Boutique and Unique - Hambledon Gallery, Blandford Forum, Dorset

Another great reason to live in Blandford - Hambledon Gallery on Salisbury St.
Slightly off the beaten track this shop is a hidden nugget of retail treasures.  

They have two floors full of beautiful things: women's and children's clothes, toys, glass, china, toiletries, table linen and quilts.  And if you really insist I suppose any of their products would make perfect gifts too!

The upper level is devoted to beautiful designer women's clothing.  Labels include Great Plains, John Smedley, Masai Ali Capellino and Johnstons Cashmere.

Downstairs in the toy shop, we love their traditional and wooden toys.  It is a veritable treasure trove for little people.  Labels include Charlie & Lola, Olive & Moss, Trunki suitcases and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

There is something to cater for home makers too.  Vintage inspired baking utensils, paper party pieces, glassware, picnic essentials and gardening implements too.

    

And their stylish window displays are sure to tempt you in - at any time of year.

All images (c) the Hambledon Gallery

     

Boutique and Unique - Sharland and Lewis, Wimborne.

I've just discovered Sharland and Lewis have opened a shop in Wimborne and wanted to share this hidden gem as it's perfect for getting inspiration to help with the finishing touches to your home or for seeking out original and stylish gifts.  

With shops already in Tetbury and Nailsworth, they  opened this lovely showroom last November in a converted old squash court in Deans Court.  They  stock decorative antiques and furniture,  contemporary ceramics and glass.  They have one-off retro ‘Fifties lights, antique mirrors, vintage quilts and they  sell beautifully packaged toiletries too.  There is a cute little enclosed courtyard at the front where they stock vintage garden furniture, galvanised garden tubs and old terracotta pots. 

And better still, if you're there at the weekend, on Friday and they  stock the yard with seasonal produce from a local estate literally a stone's throw from the shop - vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers from the kitchen garden, plus eggs, honey and preserves, tubs of spring bulbs and even logs.  And if you time it well you can have a look around the gardens at Deans Court where the produce comes from as they open their grounds several times a year as part of the NGS scheme.