paint and each of the chipboard boxes housing smaller items such as jewellery has been lovingly hand made by the girls themselves.  It has truly been a labour of love for all three and it's now over to the products they have curated to ensure it's success.  

It just goes to show that, with a little elbow grease, you can achieve pretty much anything you want. 

Exterior

Open for business!

Colourful products from Piccadelhi and Jonna Saarinen

Weekday hangers by Stumped Studio

Turpentine

433 Coldharbour Lane

Brixton

London SW9 8LW

theturpentine.com

My First Fair!

Last Saturday I lost my craft fair virginity when I took my Piccadelhi products out in to the big, wide world (well, Crouch End) for the first time.

The inaugural Crouch End Christmas Craft Fair was held in the Town Hall Square and I joined around thirty other stallholders there, each of us selling a variety of hand-crafted wares.  The sun was out early and after putting up the gazebos provided, I set about laying out my table.  As recommended, I had done a dress rehearsal the night before so I knew where everything needed to go. This meant I saved a bit of time, which was just as well as customers were beginning to browse before the advertised 11 o' clock opening time.  

Ready for business!

Obviously I was apprehensive about how my range would be received by the residents of N8 but, after making my first sale at around 11.15am, my nerves were steadied.  Throughout the day there was a constant stream of visitors, including appearances from a few familiar faces, and I barely had time to make use of the chair I had brought along.  The wind proved a bit of a problem - the poor lady selling her art work next to me eventually got fed up chasing her paintings across the shrubbery and packed up about 3pm, and at one point Santa was left exposed as his grotto went sailing across the square! - but all in all it was a resounding success for all involved.  

I made some good sales but, perhaps more importantly, I gained valuable feedback.  I went in to the day treating it as a learning experience more than anything - any sales would be a bonus - but I came away with twice as much money as I started with, a handful of new Twitter followers and a head buzzing with ideas.  I have great enthusiasm for 2014 and shall start working on some new designs over Christmas.

My bright coloured wares attracted lots of interest.

More than anything the whole experience gave me so much more confidence in my designs and belief that this is something I am meant to be doing.  Standing behind my stall greeting shoppers made me feel far happier than I ever have in my working life so far…although perhaps in the future I shall target indoor events - I may have been happy but I was still cold!

A new Line in home accessories!

When I started this blog, almost a year ago, my intention was to share the work of independent designers and other interior design related novelties that caught my attention.

What I wasn't quite prepared for was the overwhelming tidal wave of inspiration that washed over me as I discovered one talented indy after another. Feeling massive disillusion in my day job, I ventured down to Cass Art and bought some shiny new Stabilo pens and drawing inks and started doodling again.  

After completing a short evening course at Central St Martins my creative juices were well and truly flowing.  I've long been a believer of the mantra 'I tried and failed but at least I tried'  and I knew that this was something I had to at least try.  As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm not big on self-confidence and, coupled with an inherent meticulousness, my designs have been a long six months (particularly for Mr VKH!) in the making.

Spurred on by an incredibly supportive network on Twitter and my amazing hubby (he won't like me saying that but it's true), I'm delighted to declare Piccadelhi officially open!

I launched my Etsy shop last week and already have one bricks and mortar stockist under my belt.  This time next year, Rodders...

I hope you like it!

Photography by Yeshen Venema

Piccadelhi is stocked in Search and Rescue, 121 Stoke Newington Church Street, London

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