Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the Week: Mon Pote, Bedminster
In 2015 Anna Clements, a mum of two, decided she wanted a career change.
She had been working as an intellectual property lawyer for decades but felt she was in a bit of a rut.
She just wanted “to be a bit more creative”.
is needed now More than ever
So, she founded Mon Pote, which means ‘my pal’ or ‘my mate’ in French, as an online homeware store.
Anna Clements outside the first Mon Pote shop on North Street
While Anna had always had a “love of homewares and different styles of design” as a new homeowner she had found it difficult to find unique household items in a market dominated by Ikea and other carbon copy homeware brands.
So, Mon Pote’s USP became its distinct homeware offering – prioritising affordable Scandinavian homeware brands like Hubsch and Stromshaga which are difficult to shop outside of Sweden or Denmark.
As the business became more successful, Anna started to crave the “face to face customer experience” and started to trade at local markets like the Tobacco Factory.
She was ultimately able to raise enough money to open a small shop at 177 North Street in 2016 before moving to a bigger unit, slightly further up the road, in 2020 during the pandemic.
Since 2020, the store has expanded even further and Mon Pote has now been able to take over an additional floor in the new unit.
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When you enter the spacious new Mon Pote store, found between an estate agent’s and the oldest shop on North Street, Lion Mongers (established in 1897), it’s hard not to feel at peace.
With white walls, gentle music, luscious green plants, large hammocks in the centre and a slight scent of vanilla, you would be forgiven for thinking you had entered a spa.
Anna says that at Mon Pote they want their customers to feel as relaxed as possible while shopping: “We work very hard to make sure we give really good customer service.”
The layout at Mon Pote is designed to put the customer at ease
While the bulk of Mon Pote’s stock is still Scandinavian homeware, customers can also find skincare options, hair clips, plants, stationary, gold and silver jewellery and aesthetically pleasing coffee table books.
In the run up to Christmas, customers can also expect to see the store transform – they will be hosting a winter party and preview of their Christmas decorations on November 13.
As the business continues to expand the plan is for Mon Pote to start offering creative workshops, like jewellery-making classes, in the New Year.
Mon Pote, 217a North Street, BS3 1JJ.
All photos: Mon Pote
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