Ferry Road Stores opened last week in the delightful building that used to be a carpet shop. It is run by Francesca and Amy, who met in 2020. Francesca is an established East Sussex-based interior designer (Rowan Plowden Designs), and Amy, whose background is as a personal assistant, has helped establish many small businesses.
They came up with the idea of an online interiors shop, using their joint expertise and experience. However, when the opportunity came up to take over the space at 11 Ferry Road they decided instead to open the business as a place where people could browse in person, rather than online.
This enabled them to extend the online interiors store concept by adding to the Ferry Road Store fashion, beauty and lifestyle. A website will soon follow, and the plan is to establish an office for Rowan Plowden Designs on the mezzanine for client meetings.
Francesca told me: “I had dreamed of owning a shop since I was a little girl. With a family background in fashion and running my own interior design studio for over decade, I wanted to create a space which incorporated these two passions. A little emporium of beautiful things, where customers can be inspired and feel a sense of escapism, a mini Liberty’s, a candy shop for the eyes and a place to find the prettiest of things, be it a candle holder, a floral dress or a lovely old armchair.”
Amy continued: “What our partnership has shown me is that we each bring something completely different to the table, but Ferry Road couldn’t work without each of these parts. We are two halves of the very chic whole that is Ferry Road Store!”
Labels they currently stock include DayDress, Verden, Scribble & Daub, Lottie Day, Olivia Morris at Home and Liv Thurwell. You will receive a warm welcome when you pop in.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Looking forward to in-person browsing the next time we visit Rye. Best of luck to you in this endeavor!
Claudia
California