All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy! Recent days off from running the shop has
been spent making major changes to what was the gift & accessories
room. It has been refurbished and fitted
to accommodate relaxed casual footwear for men/women plus cool clothes for kids
age 8 – 12 by must have label ‘Scotch & Soda’ mini me range ‘Shrunk Scotch’
& ‘Scotch Re Belle’. Now that it’s
finished a proper day off was needed.
In a previous business of ours we stocked Baileys Homeware & Garden, having only ordered stock at
trade shows we had never visited their emporium near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Their recent award by The Telegraph Magazine
as winner of ‘Best Homewares Retailer’ prompted me to think we should pay a
visit. From Tetbury it’s a fairly
straightforward trip – only bottleneck is passing through Gloucester. We arrived at Bridstow in 1.25 hours. Baileys is housed in a cluster of sympathetically
restored farm buildings. The ethos of founders
Mark & Sally is to recycle and reuse bringing life to old objects; in fact
they have published two successful books on the subject. The emporium is a series of quirky rooms full
of simple, stylish not over designed items for the home – plus a wonderful
selection of reconditioned vintage items.
The choice of products is amazing, from a mundane ball of string to a
deep comfy sofa perfect for that duvet day.
We finished off the visit with a light lunch in the ‘Tabernacle Tearoom’ which is a reconstructed defunct corrugated-iron chapel that has been turned in to a lovely light airy café. Don’t expect gastro food & fancy coffees – just good honest homemade sandwiches, soup, and a selection of cakes, we had smoked chicken & rocket rolls, cafetiere of coffee – everything was delicious.
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| Tabernacle Tearoom |
After lunch we drove to Hay-on-Wye which is a favourite
destination. The journey is pleasant as
the Welsh Border countryside is breathtakingly beautiful. I find Hay-on-Wye is always busy even on a
dull day as it was for us. Hay is known
as ‘The Town of Books’, every other shop is a bookseller – absolute mecca for
bookworms! Each year there is the ‘HayLiterary Festival’ with British & international authors giving talks about
their latest works. The town itself has
an interesting mix of architectural styles; there is a strong bohemian vibe in
the air – ideal for those who have a laidback attitude to life. The journey home was approximately two
hours. Another point worth mentioning is
that this part of England is landlocked without good motorway connections;
property prices are lower, making this the perfect destination for those
wanting to retreat & escape the speed of modern life.
