Happy Valley

Happy Valley is the kind of store you walk into and wish you owned everything in there – books, homewares, records, accessories, design-type gifts. Owner Chris Crouch is the former owner of Polyester Records and current owner of the Tramway Hotel. He gutted and refurbished the former travel book store to let in a lot of natural light and allow for a newfound, inventive atmosphere.

It's here that Crouch has brought together all his “crazy ideas” to birth the concept store he spent years dreaming of. Shelves lining the walls are festooned with terrariums, Wewood watches, Zatchels and curious porcelain coffee cups – Momugs - with moustaches painted on them.

Art prints by Sèverin Millet hang between brimming bookshelves containing independent and unusual releases spanning ten different genres including graphic novels, music, humour, art, food, non-fiction and classic novels. Amongst these categories you can find titles by Jonathan Ames, Gary Baseman, Richard Brautigan, Chuck Klosterman, Daniel Clowes and Mark Ryden to name a few.

Then there are the records - more than 1000 brand-new titles from around the globe. Expect new releases from Spoon, The Shins, Laura Marling and Ryan Adams. The record rack also includes jazz, soul, hip-hop and electronica.

Most of the items are results of Crouch’s personal tastes combined with different pieces he has discovered during his travels locally and abroad.