Repair Shop’s Jay Blades to open his furniture shop in Poole

 Having sold restored and reimagined furniture from an online shop and through commissioned projects for the past eight years, Jay Blades MBE will open Jay & Co in the Kingland shopping complex on Monday, March 13.

Known for his role in BBC One restoration programme The Repair Shop, Jay has collaborated with fellow business owner Steve Wyatt of Restored Retro to take the plunge with his first shop.

After some unit alterations, Jay & Co will be attached to Restored Retro in Kingland in an open plan style retail unit and will sell pieces restored by Jay including lamps, chairs and more.The store’s unique selling point is that old pieces of furniture are brought back to life with an injection of creativity from collaborating with artists, fabric houses and other restorers so the pieces can extend their lives by at least another 20 years.

Jay, who was recently made the first chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University, will be on hand to open the store on Monday afternoon at around 3pm.Ahead of the opening, he said: “Restored Retro was our first stockist, we started selling our products through his shop nearly two years ago, and it has not only been fruitful for both parties, we have become good friends, our business values are aligned and it is the right fit for us.”

Steve added: “A truly magnificent opportunity bringing together two great brands, we just love mixing the Jay & Co reimagined range with our timeless restored pieces.”Kingland will also welcome retailer Boiler Room Records to the shopping centre on Monday as it opens its new store.

From 5pm to 7.30pm, visitors will be able to check out the shop’s latest record collection while enjoying music from a live DJ set, and even enjoy drinks crafted by Viper Gin.John Grinnell, centre manager at the Dolphin, said: “I’m confident that 2023 is going to be a hugely successful year for the town centre and I’m looking forward to these new additions enhancing the Dolphin, Kingland, and the high street’s retail offering, ensuring Poole continues to be a lively and buzzing place to shop.”