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If you’re a fan of chic utilitarian domestic goods, we have some huge news. Labour and Wait has opened a new store in London.
If you haven’t heard of this bougie boutique that opened in Shoreditch in 2000, it’s essentially an all-sorts shop, selling high-end classic items that are designed to last. That means anything from coffee pots, to hardware tools, work jackets and good quality knitted jumpers. It’s also on Time Out’s list of the best shops in London.
Labour and Wait’s Covent Garden outpost opened its doors on November 15, coinciding with the original store’s 25th anniversary. At 3,000 square feet, the new shop on 12 Dryden Street is three times the size of Labour and Wait’s east London flagship on Redchurch Street.
Fittingly, the new shop resides in a mid-19th century building that has previously served as a chapel, a warehouse and a seed merchant. Inside its as utilitarian as the goods it sells, with vaulted arches, exposed brick and ironwork.
To mark the occasion, Labour and Wait will hold a special celebration on Saturday, November 29 across all three of its shops in Shoreditch, Marylebone and Covent Garden. Shoppers will be able to sample goods from the Labour and Wait larder while doing a bit of Christmas shopping and perusing the seasonal items on offer.
‘When we started, we really wanted that feel of a general store, almost like a village shop or a community shop. We like the idea of selling a real diversity of products… all different things mixed together,’ said Rachel Wythe-Moran, co-founder of Labour and Wait.
Co-founder Simon Watkins said: ‘We are not here to chase trends. We are here to prove that usefulness and beauty, if made honestly, do not age.’
Labour and Wait, 12 Dryden St, WC2E 9NA.
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