London shopping: Labour and Wait

How many times have you walked into a shop only to have your senses assaulted by a cacophony of the sandalwood-slash-patchouli variety of scented candle? Don’t get me wrong, I love scented candles (shout-out to Miss Tuberose-and-Mimosa Scented Candle on my bedside table) – just not ALL the time. And don’t get me started on the overwhelming pong that makes my brain ache every time I walk within 10 yards of a Lush store. (What exactly do they put in those bath bombs, anyway?)

Which is why walking into Labour and Wait is a delightful surprise, in more ways than one. Inhale the unusual earthiness of wooden-clothes-pegs-meets-tarred-jute-twine and take in the warm atmosphere of a timeless general store. Slate pencils and erasers sit comfortably next to classic Breton-style striped long-sleeved tops (us birds can’t have enough stripes) and iconic 1950s Janet and John books. Here timeless and functional design (pastel enamel cookware) marries vintage aesthetic (Bakelite kitchen ware).


Top finds include vintage linen, enormous balls of twine, vintage teapots, enamel lampshades, linen tea towels, vintage needle and thread packets, buttons, giant balls of twine, and horn combs. The gardening selection is extensive with a range of high quality tools, gloves and packets of seeds.

Labour and Wait
18 Cheshire Street
London E2 6EH
Tel. 020 7729 6253

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm-5pm
Sunday 10am-5pm
Friday 11am-5pm by appointment

Nearest tube: Liverpool Street

For more shops on Cheshire Street, click here.
For more shops in East London, click here.



Images courtesy of Labour and Wait.