What?: Stylish East London brand selling its own line of slogan and number tees, sweats and sleepsuits for ages 0-6, as well as own-label tutus and party skirts. It also stocks a small selection of toys, books and accessories from other boutique brands, with highlights including Lapin & Me’s kitschy line of animal lamps, Meri Meri’s idiotically adorable knitted toys and Frances Lincoln Publishers’ Little People, Big Dreams series of utterly magical illustrated biographies about women who changed the world.
Where?: Colombia Road, of flower market fame. The shop is a 15-20 minute walk from Bethnal Green tube (Central) and 10-15 minutes from Hoxton, Shoreditch High Street and Cambridge Heath (Ginge).
Best Bits: The brand’s own-label tops are simple but awesome with their bold prints and various colourways. The numbered tees are only available in the corresponding size (number 1 for 1-2s, number 2 for 2-3s, etc.), making them the perfect birthday gift for kids who want everyone to know how old they are, which is basically all kids.
Worst Bits: Like many shops on Colombia Road Bob & Blossom only opens on weekends, and heaven help anyone mad enough to venture here with a buggy when the Sunday market’s in full swing. Opening hours are 11-4 on Saturdays and 9-3 on Sundays. Fart and you’ll miss it. Also, while the store’s own label is available in its entirety on its website, only a few non-B&B bits appear, and even then they’re all lumped together in the slightly half-arsed ‘Other Nice Things’ category. Not the world’s best website, but a really great little shop and definitely worth making some space in your weekend for – but seriously, don’t go to Columbia Road on a Sunday with a buggy because you’ll actually wish you were dead.
Price Range: Bob & Blossom clothing starts at around £15 for a tee and goes up to £25 for a sweatshirt or romper, which seems fairly reasonable for quality, small-batch cotton clothing, I suppose. Toys and nursery bits cost anything from a few pounds for retro trinkets to £45 for hand-knitted softies they’ll keep forever, or at least you’d hope they bloody would for that price.
Did We Buy?: I wanted to get Bab a black-and-white-striped top with ‘Hey!’ on the front but was worried it was a bit blokey, then she picked it up herself so I thought sod it and bought it anyway.
Would We Come Back?: If we ever happen to be in Shoreditch on a Saturday again then yes. I try not to do that too often though because everyone there is 19 and it makes me feel elderly.
Bab paws at a Weeble doll thing that even I found creepy, and I’m usually all over weird plastic retro crap
bablands.com 