Butlers

A quirky homewares store where you can get a stuffed «mounted» antelope head or even a (not-​lifesize) woolly mammoth head?! YES!
Lots of cute home stuff for reasonable prices. Not too shabby!

Where else can you buy a life size replica of a lobster for less than a fiver? Really where?

Fun store with some cheap, fun and tasteful gifts. I’ve picked up some really nice dishes here and the odd candle or tablecloth but mostly I come by for gifts because they have some interesting stuff you don’t see elsewhere. Most items are very cheap, which is always nice but some of the linens are a bit costly for what they are.
The only thing that really bothers me about Butler’s is the staff. They all seem to be really put out for having to be there and not at all interested in helping the customers. If a staff member is walking down an aisle, they’ll generally expect YOU to move out of THEIR way. I was in one day and had a look at a tea infuser and decided against buying. The next day I changed my mind and went back to find that they had all disappeared. So I asked the woman behind the counter where the tea infusers were and she said «we don’t carry them», so I told her I’d see them there the day before and she had never heard of them before. Rather than ask if she could at least CHECK, I decided to give up and go somewhere else.
I do love browsing around in Butlers and often find fun little bits and pieces, but don’t ever count on cheery, helpful staff!

I love shops like Butlers– the type of place that I can go in with a £10 and still come out something cute that usually looks more expensive. The table displays at teh entrance are a real selling point and usually draw me into the store. It’s the kind of place that makes me want to throw a lavish dinner party although the nearest I usually come to that is a takeaway and friends bring a bottle! I love candles and Butlers has loads of lovely scented and unscented ones. There are also a great selection of tea light holders starting from as little as £1.99. It’s very similar to Tiger in Hammersmith except Tiger is a lot cheaper. That doesn’t stop me from always popping in whenever I’m in Angel.

I really like this shop as there is a nice interesting mix of products on sale such as kitchen accessories, house ware, a good selection of candles and some kids fun stuff like red wellies with fur inside. I don’t know why but home ware gets me really excited, maybe it’s a sign I’m getting old.
I recently bought a spice jar for £2.50 here which i was pretty chuffed with to be honest. I think I’ll be back again in the January sales for some more bargains.
It’s always very busy whenever I shop in here so be prepared to get in the queue for a while.

Name-​wise it’s a bit too close to Butlins for comfort and selling home ware it’s similarly middle of the road. That said, I am at this very moment reclining on a big red blanket covered in huge white polka dots like a squashed toadstool from Butlers, a shop which turns up a surprising amount of furnishing gems.
Some might be scared off by the predominance of scented candles in the window. «I’m too young for home wear» I hear you protest. But there are actually some quite cute pieces in Butlers if a) you look hard enough and b) you have the ability to visually single them out from the rest of the stock which, en masse can be a bit much.
Head to Butlers if you’re in Islington and need a potato ricer or something. It’s not terribly cool or contemporary but then, I (thankfully) don’t know many people who are self-​important enough to require a cutting edge potato ricer.

Filled with all sorts of bits and bobs for the home you’ll definitely find something you like here. Some things are reasonably priced whereas some are a bit too much for what it is. I went in hoping to get a few scented candles, but found that they didn’t have much of a great choice and they weren’t all that value for money. I also came in once to look for a tea leaf strainer and was disappointed by the lack of choice.
Nevertheless, they do have some lovely little things like cutlery, mugs, teapots and plates.
The only issue with this particular shop in Islington is it always seems to be so packed and stuffy. Making me just want to browse really quickly and leave straight away.

I like to shop at Butlers. I bought a carafe there. Butlers sells house wares at reasonable prices. I always make an effort to stop in here and have a poke around.
Butlers is the only shop in London to do Arizona Ice Tea, as far as I know. A friend really likes it, so I try to buy some for her sometimes.
Butlers does a whole range of candles and dishware. it’s not easy to get a carafe (for the uninformed, it’s a wine canister) and I was happy to find one here.
This is a good shop to get X-​mas gifts in and for X-​mas they go all out.
Occasionally, you can also find some stuffed animals here or the odd bit that’s not kitchenware.
In the displays are these tables that are fully set to give you ideas. They do funny themes and I think, if I remember rightly, I saw a flamingo on one of the tables once!