Mark and Sally Bailey, king and queen of up cycling, talk us through their stripped-back style
In issue 21 of The Simple Things, Mark and Sally Bailey share their love of beautiful, functional and nostalgic objects.
Baileys has become a destination store: a place to spend an hour or so, basket in hand, wandering around the different spaces lost in a shopping reverie. Retail guru Mary Portas has praised the way "it encourages you to meander through its rooms of beautifully merchandised spaces". All manner of delightful household objects, from wooden dolly pegs to plump sofas, are heaped into crates and packed onto shelves without feeling either congested or unmanageable. This is largely down to the acres of space available (actually 20,000 feet), but it's also due to Mark's expert eye for display. "He's often in here until midnight arranging things," says Sally.
No day is typical at Baileys. "Increasingly, we discover great things at local fairs and smallholder shows," says Sally. "We've found bakers, weavers, bodges [hand-turned chair makers] and biscuit makers there." "it's exciting how many young people are taking up traditional crafts like cheese making rather than a traditional career path," says Mark. "if we can stock their stuff, we will."
Read the full interview on page 52 of The Simple Things issue 21. Buy now, or have a look through the digital sampler: