Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the Week: Recession
Placed proudly at the bottom of Jacob’s Wells Road, Recession is an Aladdin’s cave, transporting you back in time. Owned and run by Gill Loats for ten years, this shop doesn’t exist online: the best way to get a feel for the treasures held within is by venturing there on foot on one afternoon from Thursday to Sunday.
Gill started the shop by clearing out her own personal wardrobe, only to shock her husband years later – “now I own ten times as many clothes!” she jokes. Gill says she always keeps an eye open for new items but never bulk-buys, meaning that all the items are one-of-a-kind and carefully chosen to suit the feel of the place. She goes by traditional methods of word-of-mouth and by using her extensive network of friends in the clothes industry. Not surprisingly, people also visit her to sell items of interest.
Recession stocks a huge range of one-of-a-kind clothes and accessories
Gill has been based in Bristol for a long time and is fully integrated into the surrounding community. She has lived in Southville and around Hotwells, sending her children to a nearby school, and has helped to run the Hope Chapel and Hotwells Panto for years, using her insight in fashion to help with costumes. Gill also organises fashion shows with her clothes around once every six months.
is needed now More than ever
Her enthusiasm flows through the shop, and over-flowing stocks of precious items at the door guide you inside like the sweet and irresistible smells that tempt you into a bakery. It’s a love of what she does, and to selling to likeminded people, that keeps her going. Just don’t forget to bring some cash with you when you visit, as there’s not a modern card machine in sight.
Recession
8 Jacob’s Wells Road
Hotwells
Bristol
BS8 1EA
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