Just The Thing
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| Ready for a good shop... |
Thames Ditton's High Street may see a lot of traffic but its pavements are not the most crowded in England. Retailers that thrive in the village are a resourceful bunch. This is not New York, New York - but if you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere. Two themes typically emerge among those that succeed: they usually have more than one commercial leg to stand on, and they pursue individual taste and high quality. Stitchery is a fine example: although in other aspects you may consider it far from typical - most of us villagers have grown to savour the idiosyncrasies that in many ways echo the individual and independent character of the village itself.
The original Stitchery was developed by Julia Hickman from a kitchen operation where needlework kits for embroidering cushions and so forth were designed, assembled and packaged by home-based 'outworkers' for wholesale distribution. In 1980 the business, having greatly outgrown the kitchen, moved to its High Street premises at number 6, which for many years had been a butcher's shop and later a second-hand bookstore before standing empty for a year. Other lines including some retail gifts and cards were added to the range over nearly twenty years more before the business, grown large and in need of renewal, was sold to Jeremy Hamilton, who moved here eight years ago.
Jeremy is no ordinary person, either. With a strong grounding in textiles he ran a family business in that sector. He also had a distinguished retail background as fashion buyer for Harrods, no less. He took over Stitchery just before the market for needlework declined, but happily it's growing again as leisure interests increase, and is becoming fashionable once more in the USA. Stitchery remains one of the world's largest wholesale and mail order producers and distributors of needlework kits. Meanwhile the gifts side of the business has enlarged to the stage where in any case it can thrive alone. It relies on Jeremy's very individual taste and talent, seasoned at Harrods, and nourished by travels through Europe and the Americas to see Stitchery distributors. There's plenty of opportunity to spot and source interesting lines that he likes and knows will sell. He trusts his judgment and eye, provides new things constantly, makes sure they are good value and prices them within an accessible range for modest gifts. Jeremy is also very keen to develop his own brands. Latterly, Stitchery has stocked a number of desirable cards and items featuring the naïf Thames Ditton paintings of local artist Lisa Tolley. Jeremy's travels have led to brand development with the Van Gansen family of Argentina, who design and produce jewellery - and own mines for precious stones, which confers a great advantage in price. By the time we go to press he should have clinched a deal to sell this tasteful range to Liberty's, exclusive to that store and to our Stitchery.
The result of Jeremy's energetic, engagingly eccentric flair and enthusiasm is that you can never be sure exactly what you will find in Stitchery but you know you will find something! And that looking for it will be an agreeably entertaining activity. The constant unpacking of boxes, the use of every inch of display space, the cheerful and amusing people who staff the shop and provide its customers, make for a disarming and slightly disorderly charm that would be impossible to create by design; a delightful informality; and a rich browse. For every item that prompts an 'Aaarrgghhh!' (but you later discover your neighbour bought) there will be three that you'd never thought of but are just the thing for you or your beneficiary.
One has never been disappointed. And neither, it seems, have you. It's a pleasure to report that Stitchery's retail customers come mostly from within three miles of the shop, and a high proportion of them are repeat visitors. Jeremy loves Thames Ditton and regards the village and its life as a really important anchor. And villagers look on Stitchery with warm affection. Moreover, it's an excellent place for gossip - usually following some disingenuous disclaimer that they don't know anything - which only adds to its appeal.
Yes: Thames Ditton's Stitchery is independent, slightly quirky and admirably suited to this village!