Shop in the Spotlight: Maiden

I'm an East London girl. It's something about its flawed edges and sense of humour: from the street art, the eclectic markets and crazy el-cheapo eateries. What I like about the East End, is that here, if something takes itself too seriously it fails pretty quickly. This isn't a problem for Shoreditch store Maiden. Their online shop is a showcase of all that is quirky and cool, from kitchenware to books. I love the fact that the products shown on their front page alone include a Charlie Chaplin calendar, a solar powered radio and Map-Of-Europe placemats (just £12.50).



Maiden is like a grown-up's toy shop. From a stylish picture frame to put your classic books in, to the hilarious solar-powered waving statue of The Queen, there is a perfect mixture of humour and style. They also have some great nostalgic items in store, such as a game of pick-up-sticks, space hoppers and Ladybird books. Also, did anyone else have these Knitting Nancy dolls (they're only £5) when they were little?!


There's such an eccentric mix of products for sale at Maiden that it seems as if they were hand picked, (which I like). It doesn't have a clear agenda, other than to sell things which offer style, humour or nostalgia, or in many cases, all three. This is a great store for finding unique gifts, and there are certainly some brilliant stocking fillers here like this pen lid shaped pen holder (£11) It's fun, it's fabulous, the only way you won't find something here you love is... well, if you don't like fun.

Guest post by Claire Nelson.