Homeware chosen by hand, not by algorithm
Now Retail Store began as a way to bring a slower, more considered sort of buying into the homeware trade. We keep a small catalogue and we know every item on it: the maker, the material, the weight of it in the hand, the way it sits on a table or a shelf. Nothing appears on the site until we have lived with it long enough to be sure it earns its place. That means we say no to far more than we say yes to, which suits us fine.
Everything we sell falls into one of a few rooms' rooms: the kitchen, the dining table, the living space, the hallway. We look for pieces that work for years rather than a season, made from materials that age rather than crumble: stoneware, linen, oak, glass, brass, wool. Colour runs through the range, but quietly, so that a mug from one year still looks at home beside a bowl from the next. You should be able to add to your shelves slowly and have it all still make sense.
Most of what we stock is made in small runs by workshops and studios, many of them in the UK and across Europe. When you write to us about a maker, we can usually tell you where they are, how long they have been at it, and why we chose them over the alternatives we saw. If something is made by hand, expect slight variation between pieces: a glaze that pools a little differently, a rim that is not quite its neighbour. That is the nature of the thing, not a fault.
We also answer questions about caring for what you buy, because a wooden board or a linen throw will last a good deal longer if you treat it well. Ask us how to season a chopping board, how to wash a wool blanket, or whether a piece is dishwasher safe, and you will get a straight answer rather than a policy. If we do not know, we will find out. The same goes for sizing, colours in daylight and anything else that helps you decide.
Now Retail Store is run by NOW VINTAGE LIMITED, a small company that would rather talk to its customers than hide behind a help desk. Whether you are furnishing a first flat, replacing a chipped mug you liked, or buying a gift and want it to arrive with the right note in the box, write to us and we will do what we can. We read every message ourselves, and we treat a question as the start of something rather than an interruption.