The shop's story
One rail, a kettle and a lot of hope
I opened Marlow Lane in 2016 in what used to be the post office's parcel room. One rail, a borrowed card machine and a kettle, and first-day takings of £41.50, most of it from my mum.
Ten years on the shop has grown into the whole front of the building, but the way I buy hasn't changed. Twice a year I go out to the makers, sit in a room full of samples, and choose about 40 pieces a season. The question I ask of every one is the same: would I keep this for ten years? If the answer wobbles, it stays on the sample rail.
Buying in small numbers means you'll rarely see the same coat twice on the same street, and it means I know where everything came from: the mill that spins the lambswool, the potter behind the tumblers, the grower who cuts the Friday stems two villages over.
And if a thing doesn't suit you, I'll say so. I'd rather you left with nothing than with something that stays in the wardrobe. That's how the same faces have been coming through the door since the year I opened.
Nell, owner
- A proper fitting roomFull length mirror, a door that shuts, and a chair for whoever came with you.
- Free gift wrapping, while you waitTissue, ribbon and a handwritten card. Two minutes at the counter.
- Alterations arranged locallyHems and sleeves sorted through a seamstress on the lane, usually back within the week.
