Without a physical shop space in which to meet customers (except for occasional pop up shops in Leyton), I really value the connections that come from sharing things on this Journal and via my weekly-ish emails to Land Tales subscribers.
With that in mind, I'll be writing a seasonal journal every few months, as an opportunity to share a more detailed behind-the-scenes look at the shop.
As the end of summer approaches, this feels like a good moment to reflect on the early days of Land Tales, and to share a glimpse at what’s been going on since the online store opened in late May.
Three months of Land Tales online
This week I’m quietly and happily celebrating three months of Land Tales - an independent online shop filled with carefully selected home goods and gifts that have been made sustainably in the UK. I run the online shop from my home in Walthamstow, with occasional pop up shops down the road in Leyton.
The online shop is a place to find ceramics from Pottery West, Florence Ceramics and Celia Wood, amongst others, alongside wooden tableware from Selwyn House, textiles from LOUAL and Stoff Studios, and small home goods such as soaps and candles. There’s also a little Land Tales pantry section, filled with chocolate, jam and tea, and a stationery department where you’ll find paper goods from Pirrip and Mabel & Co, amongst others. Everything in the shop has been made in the UK by small brands and independent makers.
The online shop launched in late May and I’m incredibly grateful for every order that’s been placed since then.
I’d love Land Tales to be a place you can go if physical shops are not easily accessible, whether because of distance, time or any other reason. A place that still feels personal and human despite being online. So it’s been encouraging to see orders coming in from rural locations all around the country, and I’ve enjoyed packing up beautiful things and imagining them in their new homes across the land.
Oh, and if you haven’t visited the shop since early summer, you’ll notice a few changes when you next visit, as I’ve been working on improving the browsing experience. There are more tweaks I’d like to make over the next few months, but it’s come a long way since May – do check it out if you get a moment!
A summer pop up shop
Land Tales was back at Host of Leyton in East London for a week-long pop up shop in mid June. These pop ups are a chance to bring everything to life, meet some lovely customers in person, and build connections in the local community.
This time I was joined by Christina Chin of LOUAL Studio, whose range of 100% Irish linen clothing brightened up the shop over the weekend.
The weather throughout the week was a mixed bag. Torrential downpours brought some quiet moments, whilst bright sunny spells brought lots of new and familiar faces into the shop. The sunshine also brought in a mini swarm of honey bees, attracted to all of the beeswax candles. Worried about creating a new hive in Leyton, I hid the candles away, but they’ll be back out on display for the Land Tales winter pop up shop at Host of Leyton (10-15 December 2024).
New things in store
Throughout the summer, packages arrived from some brilliant new suppliers. I run Land Tales from home in Walthamstow, and it’s always a good moment when a new box arrives on my doorstep. I also visited a couple of pottery studios in East London to pick up some new bits from local ceramicists, that have now made their way to the shop.
New products include:
- Jess Elliott Dennison’s Midweek Recipes. Full of easy, joy-filled recipes, this is food writer Jess's simple guide to the food she cooks Monday through to Friday, featuring gorgeous candid photography taken by Jess in her Edinburgh studio, and illustrations and linocuts by Lilly Hedley. Each copy is hand-signed, and includes an Elliott’s bookmark and mini print stamped with the copy’s individual number in the print run. These have been popular – there are a small number left in stock and I hope to get more in as they'd be a great Christmas gift for anyone who enjoys cooking.
- Clare Spindler’s ceramic espresso/shot cups in mix-and-matchable glazes that range from a pale pearly white to dramatic inky smoke. These join her large mugs, oil bottles and espresso cups, which have been firm favourites of Land Tales customers at our pop up shops. Clare is one of Land Tales' most local makers, as she’s based just down the road at Turning Earth in Leyton.
- Pith Supply’s sustainably crafted notebooks, which are so incredibly comfortable to use, thanks to the exposed binding which allows the book to open completely flat. Co-founders Andrew and Liam are designers, artists and makers with a passion for paper, and their products are created from start to finish in a beach-side factory in Northumberland.
- Lucía Ocejo’s deep serving bowl with a dripped glaze effect around the exterior - part of a small selection of her new work that’s available at Land Tales. All made by Lucía at Crown Works Pottery in Bethnal Green, East London, and fired in her newly-built gas kiln in the Oxfordshire countryside.
- Meg Fatharly’s Pea Pods card, which features an intricate collage design of bright green peas in their pods – a lovely card for a gardener. Other new cards from the Cornwall-based artist feature an orange hanging from a branch with lush green foliage and blossoms, and an artist’s studio by the sea.
Planning for winter and beyond
The things you’ll find at Land Tales have been made to bring enjoyment all year round, and to withstand passing trends or seasonal changes. Some things are a little more summery, some a little more wintery, but there’s no such thing as a seasonal collection here. The range will evolve slowly over time as new things arrive and other things sell out.
Having said that, I’m looking forward to autumn and winter, when things such as candles, blankets and ceramic mugs come into their own. And I’m planning some new products for Christmas gifting, made by lovely small brands and makers all around the UK. These include ceramic candle holders made in Leyton, new wooden tableware pieces from Selwyn House, and new vases and candlesticks from ceramicist Celia Wood. There’ll also be plenty of thoughtful gift sets to make gifting easy.
And because I love to plan, I’ll also be thinking further ahead to 2025. The local pop up shops will continue but I’d like to explore the idea of bringing Land Tales to other parts of the country. If you know of a beautiful space that would fit the bill, I’d love to hear from you!
Finally, a huge thanks to everyone who’s supported Land Tales over the shop’s first summer. Whether you placed an order online, visited the summer pop up shop, or joined my little email community, it’s been really heartening to know that there are plenty of people who care about supporting makers and small businesses around the UK.
Hannah x
