Pedlars

Pedlars is a homewares, gift, stationery, and vintage shop with a café in Notting Hill, London. When choosing the name the good old-fashioned connotations associated with pedlars, people who wandered from place to place selling their wares, resonated with owner Charlie Gladstone. Established in 2007, a café was added to the shop in 2014. During the week Pedlars’ customers are mainly locals, who are joined by Australians, Japanese and American tourists at the weekend. They come for Allpress coffee, vintage and lifestyle products, and are helped by an incredibly enthusiastic long-serving staff.

The Shopkeeper

Charlie Gladstone, a former music executive, started his retail ventures pre ecommerce with a mail order catalogue. Inspired by the exciting store environments created by veteran retailers, Terence Conran and Paul Smith, and by village shopkeepers who know and love their customers, Charlie transformed the catalogue into a shop. The shop now supports an online business. He loves being at Pedlars, chatting with customers and merchandising product. Popular culture, music, fashion and travel are sources of inspiration. Along with being a shopkeeper Charlie is also a farmer, restaurateur, festival owner and father of six. An avid collector, he had an honorable mention in Best Made Co.’s Catalogue No 5, as “a great collector” and owner of 17 Best Made Co. axes. Other collections include 7000 records, his own ephemera museum, contemporary art, and everything from 1950’s globes to American motorcycle helmets, to mention a few. Favourite shopping destinations are food markets in France, village shops in England, stationery shops in Tokyo, and vintage markets anywhere.

On the Future of Retail

That the number of big clothing brands will decrease.
That Governments will eventually realise the importance of independent retailers and help them financially.
That shops will employ older, wiser, more reliable staff.
That the number of bookshops, record shops and 35mm camera shops will grow.
That video will drive online sales.
That ‘luxury’ brands will consume every city and then disappear. Or maybe the latter bit is just wishful thinking.
That food prices will rise to reflect the true value of food as shortages don’t match demand.

128 Talbot Road, Notting Hill, London

Pedlars