A Staffordshire homeware business that recently appeared on BBC’s Interior Design Masters has reached a major milestone after buying its historic village shop.
Rustique Living, based on the corner of Hilderstone Road and the A51 in Sandon, has purchased the 19th-century former blacksmith’s cottage after renting it from the Harrowby Estate for the past four years.
Owner Joel Paxton launched the business while studying for a master’s degree in business at Keele University, initially buying and selling items from home before spotting the empty cottage, which had stood vacant for 12 years.
He approached the estate about taking on the property, known as the Old Smithy, and undertook extensive renovation work, including sandblasting the interior, rewiring the electrics and replacing the flooring before opening the shop.
After four years as a tenant, Joel has now completed the purchase of the building following lengthy negotiations with the estate.
He said: “It’s a focal point in the village in a prominent location. It’s a very attractive building.
“It gives us security but also a foundation to build from. I can start making plans for the future.
“This feels like such an honour as this building is such a special place to work from. Running a shop was something I fell into and it wasn’t the initial idea, but I absolutely love it.
“Long term I would like to open a second shop. High street shops come and go quite quickly but we are here to stay.”
The business occupies two floors and is run by Joel, with his mother, Nikki Paxton. It specialises in rustic homeware, furniture and gifts, combining reclaimed and vintage pieces with carefully sourced new products from the UK and overseas.
According to Joel, stock turns over rapidly, with the shop often selling out and restocking every four to six weeks. Recent arrivals have included blanket boxes, wooden doorways, fire pits and leather bar stools.
Joel said: “We sell things you don’t find elsewhere. Some things we source locally but others come from places like India or Japan. There’s always something different to see.”
The purchase came shortly before Rustique Living featured on the BBC’s Interior Design Masters.
Joel said the production company approached the business last year to use the shop as a filming location for contestant Sophie Newlands, who lives in Cannock and is originally from Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Daily Focus recently reported that Sophie had finished as runner-up in the final of the primetime show.
Joel said: “We filmed it around 12 months ago and had to keep it quiet ever since. Lots of our regular customers watch the show.
“Watching it was very special and we got a lot of messages about it before we had even posted anything. For our small independent shop to feature on prime-time BBC television is such a pinch-me moment.”
