High streets are evolving across Bristol, some for the better and some for the worse. While Broadmead has seen some drastic changes in recent years, smaller high streets are experiencing a renaissance in community spirit.
Two Six Four is one of the newest additions to Church Road in St George a store that merges Carla Diogo's made-to-order womenswear and Catriona Dickie’s bookstore, The Good Book Shop. It opened its doors on November 5 along Church Road in St George, an area that has seen a rival of its high street in recent years.
BristolLive recently reported how some local residents welcomed the change on Church Road but that it lacked the “community spirit” found in other high streets around Bristol, something that new shop co-owner, Cat, disagreed with.
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“I think from people that I know who are a similar age, everyone does want community and to support this local high street,” she said. “I think it’s a case of if you build it, people will come.”
Cat believes the support for the area is “hope in the dark” during a difficult time for the country economically. She’s lived in St George for seven years and has a background in copywriting and communications, citing the arrival of the Bristol Loaf as one of the catalysts for more independents along the stretch of the high street. She decided to pursue a dream of launching a shop she shared with her co-owner after attending one of Carla’s classes.
Carla moved from London with her family three years ago, opening a studio at the site on Church Road teaching pattern cuttings and sewing classes. She has worked in the fashion industry for ten years and makes her own clothes from her own brand sold through the store.
She said: “During the pandemic, so many people were really keen to learn to sew. I met Cat in my sewing class and she came back for more for a six-week shirt-making course so we go to know each other more.”
Cat “We kept in touch and when we both found out we wanted to open a shop we thought we could combine as our visions were both quite similar and it made it more achievable.”
Two Six Four sells homewares such as ceramics from local potters, handmade soaps and a selection of books offering timely classics and new releases. Carla also creates made-to-order clothing from beautiful fabrics, with samples available to view in-store.
The Good Book Shop offers a literary magazine by Penguin for £4, as well as paperbacks from £8.99 and £10.99, with hardbacks stretching up to £25. The homewares are priced by the makers themselves, ranging from £8 for a ring dish from Cece Ceramics up to Carla’s handmade shirts for £165.
Slower fashion is becoming more prevalent as knowledge of the industry and mass-producing clothing - and the cost to the planet - becomes more widespread. “For me, choosing good quality fabrics is important. You won’t see a rail of clothing in store, it’s all made to order so there’s no wastage, you just make what people want to buy.”
Likewise, with the books, Cat wanted to offer something different on the bookshelves, promoting smaller publishing houses. The only celebrity biography you’ll find in Two Six Four is Michelle Obama’s.
“She was the exception. If you’re a white male author in this shop it’s because you’re exceptional and it’s the minority group. It’s been a lot of research to make sure I’m uplifting really great authors that society doesn’t always uplift,” Cat explained.
Alongside this, the Good Bookshop also recently launched a subscription box service for people who want to read more diverse authors but don’t know where to start. It’s £13 a month for a rolling subscription, £38 for a 3-month subscription or £72 for a 6-month subscription.
“The books, which are hand selected by me, will arrive beautifully packaged each month with a note on why I chose them,” she added.
The shop has been warmly received by people in the area who welcome more independents joining the high street. The pair has also recently joined a digital directory called Shop Bristol, offering a network of the city’s independent businesses. This is an ethos that is important to Cat and Carla.
“For us it’s all about shopping local, supporting independent businesses,” Cat added. “All the books are by smaller presses and female authors to focus on underrepresented writers, such as authors of Colour and working-class authors, so that’s all about supporting independents rather than big conglomerates. It’s the same with the homewares.”
Carla agreed: “Supporting the work of smaller artists is quite important to us. There are so many creatives here in Bristol and it’s nice to showcase their items in real life and not just online.”
The pair hope to offer intimate workshops in the space further down the line to make it more community-led. Right now, they’ll be focusing on the busy festive period and will be hosting their own Christmas late-night shopping event on Thursday, December 8 from 6-8pm, with music and mulled wine.
Twosixfour is located on 264 Church Road, St George, Bristol - open Wednesday (10am-3pm) and Thursday to Saturday (10am-6pm).
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