The Poundshop at Selfridges

We all love a good pound shop. But I’m not talking Balham High Street or Brixton. I’m talking Selfridges, where Bright Young Things has reinvented the concept of the humble pound shop and made it all about affordable design.

Founded in 2010 and run by George Wu and Sara Melin, The Poundshop started out as a way to set up a design shop with very little capital, using an empty space in Hoxton. Since then the shop has popped up in Bethnal Green for Design Week, Somerset House Christmas Market, a ‘Best Of’ tour ending up at Secret Garden Party festival and most recently as part of Selfridge’s Bright Young Things initiative.

Bright Young Things is now in its third year at Selfridges and although I’ve always been a huge fan of the ethos behind the platform as well as the designers involved, it’s always seemed a little off-kilter to me that prices are so high. The whole spirit of The Poundshop means fresh new designs created by young people can actually be purchased by young people for pocket money prices – it’s the ultimate access to fresh design.

The whole set-up is something of a joy, with mini clipboards made from Forest stewardship plywood and screen printed with geometric shapes, knitted bumblebee fridge magnets, origami cranes wrapping paper, Victorian house place settings, party hats and off-cut pendants. Plus so much more. My particular favourites were beautiful Lucille Clerc fabric notebooks, Dicky Bird greetings cards, Hana + Hasmita rolled magazine pencils and Charlotte Mei toast coasters. Most items are £1 but price brackets also stretch to £5 and £10 which is still great value for design that would normally be sold at far higher prices.

The Poundshop is in Selfridges until 23 October (so snap up some Christmas gifts) and you can buy online at The Poundshop website.

The Poundshop can be found in Selfridges at:

400 Oxford Street
Marylebone
W1C 1JS