Boutiques We Admire
The Independent World
A living directory of our favourite independent shops doing things properly across the UK.
Not yet on Söstter — but very much on our radar. If you know a boutique worth adding — tell us.
Britain's Best Small Shops.
Named Britain's Best Small Shop by Indie Retail — the national independent retail awards.
Cornucopia — Worcester · Britain's Best Small Shop 2020
A mother and daughter team running one of the most considered independent gift and homeware shops in the country. Clare and Hannah Bishop handpick everything — home décor, gifts, cards — from an interior design perspective that shows in every corner. The kind of shop that makes you want to rethink your entire home.
2 Chapel Walk, Crowngate, Worcester WR1 3LD · Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–4pm
A G Hendy & Co — Hastings Old Town · Runner-Up 2020
A Tudor house in Hastings Old Town filled with practical, plastic-free, eco-friendly goods for the home. Enamelware, quality brushes, vintage kitchenalia, feather dusters. Run by Alastair Hendy — food writer, art director, and one of the most original retail minds in the country. The shop is as considered as the stock.
36 High Street, Hastings Old Town TN34 3ER · Tue–Sun 11am–5:30pm
Book-ish — Crickhowell, Powys · Runner-Up 2019
An independent bookshop in the Welsh market town of Crickhowell — one of the most beautifully run bookshops in Britain. Events, author readings, a café and a curation of books chosen with genuine knowledge. The kind of bookshop that makes you want to move to Wales.
18 High Street, Crickhowell NP8 1BD
Small Stuff — Sheffield · Highly Commended 2019 & 2020
Sheffield's finest ethical and eco-conscious children's shop. Clothing, toys and lifestyle products for small children — all carefully chosen for sustainability, quality and imagination. Female-founded, community-minded, and one of the North's most admired independents.
London
Present & Correct — Bloomsbury
Stationery and design objects from 18+ countries, curated by two graphic designers who travel the world foraging for the perfect pencil. The shop itself — grid-system joinery, wunderkammer cabinets, quarry tile floor — is as considered as the stock. The kind of place you go in for a notebook and leave an hour later having reconsidered your entire desk.
12 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL · Mon–Sat 11am–6pm
Goodhood — Hoxton
East London's most considered independent lifestyle store. Clothing, homewares, books and beauty from brands you won't find anywhere else — curated with the kind of taste level that makes you trust everything they stock. Been doing it properly since 2007.
15 Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR
Labour and Wait — Shoreditch
Functional products and classic design. Enamel cookware, brass pens, Breton shirts, heavy-duty staplers. Nothing seasonal. Nothing disposable. Everything chosen because it will last. Trading since 2000 and still one of the most quietly influential independent shops in London.
85 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ
Couverture & The Garbstore — Notting Hill
Two related shops stocking niche independent labels, collaborations and emerging talent. Norse Projects, Rejina Pyo, YMC and more. The kind of edit that requires actual knowledge to assemble.
188 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2ES
Ben Pentreath Ltd — Bloomsbury
Two black-fronted shops on Rugby Street and Lambs Conduit Street, curated by architect Ben Pentreath and decorative artist Bridie Hall. Antiques, homewares, exclusive decorative items — the kind of mix that requires decades of taste to get right. A London institution since 2008.
17 Rugby Street WC1N 3QT · 57 Lambs Conduit Street WC1N 3NB
Choosing Keeping — Covent Garden
Beautiful stationery a few metres from the Columbia Road flower market. Leather-bound journals, fountain pens, Japanese paper, desk accessories. The kind of shop that makes you want to write letters again.
21 Tower Street, London WC2H 9NS
Egg — Knightsbridge
Tucked away down a cobbled mews, as far from Harrods as it is possible to get whilst still being in Knightsbridge. Clothing, ceramics and objects — all made slowly, all chosen carefully. One of those shops you tell people about in hushed tones.
36 Kinnerton Street, London SW1X 8ES
South West
Found — Bath
A stone's throw from Bath's Pulteney Bridge — part of its street's community of independents and committed to staying that way. Clothing, jewellery and homeware curated with the kind of taste that makes you feel as if someone has done all the work for you.
Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights — Bath
Named one of the world's best bookshops by the Guardian. An energetic, labyrinthine space with claw-foot bath book displays. One minute's walk from the Jane Austen Centre. The kind of bookshop that reminds you why bookshops exist.
14–15 John Street, Bath BA1 2JL
Alice — Lostwithiel, Cornwall
Award-winning boutique merging Scandinavian influence with Cornish charm. From blog to beloved independent — one of the South West's most distinctive boutiques and proof that good taste travels well.
3 Fore Street, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 0BP
Maze — Clifton, Bristol
A family-run fixture in Clifton since 1985. Sustainable fashion and design-led homeware against the backdrop of Bristol's Georgian architecture. The kind of shop that has survived four decades by being genuinely good.
76 Alma Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2DJ
Mon Pote — Bristol
Scandinavian interior design brands mixed with UK, European and worldwide designers and makers. Started as a market stall, opened its first proper shop in 2016. The kind of origin story independents are built on.
186 North Street, Bristol BS3 1JF
North of England
Colours May Vary — Leeds
One of the North's best-loved independent design shops. Books, prints, stationery, magazines and beautifully curated objects — stocking things that can't be found elsewhere. Found in the Corn Exchange, which is itself worth the trip.
Corn Exchange, Call Lane, Leeds LS1 7BR · Mon–Sat 10:30am–5:30pm, Sun 11am–4pm
BindleStore — Manchester Northern Quarter
Started life in 2015 as a denim repair shop. Gradually evolved into a carefully curated lifestyle destination — global homewares and accessories, every item earning its place through quality and character. The Northern Quarter's most considered independent.
Scotland
Epitome — Edinburgh New Town
Founded in 2012 in Edinburgh's elegant New Town. Champions avant-garde designers and timeless design over trend-led pieces. One of Scotland's most distinctive independents — where innate style replaces trend-led fashion.
Lifestory — Edinburgh
Female-founded, fiercely independent and full of Scandinavian design-led goods. Beautiful objects for the home alongside clothes and accessories — supporting local makers, ceramicists, artists and jewellers throughout.
HOOS — Glasgow West End
A slice of Scandinavian style near the Botanic Gardens. Functional, timeless pieces merging Nordic design with Scottish craftsmanship. One of Glasgow's best independent destinations — in one of its best independent shopping neighbourhoods.
The Longship — Kirkwall, Orkney
A 19th century shop opposite St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall — home to the same family business for over 160 years. Orcadian jewellery, local knitwear and ceramics from makers who live within cycling distance of the front door, alongside carefully chosen pieces from further afield. Their products have found their way to 32 countries. The kind of shop you tell people about slightly reluctantly, because part of you wants to keep it to yourself.
Broad Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NX · Read our full profile
East Anglia & Midlands
Atwin — Norwich
Thoughtfully curated in Norwich's historic lanes — local makers alongside ethical UK brands, with a jewellery workshop upstairs. Regular workshops and flea markets. Community-focused retail done properly.
Canopy — Derby Cathedral Quarter
From luggage retailer to comprehensive lifestyle store since 1992. Slow fashion and quality throughout — from Nottingham-based Universal Works to Japanese homeware brand Kinto. One of the Midlands' most respected independents.
South East & Kent.
AARVEN — Margate Old Town
Handwoven tableware, baskets and jewellery made from recycled materials — produced in collaboration with 30 artisan groups across Africa and India. Founded by Amy and Bee in the heart of Margate Old Town, round the corner from the Turner Contemporary. Sustainable retail done with genuine personality.
Margate Old Town, Kent · Open seven days
Five and Dime — Hertford
Founded in 2017 by Fran and Craig, Five and Dime showcases unique design-led homeware and lifestyle products in a distinctive pink, black and neon concept store. Bold, playful, always considered. Proof that a small town boutique can have serious design credentials.
Online & National
Rockett St George — East Sussex & Online
Bold, maximalist homeware for people who have absolutely no interest in being beige. Wall decor, lighting, ceramics and gifts with genuine personality. One of the UK's most distinctive independent home brands — proof that independent retail can have serious scale without losing its voice.
Know an independent boutique worth adding?
If you stock independent brands and would like to join Söstter, or know a boutique that should be on this list —
we'd love to hear from you.
Also explore our UK Boutiques directory — the independent brands already on Söstter.