Today we attended the opening day of independent gift shop ‘Pretty Shiny Shop’ in Oval. We toyed with the idea of interviewing the owners in an official KR capacity, but given that local businesses have a niggling habit of going bust just after we interview them (including the place which used to inhabit this exact premises) we didn’t want to send bad karma their way. So instead we swanned in pretending to be curious and amused members of the pubic just looking for a bit of ‘early Christmas inspiration’. It worked.
The stock at Pretty Shiny Shop is an eclectic selection of affordable jewellery, clever greeting cards, candles, soaps, socks, fabrics and mugs. The left hand side of the shop is dedicated to baby and toddler items such as visual books and games. We were particularly intrigued by what appeared to be a face covering for teething toddlers. Very clever if that is it’s purpose. The friendly staff informed us that the jewellery is still being stocked but should be available in a few days. Basically, the place is chock full of gorgeous things you have absolutely no need for but nevertheless want to own. Or give as a gift.
As we were down in that neck of the woods we thought we’d check out PSS’s neighbour, ‘The Hound Hut’, which for the longest time we mistook for an emporium specialising in S&M/Bondage/Fetish gear. As it turns out the array of collars, leads, chew toys and tiny cages are not for humans at all but indeed for canines, and there are items for all sizes and breed of dogs. They stock a large range of meat based treats and training sticks which looked delicious even to this human. Doggy toys are dominant, but the real feature is gourmet dog food, with a whole wall dedicated to the stuff in a kind of mash up of Iceland meets Harrods Food Halls. The staff at Hound Hut are huge dog lovers and can offer advice on just about everything.
Pretty Shiny Shop and The Hound Hut are Clapham Road just beyond Oval Tube and near 24 the Oval. Of course these independent shops have a strong online presence and you can also show your local pride by shopping there.
