Shops / Homes
Each product is named after a different Bristol neighbourhood in new lighting store
The founder of a new business is paying homage to her home city by named her products after different areas of Bristol.
Claire Woodward founded Mabel in August 2020 after being made redundant from her role as senior buyer for one of the UK’s leading retailers.
An independent online store selling “beautifully designed, contemporary lighting, without the high-end price tag”, each of products Claire sells is named after a Bristol neighbourhood.
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“I just love the city,” says Claire, who has a two-year-old and three-month-old. “I love the sense of community that Bristol has.”
Inspired by the “localness” of each area, the lamps have so far been named after Totterdown, Cotham, Montpelier, Bishopston, Clifton and Redland.
Claire had wanted to launch her own store since childhood and after being made redundant, she decided to follow that dream.
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The store is also inspired by her grandma, who lived in Bishopston.
“Growing up, our grandma always took the time to remind us of her favourite mantra ‘always do whatever brings you the most joy’,” says Claire.
“With her wise words of advice at heart, I established my own business and named it in honour of grandma Mabel herself.”
Claire, who hopes to one day open a physical store, designs and develops the lamps herself, working with her contacts in the lighting industry, built up over a decade of working in the sector.
She works with manufacturing partners to bring her visions to life, overseeing all aspects of her business, from initial idea to delivery of the products.
The Cotham lamps sold on the Mabel store. Photo: Mabel
The 39-year-old, who grew up in Thornbury and later lived in Clifton, has big plans for her newly-launched store, including expanding her range of products to include accessories and furniture, as well as collaborate with likeminded designers and entrepreneurs.
While Claire says that being a new mother and starting her new business has been “exhausting” she adds that it has been “extremely exciting” at the same time.
She says: “From starting on the shop floor as student to my last job as a senior buyer for lighting, I can’t remember a time when I’ve ever wanted to do anything else – and 2020 was the right time to embrace my ambition and launch Mabel.”
Main photo: Mabel
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