We are absolutely bloody delighted to have the doors of the shop open again. What a treat to see all you beautiful people back in the building. It has been a strange old time for the past couple of months and we thought it might be nice to let you know what’s been happening while you’ve been away and what’s happening now you’re back in the room.
Who knew that we were a nascent online business that just needed the right circumstances to flourish? Step forward, for your very loud applause and extremely large bunches of flowers, Lucy and Rob, who picked and packed like demons, who worked ridiculously hard during days that didn’t seem to have quite enough hours and weeks that didn’t seem to have quite enough days. You don’t get bushels of Trust Pilot 5 Stars without significant reason. Step forward Finn and Amy, for more flowers, more claps and some well deserved human contact. These two Hambledon stalwarts have been camped out in solitary confinement in their bedrooms working their visual and technical wizardry to spread the word of The Hambledon online. Without them, no orders. Full stop.
Turns out we can’t actually be trusted to keep the shop tidy. It proved more streamlined (for which you should read ‘we don’t like climbing all the stairs all the time’) to bring all the stock onto the shop floor and leave it there for the duration. Turns out a busy online fulfilment department requires a lot of cardboard boxes and bubble wrap and brown paper which in turn require a lot of space and isn’t particularly visually alluring. Turns out that we all started to judge the end of the day, not by the time on the clock, but by the physical state of our hands and hair. Quarter past paper cut to the index finger and half past sellotape on the forehead and it was definitely time to go home. Thanks to Sandy Suffield for maintaining some semblance of normality by producing two lovely lockdown windows. Thanks to Mercy for picking up some of the photography slack in the absence of our usual line up. Thanks to Phil, who is wasted in marketing and should drive a delivery van for a living.
It has been absolutely lovely to start bringing the shop team back together. Harriet, our VM wiz, has worked her usual magic around the store. There have been some super nice deliveries of brand new things while you’ve been away. We’ve been busy framing silly messages to welcome you back. Rob’s been up and down the ladder making a new word from our Atelier sign (who knew he was an anagram fiend?), whilst remerching an immaculate Basement and Annie and Lottie have been sprucing and finessing on the First Floor. And Richard has taken up the tape gun again to keep the orders shipping. And we are all doing everything we can to keep you safe and well now that we can see you ITR (you can read our Covid guidelines here).
We have an intriguing treasure hunt in the Basement and on the First Floor. Selected Menswear and Womenswear is reduced by 30% and 50%, all marked by coloured stickers. Find the stickers. Claim the reduction! New Pre Fall 20 (we’re just calling it Pre, nobody’s ready to hear the word Autumn and these are collections for wearing right now) is beginning to be delivered and is looking very, very good. More news on those to follow. Beauty and Grooming is awash with fresh finds (and it’s not all soap and hand sanitiser). Florist and long time friend of the shop @simonehekflowers will be making a Friday delivery of fresh bouquets and posies, in case you have urgent weekend floral needs. All English blooms. Naturally.
Our opening times have changed to Monday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-4. If you can’t make the journey to Winchester we’re very much open online at thehambledon.com but it’s extremely nice finally to be able to say we’re also very much open in store. A great big enormous thank you to all of you who have supported us throughout this extraordinary time. It has been an honour to serve!
