Cox & Baloney store open for business!

Cheltenham Road's latest addition has finally opened! Cox & Baloney have made the move from their stall at Woolies Indoor Market on Whiteladies Road to their shiny new boutique. It is no secret that I'm a big fan of this vintage emporium and first championed Cox & Baloney when I discovered their stall back in April.

I knew then that Amy Cox and Joney Lyons were looking to move to their own premises and was delighted when I found out that it would be on Cheltenham Road. Nestled between the independent shops and boutiques of Gloucester Road and the high street stores of the city centre, Cox & Baloney are in a great spot for passing people traffic yet far enough away from the competition to put their own unique stamp on the area.

But the new store is much more than just frilly frocks and girlie gladrags. There are three distinct areas spread over two floors covering menswear, literature, womenswear and cups of tea. When I popped in to the official launch party yesterday I was surprised to walk in and find book lined shelves and a small counter full of homemade cakes with barely a vintage dress in sight.

This is because Amy and Joney have joined forces with Richard, owner of The Mighty Miniature Bookspace, who owned the stall next to Cox & Baloney at Woolies. So close did the neighbours become that when Cox & Baloney decided to head to pastures new, they bought Richard and his mighty collection of pre-loved annuals and Penguin Classics along to their new store. Richard rents the space and says of the venture; "lots of bookstores have closed recently and you need to find new ways to make it work. At Woolies people just didn't seem to be interested but here in the the last week people have been popping in, wanting to know what's going on. Our collaboration seemed natural as our styles fit well together"

This collaboration is a canny move as the shop is no longer just a place to browse the rails but now acts as a meeting place, a library and chance to have a cuppa and cake. And plans don't stop there. Joney let slip that before long they plan to open the back room in the basement and fill it with sewing machines "to rent out for an hour to encourage people to customise their own clothes". This little workshop will no doubt prove to be a hive of creativity and will be yet another string to Cox & Baloney's very full bow.

The clothing still takes pride of place at the back of the store and has a quirky, girlie feel reminiscent of the old stall while the basement houses the menswear and feels like a study or den - with old leather trunks, rails of tweed jackets and 70s suits.

Currently only open on Saturdays the girls hope to have the shop up and running three or four days a week in the near future. I can't wait to see this boutique progress and be sure to look out for updates from Ship-Shape, and at the Cox & Baloney Facebook page here.

The front of the store is perfect for a spot of tea, a spot of reading or a slice of cake

A huge dresser showcases vintage crockery, cake stands and fabrics at the back of the store

I want that one... some great accessories and a stunning 50s prom skirt are on my wish list

Why have Ikea book shelves when you can have typewriters and wooden creates instead?

A selection of jewellery and vintage crockery courtesy of Bristol Vintage

Men are not left out with their own den downstairs, complete with deck shoes and old annuals

Bristol is all Whistles and Balony

With all this depressing economical nonsense going on it is great to see two new stores opening in Bristol this week, both at completely opposite ends of the fashionable scales.

The first is Whistles, which is coming to Park Street this week, taking the place of the cheap and cheerful shoe shop Jade. The curved glass windows of the listed building will be perfect for showing off the surprisingly cutting edge fashions that Whistles now offers, see S/S 10 below.


When I was younger I remember Whistles as being one of those grown up brands that could only be worn by career women of a certain age but I have been pleasantly surprised by their last few seasons. This revamp is thanks to Jane Shepherdson, the former Brand Director of Topshop, who took Whistles under her wing in 2008 and reinvented it as a fashion-forward brand for chic essentials and one-off pieces.

I'm not sure when exactly the store is opening but I do know it will retain the character and original period features that make it such a beauty to look at - more info as and when I have it.

The second shop to be opening it's doors this week is a Ship-Shape favourite. I loved Cox & Baloney from the moment I saw it in Woolies market, below, which you can read all about here. So successful was their stall at the indoor market that the owners made the leap to go solo in their own store, situated on Cheltenham Road, near Colston Girls School.

The store actually opened its doors for trading on Saturday but will be having an official launch party this Saturday, 17th July, and will be full of vintage and reworked treasures plus lots of new and exciting collaborations. Owners Amy & Joney really made the space at Woolies their own and although there have been a few sneak peek photos of the new store I can't wait to see it in the flesh and no doubt bag myself a bargain to boot!

A Load of Cox & Baloney

This afternoon I paid a visit to Whiteladies Road to investigate a vintage boutique that has been on my brain for weeks. I first picked up a Cox & Baloney flyer at a launch party for Crack magazine, then when M and I went out for dinner with some friends last night the name cropped up again on a flyer for a vintage event at the Thali Cafe. Despite the boutique having been up and running for five months I never quite got round to visiting but I simply couldn't wait any longer so went to take a peek at the store, located inside Woolies Indoor Market.

This bizarre market used to be a Woolworths (RIP) so I was surprised that inside it was full of entrepreneurs selling everything from pies and coffee to soft furnishings and books. Wandering towards the back of the market a sign helpfully pointed me towards the stairs which took me to Cox & Baloney, and I felt like I had stumbled back in time.

Leather trunks, retro lampshades, tweed jackets and geometric 70s prints were just some of the gems I noticed as I ventured in to the boutique which had been lovingly decorated with kitch flower garlands and grand gold framed mirrors. I fell in love with some 'reworked' Laura Ashley dresses and a carpet bag but sensibly, perhaps somewhat too sensibly, left my credit card at home.

Co-owner and vintage enthusiast Joney Lyons mans the till

However this did give me the opportunity to chat to shop gal on duty and co-owner of Cox & Baloney, Joney Lyons, above. Joney was kind enough to fill be in on her transition from working in the production office of the BBC to running her own vintage empire, along with friend Amy Cox. Tired of working on projects such as Lark Rise To Candleford and Hollyoaks, the girls teamed up to create Cox & Baloney, a vintage boutique focused on recycling and "putting something back" into the community.

Cox & Baloney source many of their vintage finds locally, encouraging customers to bring in unwanted garments in exchange for a share of the profits. "People bring stuff in and sometimes we buy it from them or otherwise we'll split the profit, or give [the item] back if we can't sell it" says Joney, "this way locals get to make some money and recycle their old clothes".

As a customer comes up to the counter to pay for her black suede fringe boots I finger through the rail of vintage dresses and soak up the charming atmosphere. Soon Joney and I are back to chatting about fashion in general and how trends look to the past for inspiration. "Why go out and buy brand new when there are so many fantastic originals? We're giving granny clothes a new life again."

With all the vintage treasures on offer I'm inclined to agree - every piece in this boutique no doubt has a story behind it which is more than can be said for a brand new Topshop denim jacket. The clothes and accessories in Cox & Baloney are competitively priced, even cheaper than what some high street retailers charge so this hidden gem is worth checking out. The lovely ladies also attend regular vintage fairs such as Gimme Shelter at The Lanes and for a list of all upcoming events check out their Facebook page.

Trunks, suitcases and hat stands all help to display gorgeous vintage treasures

Table linens and cloths have been carefully folded and displayed

A display of shoes, fabric scraps and vintage buttons: swoon!

A deliciously tacky carpet bag - Mary Poppins and River Island would be proud...

Funky furniture creates a cosy space within which to rummage

Vintage dresses from the last four decades

The indoor market boasts more than just boutiques, including cafes, book stalls and a Pieminister!