Peter Jones, Sloane Square.
Peter Jones is Chelsea’s benevolent Mother. Reclining purposefully on the western corner island of Sloane Square offering a haven of domestic retail plus everything else you might need. There probably aren’t many blog posts featuring this department store but readers from abroad moving to London may not realise what a fabulous resource they will have so close to home.
Curiosity led me to read online reviews and there’s a surprising amount of ‘it’s just a posh John Lewis,’ but actually the majority of reviewers have taken the time to praise the space, the range and the fabulous location. What’s not to love?
A small piece of history, just over 150 years ago a draper from Wales, Peter Jones, left for London with just £14 of savings in his pocket and within a decade had established one of Chelsea’s most enduring shops.
Now part of the John Lewis Partnership, this came about pretty conclusively when Jones died in 1905 and his rival, the original John Lewis, allegedly walked across town to buy the store with £21,000 of cash collected from his own tills. A pretty astute purchase, Peter Jones has continued to thrive to the present day, the building now boasting a Grade II listing with one of the first all-glass shop frontages and a loyal, local customer base.
What makes it special? The offer is pretty pure ‘John Lewis,’ the layout (refurbed in 2004) is great, a big atrium with escalators and a vague feeling of the being in the Guggenheim, New York (well, ok, not really) but with a buzz. It’s an institution that has managed to reinvent itself through the decades but at the same offers a reassuring, comforting feeling.
When you enter the ground floor from Sloane Square on a Saturday morning you invariably see recently engaged couples having their first taste of ‘shared decision making’. It all starts there in amongst the crockery and cutlery and which Georg Jensen fruit bowl one of them prefers. It’s a fly on the wall documentary waiting to happen.
The material department cleverly fills the floor of the Atrium. It offers colour, texture and a clever way to make fabric browsing enjoyable. You’re walking past, you could be inspired and you don’t have to search around for some far-flung department at the back of the store where rolls of material usually lurk. John Lewis and it’s guises are very well known for bed linen, towels, duvets and all things homeware. Help is at hand at the back of the ground floor where assistants can point you in the right direction, the choice is good and linen shopping is made bearable.
As you ascend the store everyone has their own favourite area. TV’s and gadgets are a clear winner with pretty much everyone. There is a good makeup/cosmetics/perfume selection plus clothes, bags and all things accessory in true department store style. The Men’s clothes section is doable and Women’s clothes now house selections from Hush alongside Whistles and Somerset by Alice Temperley.
Another right of passage is the baby floor where you can choose your pram, buy baby grows and revel in all things maternity helped out by some staple John Lewis own brands.
Cards, paper, buttons, light bulbs, hoover bags, nespresso pods, iPads, food processors and Christmas decorations..it’s all here.
There’s a very popular coffee cum light lunch venue at the top of the store with lovely views out to the South East, a real ‘rooftops of London’ view.
http://www.johnlewis.com/our-shops/peter-jones
