Daisy Chain is a bit like an art gallery, with its assortment of lovingly-curated gifts; walls hung with vibrant scarfs, distinctive bags and adorable baby grows, cabinets showcasing contemporary jewellery and tables laden with scented candles, soft-back journals and reed diffusers.
The curators of this gallery of gorgeousness are friends Lesley Nunn and Alison Douglas, who are both passionate about tracking down gifts which are a little bit different. In fact, they won’t stock anything in the shop that they wouldn’t shell out for themselves. The friends both have backgrounds in retail (Alison had a shop in Cottenham and Lesley worked for John Lewis), and often chatted about setting up shop together. So when their current premises in an idyllic spot overlooking the duck pond in Histon, came on the market back in 2005, they took the leap.
Over the years, they’ve fine-tuned their product range to reflect what both they and their loyal customers love. Greetings cards are Lesley’s passion – there’s seven stands of them in store – and she tends to choose chic, pared-back styles, which are not widely available locally.
Daisy Chain’s baby selection is hugely popular, a mix of cute clothing, bandana bibs, pretty muslins and cuddly Jellycat bears and bunnies. Jewellery sells very well, Carrie Elspeth’s colourful pieces, handmade in Wales, a favourite. And the store’s bestsellers are bright ceramic hearts featuring uplifting words or personalised messages by Yorkshire-based indie Jamali Annay.
Aside from the impressive merchandise, it’s the friendly customer service which sets Daisy Chain apart. You can find the shop on Facebook (Daisy Chain Histon), but they really would rather folk came in for a visit in person, in fact most of Alison and Lesley’s clients are now good friends and will happily pop in for a chitchat and a browse. Daisy Chain has clearly become a highlight of Histon’s vibrant High Street, the undisputed home of lovely gifts and lovely people.
Daisy Chain
2 High Street
Histon CB24 9LG
Telephone 01223 232121
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