Co-LAB: ‘This time, it’s permanent’

It was a sad day, back in the winter, when the news came through that Co-LAB were forced to move out of their Broadmead shop because of ever-rising rents.

But for this home-grown indie, it’s good news: now in new premises in Bishopston, they will reopen for business on Saturday May 27 with many of the same stockists as before.

“We had to put everything in storage for five months, so we’re excited to be here,” says Simone Kidner, founder of Co-LAB, as she arranges stock on the brand new shelves of their new Gloucester Road shop (formerly The Olive Shed Shop), ahead of their official reopening.

“We chose this spot because it’s a big street of independent shops, and it feels like people around here are interested in supporting local and green businesses. It’s one of the busiest parts of Gloucester Road too, so there will be lots of passing trade.

“We plan to be here for a long time,” Simone continues. “We’ve signed a 10-year lease – it’s not going to be a pop-up.”

The shop is smaller than their former Broadmead location, and as such Simone’s other business, PAPER Arts, which had lived in the workshop space above the Co-LAB shop, has moved to Redbrick House, St Pauls.

However, the new shop does have an upstairs space. “We’re doing a call-out currently, to decide how to use that space, and see what our customers would most like to see up there,” Simone says.

One space that is sure to be utilised is the courtyard garden at the back – a veritable sun trap that will play host to the launch party on Saturday May 27 that Simone has planned as a public celebration and thank you to the donors who helped her crowdfund over £8,000 to move into these new premises.

“People are so excited to hear that we’ll be reopening, and I keep inviting them to come to the event,” Simone says. “There could be hundreds of people turning up at this rate!”

The shop is full of the familiar stock from Broadmead, and Simone says she’s had plenty of interest from new stockists since moving northwards. It’s a pleasantly chaotic mix of jewellery, t-shirts, watermelon bumbags, Stokes Croft China, cards, stationary and framed art, produced by artists living and working locally.

Simone singles out illustrations by Cai Burton, printed tea towels by Sky Siouki and cards by Sophie Bass as some of her favourite pieces in the shop, and hints at a large-scale mural project over the front of the building that Sophie will be involved in. “That’s phase two – we’ve got to get the shop open first!” Simone laughs.

After so much uncertainty over the future of the business, it’s great news that Co-LAB has found the means to start up again. And, in Gloucester Road, it seems Simone has some neighbours that she’ll fit in with more readily than Broadmead’s cut-and-paste high street chains.

“We’re really excited to be part of Gloucester Road, and to be bringing something more cultured to this area: we’re not another greengrocer or café or charity shop,” Simone says. “We hope to bridge the gap between similar shops on Stokes Croft and further up Gloucester Road, and make this stretch more of a destination.”

Co-LAB’s new shop can be found at 123 Gloucester Road, BS7 8AX, and will be open from 9.30am on Saturday May 27, with the launch party, including DJs and barbecue food, starting at midday. 

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