I watched with interest as The Vault, "Design Store" took shape a few months ago. It looked a little out of place to me. A wee bit too chichi for the area - and it seems that I wasn't the only one looking at this local issues website.
Apparently set up by own of the Kiwi founders of the very successful, GBK burger chain, this is the first London store of what turns out to be a NZ venture, whose motto according to its website is " the objects with which we adorn our lives are not only a reflection of ourselves but of our past, present and future culture " - this makes me think it is even more pseud than I had at first thought, but the NZ connection does explain the decor which appears to be a carbon copy of the shops on their NZ website.
But will this work in West Hampstead? I am curious. I personally think it is a little overpriced and partly this is because it has sourced much of its goods from New Zealand. Although these 'objects' are generally very nice and high quality, I wonder if this store has missed the boat? With a greater emphasis on green values permeating the country and Camden specifically, do people really want to pay 20 quid on a trinket that has travelled the world to make it into your stocking?
I'm not sure. Time will tell no doubt.
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