Much-loved shop to close

Six years ago three friends, Beth Izzard, Josie Irvine and Emma White, decided to go into business with each other.

Josie and Emma had their own clothing companies – Palace Flophouse and Duvet Days respectively – while Beth  sold independent goodies through her online DIY Supermarket.

Tired of working alone, they decided on the name Good Store Studio and launched a pop-up (which Bristol24/7 visited soon after it opened) at Two’s Company Studios, a hub for artists and creatives on Old Market which has since closed its doors.

The pop-up provided them with a base to sell their products, as well as books, ceramics and bits and bobs  from independent creators across the UK.

It also provided Josie and Emma with studio space to work on custom and made-to-measure designs.

Colourful clothes from Palace Flophouse and nostalgia-inspired brand Duvet Days line the walls of Good Store Studio

Where did the name ‘Good Store Studio’ come from?

Josie, who moved to Bristol after studying art at UWE and is now based in St George, said “no-one’s really asked” where their name comes from before.

But then added: “I think…trying to name something is so hard.

“We were just throwing out anything with shop or store in the name…you know, you’re just putting words together, something that sounded good and that we all agreed on. It was long – it took us ages to agree.

“Good Store Studio is…it’s a shop, it’s a studio…we have good products. It’s all independent. It’s not loads of mass produced stuff.”

After their pop-up closed in July 2018, many loyal customers thought Good Store Studio was gone for good.

However in 2019, after learning a former motorbike shop across the road from Two’s Company was vacant, the trio jumped at the chance to inhabit a more permanent space.

They opened their new shop space in November 2019 only to shut again a few months later when the Covid pandemic forced the country into lockdown.

Still, Josie says that although life “wasn’t the easiest” during the pandemic, the team made it through.

Towards the end of 2020 Good Store Studio was even shortlisted in the national Independent Awards.

However, in just a few weeks, the store will close for good.

Emma, Josie and Beth first acquired the space under a five year lease and now that their lease is up the team have made the difficult decision to say goodbye.

 

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A post shared by Good Store Studio (@goodstorestudio)

Josie said: “We’ve all got our own things going on so, it just made sense to close down.

“Beth’s opening a nursery and Emma’s got a new baby and I do Palace Flophouse and…we all just kind of want to focus on our own thing.”

When they announced their decision to close, they were met with an outpouring of support as well as heartbreak from loyal customers who had come to know Good Store Studio, in the words of one Instagram supporter, as a “colourful contribution to the city”.

Indeed, while Bristol24/7 was visiting Good Store Studio, one customer said she was “really really sad” the shop was closing because she gets “all of her cards from here”.

Good Store Studio stocks an eclectic mix of greeting cards

Josie said: “Everyone’s been really sad.

“We’ve had lots of peoples saying it’s their favourite shop, which is really nice, and they’re just going to be gutted that it’s not going to be here anymore because there’s not that much on Old Market.

“We have a lot of regular customers…it will be missed, which is sad, but it’s nice that we were able to create something really nice.”

Good Store Studio will close for good on January 25.

All photos: Seun Matiluko

Read next:

• Old Market store nominated for national award
• Good Store Studio to re-open on Old Market
• The Good Store Studio pops up on Old Market