I feel so lucky to live in Tunbridge Wells where we have access to a great number of design-driven places right on our doorstep here in Kent and across the border in East Sussex. As there are so many shops and boutiques that I love for picking up unique pieces for my clients (or sometimes myself), I thought I’d start sharing some of my favourites with you right here on the blog. Our first stop? Love Inc.
We’re blessed to have this little gem of a shop right on the Tunbridge Wells High Street. The brainchild of Hannah Gee, Love Inc grew out of her passion for hunting out unique and beautiful pieces at antique fairs and car boot sales and is now a phenomenal wholesale business and online store. The brick and mortar shop, which is peppered with unique gifts and yummy products for the home, is one of the best places in Tunbridge Wells to pick up a cheeky card, a thoughtful gift, or something special to decorate a space.
I first met Hannah back in 2012 when I had first moved to Kent and she had just launched Love Inc. Originally, the shop ran as a retail space at the back of her house with shopping available by appointment or for special events. The shop was full of unique items and retro finds and really brought pleasure back into the shopping experience as I could browse her wares with a cup of tea in hand. I admired Hannah’s style and spirit and it was always a pleasure to find a treasure and bring it home.
It feels like quite a journey since that first year. I popped into her pop-up shop during the Christmas season of 2014 when she was first branching out of her house, and I now find myself drawn in to browse in her permanent space, where she’s maintained residence since 2015 and has won Tunbridge Wells in Bloom two years running. The shop is full of fun details, from the amazing central pendant light and box shelving, to the quirky slogans painted on the floor tiles. All these details support rustic tables creaking under the weight of divine goodies at excellent prices!
As the business has grown, Hannah sadly hasn’t had the time to hunt for vintage pieces herself. Instead, she’s deployed her hunting instinct to find talented young people like illustrator Beth Fraser to create the unique finds that fill her shop. In addition to encouraging fresh new talent, Love Inc now has a line of their very own products, which include an industrial-style lightning bolt light and a really cool range of LED neon lights. The neon is playful and fun, and with custom pieces and bespoke names available to order, they’re proving very popular. In fact, everyone from myself to Victoria Beckham seem to have one on order at the moment!
If you’re after something more relaxing, you can pick up a Love Inc candle, which has a genius wooden top-turned-coaster to save you from burning a hole in your table top! These candles sit alongside her award-winning learn by stealth placemats. I’m sure there is much more to come as there’s possibly no stopping the lovely Hannah!
It’s fair to say that I admire Hannah a lot. Her vision is bold and her drive is infectious. But it’s not just Hannah that makes me want to shout about her great shop, it’s that I really truly love shopping at Love Inc. If you can’t make it to Tunbridge Wells to enjoy it first-hand, don’t panic, you can buy Love Inc’s unique prints, candles, and lights in their online store and their neon collection will soon be appearing on Not on the High Street. Go on and indulge yourself!
