Prep celebrates 10 years in Stoke Newington
- Jenna Fansa
- Apr 25
- 2 min read
A decade ago, Holly Wilson ditched her career in fashion and invested her savings into a cookware shop on Stoke Newington Church Street.
The mother-of-two had spent much of her maternity leave cooking and baking and schlepping to the Pound Shop on the High Street for cookware. Realising there was a gap in the market, she decided to take the leap and open a store.
“I had always wanted shop but, having worked as a garment technologist, thought it would be a clothing shop. It took me 18 months to find a suitable premises,” said Holly. “Investing everything into my own business felt pretty risky – it still does!”
She added: “In those early days the kids were two and four - I’d be pushing a buggy around the trade shows looking for stock, not really knowing what I was doing or how many of each thing to buy. They were the good old days when things were cheaper, you could buy from Europe, when the internet wasn’t such a vicious place.
“At the start the shop was sparse, with high-end chic items but we’ve evolved – now we’re a really practical shop, filled with beautiful products that everyone would need.
“Stoke Newington has changed but it still has that village vibe. It feels like it’s got younger, but I think I’ve just got older! People still love a local shop, the personal touch and interactions. Some of our customers have been with us since the start and that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.”
Prep stocks everything from pots and pans to glassware, coffee gizmos and thermos flasks.
Before Prep moved in, the building was home to Homage Interiors and, before that, Nana Dobbie Vintage Shop.
Now Holly’s children Tabitha and Archie are at secondary school and her 13-year-old daughter can’t wait till the day she can help out behind the counter.
Two years after opening Prep, Holly purchased Richard Dare cookware shop in Primrose Hill. The second shop has a full-time manager and Holly divides her time between the two sites.
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