A new shop selling vintage homeware is opening in Stockton. Ruth Addicott reports

IF you’re on the look-out for some interesting furniture or retro pieces for your home, a new vintage shop, SoloStyles, has opened in The Elmwood Centre in Hartburn, Stockton.

It is run by sisters Lucy and Sophie Owens, who run vintage and craft fairs across the North-East and wanted somewhere more permanent to sell their one off-pieces. As well as their own finds, the shop will also sell pieces from local designers and other stall holders.

“One of our main aims is to stock the shop with the work of local, independent traders, to go alongside our own vintage pieces,” says Sophie. “We have been running vintage and craft fairs for about 18 months now selling vintage furniture and home items and during that time we’ve built up a wonderful network of vintage and craft traders who have sold their work at our events. We are trying to keep it as local as we can - we’ve got a local potter who has produced a range of ceramics and crockery and designers selling things like handmade jewellery, illustrated cards, textiles and soft furnishings.”

Keep an eye out for handcrafted leather purses, bags and jewellery made by North-East based Tori Lo Designs, and Totes Adore who make quirky lights and clocks out of discarded empty bottles. Lucy and Sophie are also keen to hear from other designers in the area.

Having held previous events at the centre, they came up with the idea for the shop after spotting a run-down building at the back which they thought could make a quirky space to sell their vintage pieces. The centre already has a vintage tea room which is popular. Just over a year later, the premises have been refurbished, complete with a wood burning stove.

“We call it the potting shed,” says Sophie. “We have painted the floors and it’s been fully restored, the transformation is unbelievable.”

Most of their own collection is sourced from auctions and includes items such as Bentwood chairs, old suitcases (popular for weddings), vintage crockery, china tea sets and vintage folding deckchairs. “A lot of it is retro and has a 1950s feel,” says Sophie. “A lot of it we restore, but some of it is too nice to do anything to, so we just clean it up.”

They are hoping to open the shop four days a week. Sophie, who used to teach photography at Cleveland College of Art and Design, says they also plan to run classes and workshops such as jewellery or pottery making for children and adults as well as other activities such as a book group.

  • The shop is celebrating its official opening tomorrow, alongside the next vintage and craft fair at The Elmwood Centre, Hartburn, Stockton.
  • facebook.com/solostyles123/