I wandered into Catesby’s very recently on a weekend trip to Wells-Next-the-Sea on the Norfolk coast, and I was immediately in love with the place!

Every item on sale I could picture in my own ideal abode; it was very clear that an awful lot of effort, care and love had gone into selecting and displaying beautiful items for the home and garden.

I was keen to chat to Neil Honor (one of the proprietors) to find out more about his ethos and approach in creating such a marvellous retail experience, and I’m delighted to say he agreed to share their story with us.

Not only is it a fascinating account and the images beautiful, but it’s a fabulous example of how following your passion with vigour and focus can have exceptional results!

Over to Neil:

How we came to be on the North Norfolk coast

I always say that our house, Catesby Court, found us, as it came along just as I was finishing an assignment running the Paris office of an international PR agency back in Autumn 2011.  I was at a bit of a crossroads in life (mainly involving sitting by the woodburner and watching daytime TV!), and with a big birthday on the horizon I’d already decided that I didn’t want to spend the next twenty years working in the same industry.

I loved my time in Paris, and was really inspired by the architecture, the shops and the markets that I spent every spare moment exploring.  At the time, we were living in a tiny cottage in Norfolk, when a friend (who owned several successful shops in London before retiring to Wells), suggested that we should take a look at the house that was to become our home and business.

Why we opened the shop

Having successfully bought, decorated and sold several houses over the past decade, I’d been carrying the idea of having a shop selling all my favourite things in my head for many years, so when we first walked into Catesby Court on Christmas Eve 2011, I knew I’d found the perfect place.  Parts of the house date back to the 16th Century, but it owes its current appearance to the 17th century, when a wealthy merchant transformed it into the house as it stands today.  He was clearly inspired by European architecture, installing tall windows that flood the rooms with light and beautiful (not to mention rare) wood panelling every room in the house.

Our ethos

When it came to stocking the store, I really wanted our business to be the antithesis of the throwaway consumerism that seems to be so depressingly prevalent on the high street.  Being a canny Northerner by birth, I’d never felt comfortable with the idea of buying something that isn’t made to last, and in the current economic situation it just feels plain wrong.  I’ve always been drawn to things with a story, made by real people, many of whom have perfected their craft over generations.  Coupled with my lifelong love of the beauty in plain, simple, honest objects, and timeless, neutral colours, these beliefs inspired me to create a place where everyone could find something that would instantly fit in with their own life, and home; things that would last, and be loved, for a lifetime.

That’s how we ended up selling beautiful blankets made by a mill in Ireland that was founded to provide employment for the local community over a hundred years ago, or wonderfully tactile everyday wooden objects hand-turned in a family-owned workshop in Shropshire, or drinking glasses made by a factory in France that’s been going for over 500 years.  it’s also why I love mixing in old one-off objects that I’ve found on my travels, both in the UK and Europe, as I really believe that it’s the layers of different objects, and the memories that they evoke, that create truly individual style.

Where it all began

The room that was to become our shop was a dusty, dark storeroom when we first saw it, whilst the courtyard that is now our tea garden was an overgrown and unloved yard.  Over the course of two months, we worked every day to bring out the potential we had glimpsed on our first visit.  At the same time, I retraced my steps around the UK and across Europe to source our collection of ‘beautiful, useful and original items for the home and garden’, drawing on the classic colours and designs that I loved so much.  Having spent the past few years building up my own treasure trove of vintage and antique pieces, I also raided our cellars for one-of-a-kind finds to make any home truly individual.

How it was received

When we opened, on my birthday back in April last year, it quickly became clear that our pared-back, neutral style struck a chord with many people, who loved its tranquil, timeless quality and longed to create a similar feel in their own homes.  With our unconventional shop that doesn’t even have a shopfront, we find time and time again that people who will love what we offer are drawn to us, almost by their own ‘radar’, and their reaction is incredibly rewarding.  Time and time again, customers say ‘I could buy everything in this shop’, and it’s great to have that kind of shared language with like-minded people.

Why we expanded online

We spent the whole of last year meeting our customers, many of whom were holidaying in Norfolk and stumbled upon us, listening to them and learning about what they love, before we felt ready to launch our online store.  We’ve been delighted by the response, and it’s great to be able to share our discoveries with customers, wherever they live.  From the start, I knew that I wanted the experience of shopping online to be as close as possible to visiting us in Wells, so I’ve put a lot of thought and effort into that, from the way the website looks and feels, to the service you receive when placing an order, and even through to offering next day delivery as standard.

Where we want to go next

Whilst it’s clear that more and more people enjoy the convenience and choice of shopping online, there are many customers who tell us that they love to come and spend time with us in person, especially as so many of our products are so tactile and personal, so our aim is to continue to offer that choice to our customers.  With our well-loved tea garden (which was recently chosen by Food & Travel magazine as one of their favourite places to eat in Norfolk) and ever-changing stock of vintage and antique pieces, there’s plenty of reasons to come and see us, but if your car’s just too full of family and holiday paraphenalia, or you can’t make it to the Norfolk coast, there will always be a way to get hold of the things you just can’t live without.

If you’re looking for stylish items for your home and garden visit the new online store here …

You can also follow Catesby’s on Twitter here  and on Facebook here