Review: ARTBOX Shop London

Name: ARTBOX

Type: Gift Shop

Location: Covent Garden, London

Adress: 44-46 Shelton St, London WC2H 9HZ

Website: https://www.artbox.co.uk/

As I'm sure you know, a key part of showing that you are a member of the kawaii culture is through aesthetics. One method being by replacing all your common belongings with ones covered in your favourite cartoon characters, then decorating those belongings (and even yourself!) with further colourful accessories until you are a walking pastel rainbow! ARTBOX is a shop where you can find all of these.

Inside you can find plushies, stationary, plastic crockery, stickers, and more in the form of all your favourite brands such as Sanrio, Pusheen, BT21, and others! There is even a collection of Asian treats, then a small range of clothes and other wearable accessories hidden at the back of the shop, and a few bags on top of the shelfs so look out for those. Now, as with any merchandise or item bought in London, you should be expecting for rather high prices for what an item looks like it should cost. While I thought I could find the same item for cheaper online, there are a lot of rare or exclusive items in the shop that even ARTBOX themselves don't sell online. Also, it is one of those shops where you understand visiting a place like this is hard to come by, therefore feel compelled to buy something. So make sure to bring your pocket money and set yourself a limit to spend because just letting you know that you will probably definitely buy at least like... a pen... or a £50 T-Shirt dress... or a £600 Pusheen jumbo plushie...

I would say the layout of the shop has been well planned out to make efficient use of the small space they have been given. With shelfs around the walls and an island rack of shelves in the middle, you can start heading to the left and follow the whole thing round - or go round this route in circles many times like I do because I'm so indecisive and need to see everything about five times before I make a decision. While the shelves are absolutely full of hundreds of different items, it doesn't feel overwhelming as everything is organised in terms of brand and type, therefore making it easy to access the area and type of items you want. Consequently due to this organisation, the displays are quite aesthetic too as the different sections often have synergy of a specific colour, which could even be quite the picturesque photograph.

Is it accessible for people with disabilities? Not so sure on this one. The entrance is two steps up through the rather narrow doorway, then the space between the shelves is quite narrow. I reckon you could get a wheelchair or a frame inside with help after lifting it in and just about move around the space. I will admit it can feel quite claustrophobic with the high, packed shelves with giant plushies looming over you, and especially during the pandemic of Covid 19 as it is quite hard to social distance. To combat this they do have a member of staff at the door holding a bottle of hand sanitiser, ensuring that you wear a mask, reminding you to social distance, and managing how many people inside as there is currently a limit. However, if you have a lot of things with you to carry, such as other shopping bags, or many people in your group, it may be preferable that people who are not so keen to go in stay waiting outside. This is what happened recently when I visited with my honorary bag holder - uh, I mean cousin.

One of my favourite things about coming here though isn't even the huge range of merchandise that you can choose from. I love the atmosphere created by the people you find at ARTBOX. The staff always seems so friendly and positive and knowledgeable about the store and what they have in stock. Whenever I have a question they are quick to answer it, and are up for making friendly conversation. They also can wear whatever they like, which as you can imagine is kawaiiii! I've seen them representing themselves in a range of different Harajuku inspired styles or with anime merchandise. Also, of course the customers are much alike in this aspect which is an enjoyable thing to see, but also gives me such a happy and calm feeling while I am surrounded by other people who enjoy dressing a bit like me and have similar interests. It's just a nice place to go where briefly what you do and who you are makes total sense. Go and embrace the essence of kawaii!!

I'll be honest, it took me a long time to discover this place - a lot longer than it should have. I feel it is London's best kept kawaii secret as I've been to Covent Garden countless times throughout my life yet never knew this was there! And that is because if you are sticking to the main centre of Covent Garden, you are in the wrong place. However, this is easy to do as there is so much going on in Covent Garden to keep you occupied. So, this little shop designed for a niche audience is in quite high competition to its local high end makeup shops, fancy eateries, and bubble-space-invasive street performers. It's a little shop inside an old building on the corner at the very end of a quaint street off Covent Garden, which, although with it's giant plush toys displayed in the window, is surprisingly easy to miss! So stick on Google Maps and walk your way to this shop - you won't regret it. While ARTBOX have an online shop, I think it is such a worthwhile experience to enter the physical shop. Imagine the joy you will feel surrounded by all this happiness! As you step inside this merchandise dreamscape, it feels a little bit like the boring outside world just disappears for 20 minutes - very refreshing indeed.

I hope you enjoyed reading my first ever blog post and review on Kawaii Travels! Please comment below and check out the forums to tell me what you think about ARTBOX London! Also recommend places I should visit and review next, or other topics you want us to talk about. Make sure to subscribe and become a member to stay tuned when we have a new upload. Have fun on your kawaii journeys!

xx Fairie from Kawaii Travels

Figure 1: Some Pusheen plushies I purchased from this store.

Figure 2: A glimpse of the inside of ARTBOX London. (Mulholland, 2019)

Figure 3: Some polaroids I took of ARTBOX London.

Reference List:

Mulholland, S. (2019) Available at: http://www.theldngal.co.uk/lifestyle-reviews-and-news/travel-guides/uk-days-out/best-things-to-do-in-london/pusheen-artbox-covent-garden-london/

Mulholland

Mulholland