← Walk with us: London Retail Insight Report
RETAIL INSIGHT
The Niwaki store on Chiltern Street is a rare gem in London’s retail landscape, dedicated entirely to the niche yet captivating world of fine Japanese gardening tools. From the moment you step inside, it is clear this is more than a shop—it is a showcase of craftsmanship and tradition. Every product is handmade by skilled Japanese artisans, with each piece designed to be both functional and enduring.
These are tools crafted for a lifetime of use, and the store communicates this beautifully. Each item is accompanied by details explaining its purpose, how best to use it, and how to care for it properly. The tone is playful yet informative, making the technicalities of gardening accessible while highlighting the pride and artistry behind the tools. This balance elevates the products, positioning them as meaningful investments rather than everyday purchases.
Why it works?
Despite its compact footprint, the store delivers a powerful impression. The shopfront and entrance displays are immediately enticing, drawing you in with a sense of discovery. Clever use of coloured felt backdrops helps organise and differentiate product ranges, guiding customers intuitively through the space. Most importantly, the staff complete the experience: friendly, approachable, and deeply knowledgeable, they bring the tools to life through personal insight and expertise.
Niwaki succeeds because it transforms a specialist category into an inspiring and memorable retail experience, where quality, storytelling, and passion meet.
Bourdon St Chippy by Lucy Sparrow
Lucy Sparrow’s newest pop-up, Bourdon St Chippy, is a fun yet deeply poignant celebration of the everyday, transformed into art through an extraordinary medium: felt.
With over 65,000 hand-crafted felt pieces, Lucy’s installation reimagines the classic British fish and chip shop, complete with an astonishing 15 different chip shapes in five different shades. Each piece is meticulously stitched, turning something as ordinary as a takeaway meal into a tactile work of art that is both playful and profoundly nostalgic.
Lucy Sparrow is famed for transforming the familiar. Previous projects have included a felt supermarket and the Bourdon St Chemist in 2021, alongside a collaboration with Diptyque in their Bond St store last year creating a Christmas deli. Each installation brings the everyday to life, creating spaces that invite visitors to reflect on nostalgia and shared cultural touchpoints. The artistry lies not only in the sheer scale but in the way these works evoke emotional resonance, reminding us of the little rituals that anchor our daily lives.
Why it works?
While at first glance her felt fish, chips, and jars may seem humorous or novel, they are in fact “little love letters to the everyday.” Sparrow’s art is about more than whimsy, it’s about connection. When we see this approach brought through into retail, Anya’s Ice Cream project for example, It reminds us of home, of comfort, and of the simple, familiar things that carry us through.
