Merry Lou & Jingle Belle

With that bitter cold whipping through Greystones this afternoon, it was the perfect day to take refuge in Lou & Belle’s new pop-up shop on Theatre Lane.

Through that door lies the Narnia effect, except you take leave the winter wickedness behind and step back into a warm and cosy childhood.

Like an oversized toy box, Ali Gibbons’ dream shop-come-true is stuffed full of cuddly goodies and magical memories, as the traditional meets the trailblazing. Where a little wooden trike parks itself up beside baby music boxes that play the themes of Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones alongside hits by the likes of Stevie Wonder and The Doors.

Hard to believe that Ali Gibbons’ childhood plan to open up a Wilma Wonka shop for babies and kids only arrived a little over a year ago. Based in Delgany, and named after Ali and partner David’s young girls, Lou & Belle’s online presence sky-rocketed as this year’s lockdowns took hold and customers from all over the world suddenly found the online boutique.

That Ali’s modus operandi is bringing new and unique children’s brands to Ireland that are not only cool but also sustainable, high quality and made to be passed on from generation to generation meant that word-of-mouth also played a part in Lou & Belle’s success.

And now, people can see these little wonders up close and personal, as Lou & Belle pop-ups on Theatre Lane, right beside The Bear Paw Deli, until December 20th.

Open from 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, Ali took a moment before swinging open those doors to talk kids, quality over quick fix, and, of course, Christmas…

You can check out Lou And Belle’s full range over on their website here, and go follow them on Instagram right about here and Facebook over here.