The Opening of our Stamford Store
Our Stamford Store has many secrets… but we will only tell you four.
The Stamford Store on the evening of launch...
It is no surprise that the little town of Stamford is a popular tourist destination. With quaint and winding passageways, gorgeous stone architecture (including five medieval churches), and an endearingly warm local energy, Stamford is a bit of a gem. Like many of the best English designs, Stamford is also a space with many hidden nooks and crannies, filled with underground bookshops, pop-up markets, and cosy cafes.
And we have to say, we feel as though our brand new store – only the second Fairfax and Favor store ever! – lives up to the Stamford standard… and perhaps even brings a number of serendipitous “something extras” of our own.
The 9th of December was a particularly drizzly evening, which naturally happened to be the night we had chosen for the store’s launch event. Yet a number of Fairfax and Favor team members, influencers, and supporters cheerfully slipped and slithered their way across Stamford’s cobbled stones to the welcoming glow of our windows. The Mayor of Stamford even attended, generously showing her support. The opening party was well on its way by the time Marcus and Felix arrived, as the first guests turned up over an hour early!
Luckily, everybody made it in time to discover…
SECRET ONE: The Women Behind the Store
The girl power levels within Fairfax and Favor are not to be underestimated and this was made more than clear at the Stamford launch.
The belles of the ball, fabulous shoes and all, were actually not our illustrious Founders, Marcus and Felix (though they were on top form too), but our Head of Retail, Connie Conidi, with her team, and Irene and Daniella of Caulder Moore.
Leading up to the night of the launch, Connie and her girls (Jemima, Molly, Andrew, Trinity, Eilish, Grace, Amelia, Alex and Carolyn) worked tirelessly to get the store ready. They somehow turned what had been a space of “concrete and dust” just three weeks before into a bit of a Christmas miracle. By the time the guests arrived, every Fairfax & Favor item had found its perfect place, from the Fitzroy collar curled up cosily on a marble fireplace to the stable-inspired layout of the wall of belts. It was a masterclass in “how to create a space that feels like every woman’s dream walk-in-closet”.
Before so much as a tassel could be moved into the store, however, the building itself had to slip into a Fairfax and Favor-worthy look. And this would certainly not have been possible without the once again female-led team at Caulder Moore, who managed the interior design.
With matching fringes and impeccable style, it would be very easy to underestimate Irene Maguire and Daniella So. But Irene has taken a company where she was the only female partner and made it brilliantly her own. And almost everything from our terracotta floors – admittedly, a bold move – to our sumptuous wooden panelling and navy walls was born in Daniella’s mind, then made into a reality thanks to her immense willingness to collaborate with our Fairfax and Favor team on the ground.
Did you know that even our tassels got special attention from Daniella? Instead of just sitting sadly on a counter somewhere, our fan-favourite tassels, as well as our keyrings and umbrellas, have a whole wall to themselves and make a fabulous crocodile-tooth artwork out of an otherwise transitional wall.
In fact, all of the other Stamford store secrets in this blog can be attributed to one of these ladies…
SECRET TWO: The Suede Wall
There is quite literally an entire wall of the most gorgeous, buttery suede at the back of the Stamford shop. You might not notice if it hadn’t been pointed out to you, but don’t take my word for it: you can go and stroke it yourself!
In fact, the Stamford girls have to brush it down a couple of times a week… probably because strange people keep coming to touch it… and this blog is not going to help. Sorry ladies.
SECRET THREE: Why to Book an Appointment (otherwise known as, the Coffee Machine)
Daniella, in her infinite designer’s wisdom, said that her favourite thing about the Stamford store is that “there are just so many places to sit.”
It sounds like such a small thing, but we know that many shops are designed to pump you in and out in as little time as possible, and this is not the Fairfax and Favor way. We have plush leather and suede seats throughout the store, inviting you to stay a little longer out of the cold. After all, we don’t want you to buy things you aren’t 100% sure about, and we rather like your company.
In fact, we prefer our shoppers to book a private appointment with us so that they can have the full VIP experience. And this, naturally, means that we have our own coffee machine in the private section at the back… after all, some of our shoppers have already been driving all the way from Birmingham, Yorkshire, or even further just to visit our store for the day. Many plan their entire weekends around their appointment, and often we are booked up weeks in advance.
Luckily, our boots and our coffee machine are always ready and waiting for you.
SECRET FOUR: The Secret Garden
We can’t tell you anything about this, except that there is one and that it is very much worth seeing in person.
If you go to our exciting new walk-through online Stamford store experience , you may even be able to spot the door that leads to the garden…
Oh alright… we can also tell you that this garden is the inspiration for a future theme in future Fairfax and Favor stores. Our master plan is to hide a secret room or space in each of our stores moving forwards, so that every Fairfax and Favor store experience gives you the same thrill that opening a blue box would.
And as a ‘thank you’ for making it to the end of this blog, we will even tell you where our next store is going to be… a bonus secret, if you will…
Helmsley!