Small Stories

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Small Stories Small Stories is a shop in Hay-on-Wye selling useful and beautiful wares and printed matter from small makers around the world.

Winter opening:
Open every day, except Tuesday. Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 10.30—4;
Sat 10.30—5; Sun 11—3
(Closed Tue)

What a difference 2 years (and 2 months) make. We forgot to celebrate our second birthday. So, a belated thank you to ev...
06/06/2026

What a difference 2 years (and 2 months) make. We forgot to celebrate our second birthday. So, a belated thank you to everyone who has passed through, said hello, stopped for a chat, bought something, and even another something. And equally to the talented makers and friends who have helped us grow our idea. It’s been a joy sharing this with you.

x

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Good morning—the sun has finally reached the dark side of the street and it’s been lovely to catch up with returning Hay...
23/05/2026

Good morning—the sun has finally reached the dark side of the street and it’s been lovely to catch up with returning Hay Festival and HowTheLightGetsIn Festival goers over the past couple of days. It’s a special time in Hay when the whole town comes to life, so come and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the brilliant fringe events put on by our neighbours .sorting.office and many other townspeople—even if you don’t have tickets to the main events. We’re here every day over the bank holiday (and throughout the festivals) from 10/10.30 until 5–6. Despite the glimmers of sunshine in the shop, it remains cool on this side of the street, so come and say hello if you need a bit of respite from the heat or the crowds :)!

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Here we go Hay Festival.
21/05/2026

Here we go Hay Festival.

It’s a kind of magic. A trickle of conversations, WhatsApp messages and trips over months slowly evolves into a full sho...
16/05/2026

It’s a kind of magic. A trickle of conversations, WhatsApp messages and trips over months slowly evolves into a full shop :)!

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A different view of the shop in the late afternoon sun—from behind the counter, where we’re back in position after a wee...
18/04/2026

A different view of the shop in the late afternoon sun—from behind the counter, where we’re back in position after a week away in Morocco. Thank you to Daisy for keeping things running so fantastically while we were gone. The sun is shining (intermittently) and the shop is full… our second collection of kanthas this year has just arrived, along with a new selection of Indian crafts and some handmade Romanian enamelware. We’re open all weekend… come and say hi if you’re in Hay :)!

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Wishing you a happy and peaceful Easter from Hay-on-Wye. We’ll be open from 10.30 today (Saturday), before handing over ...
04/04/2026

Wishing you a happy and peaceful Easter from Hay-on-Wye. We’ll be open from 10.30 today (Saturday), before handing over to Daisy who will be keeping the doors open while we head to Fes for a family break, to catch up with some makers… and hopefully stumble across some new discoveries. x

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What’s in the shop… (1) A new collection of hand-built stoneware ‘sunshine’ cups from Nicola Farrington in Wales, sat al...
28/03/2026

What’s in the shop… (1) A new collection of hand-built stoneware ‘sunshine’ cups from Nicola Farrington in Wales, sat alongside our latest selection of vintage kantha quilts and cushions from India—bringing some spring colour into the shop. Talking of which, we have a growing range of non-disposable/long-lasting/more sustainable household products (2). Personal favourites are the Spot-Gone stick (an effective and more natural alternative to chemical stain removers), recycled scouring pads (cutting them into two or four pieces makes them super economical) and our new wire fly swatters (we haven’t tried these out yet, but they swat flies without leaving marks on the wall… or you can just shoo them away). And over in the window corner, we have added lots of small press zines, journals and books to the book shelves (3)—spanning travel, culture, creativity, community, food and environment from around the world. Standouts for us are Preserve Journal (dedicated to the exploration of a more sustainable, responsible, and regenerative food culture), Una Piscina Geopolítica (a project with an incredible amount of visual and written data on how private pools in a water-scarce part of Spain reflect land speculation and lifestyle change), and an archive collection of UK rave flyers, 1991–1996. Come say hello if you’re passing x

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Some new things this week(1) Kantha cushions in four designs—this set is 30x50cm, so they’ll bring a hit of colour witho...
21/03/2026

Some new things this week
(1) Kantha cushions in four designs—this set is 30x50cm, so they’ll bring a hit of colour without taking over a space. We’ve also restocked our olive oil soaps, traditionally made in Aleppo. We have options with laurel oil (naturally antiseptic and anti-inflammatory—we’ve found it especially soothing for problematic skin) and black cumin, which is also gentle and suitable head to toe.
(2) New kantha wall—we’ve panelled the back of the shop so our quilts can all be pegged up for easier sifting.
(3 & 4) Some new additions to our Turkish enamelware in an assortment of colours: coffee pots, cazuelas and—a personal favourite—this small stovetop pan.

Enjoy the sunshine, hope to see you soon x

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All change down at Lion St… spring has brought a migration of wildlife from India — of the handmade miniature variety — ...
07/03/2026

All change down at Lion St… spring has brought a migration of wildlife from India — of the handmade miniature variety — sent by our friend in Rajasthan. Accompanying them, also from India, is our first Kantha selection of the year. It’s a small collection. We only choose what we’d put in our own home — sounds terribly pompous, but for us it’s a better filter, and simpler than trying to predict what might be popular! As we edge closer to the finish line of a prolonged house renovation, we’ve been taking a few moments to pretend we live in a minimalist interior heaven and take some photographs of this milestone (see previous post). Not real life, obviously – our house is actually an obstacle course of Lego and cobwebs. But putting clutter into something makes it feel a little less like clutter. Our recycled laundry and storage bags, made by a family network in Cambodia, are very good at that. Likewise, we’re big fans of these cotton wash bags from India – another small way of bringing a semblance of containment.

Elsewhere, we have a new range of French linen tea towels and aprons — stonewashed for extra softness and absorbency. We’re also very happy to have expanded our range of handmade recycled decorative wrapping papers which have just arrived from India.

Oh, and we’re now open every day from 10.30 (11 on Sundays). x

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A few of our favourite things…Morning sunlight(after the last couple of months, number one by some distance)Indian block...
06/03/2026

A few of our favourite things…

Morning sunlight
(after the last couple of months, number one by some distance)

Indian block-print fabric
(curtain very kindly stitched for us by )

Repurposed sardine-tin coffee caddy
(beautifully patinated after years of heavy use)

Olive boards from Morocco

Indian stainless steel grain container / bread bin

Moroccan glasses and ‘Negroni’ jug

Green marbled enamel platter
(elevates anything on the table)

Can’t claim the sunshine, but everything else courtesy of the shop :)!

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Address

3 Lion Street

HR35AA

Opening Hours

Monday 10:30 - 17:00
Tuesday 10:30 - 17:00
Wednesday 10:30 - 17:00
Thursday 10:30 - 17:00
Friday 10:30 - 17:00
Saturday 10:30 - 17:00
Sunday 11:00 - 16:00

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