Welcome to Studio B on Substack 💫

By Bethany Rowntree, founder of online store Studio B, and a former buyer. Now I’m bringing you my ‘directory of lovely things’ over on here, giving you the treasure trove that is my brain of print, colour, shopping small and discovering something different!

Hi! I’m super excited to welcome to you this new place, you may already know me from my former online store Studio B, and you can still find me here on Instagram @studio_b_fashion where I’m continuing to post what I’m wearing and what I’m loving… although now I’m saving those secrets for on here! Want to know where something is from? Want to discover new brands, independents, amazing makers and super special pieces, people and places for fashion, home, lifestyle, then HELLO! I am full of shopping secrets 😉 that I can’t wait to share with you (another secret, I think this is my calling!).

I want this to be a really easy place for people to find amazing things, in the words of someone I love, who deleted Instagram (I know, sacrilege! But don’t we kinda want to do that sometimes?) “I want a place where I can find everything I love, and know where to buy it”.

Don’t we all! I’ve always LOVED clothes, but I kinda hate shopping… this is why I decided to set up my own online store six years ago, studiobfashion.com. I wanted an easy place to shop different brands doing things better (starting with my love for Danish brands); I wanted a curated edit, mid price-points, good quality and ‘style over trend’ pieces I’d love for years to come. Buy less, love more!

I’ll just rewind quickly, prior to this I’d worked in fashion, well, forever. For nearly 8 years I worked in buying & merchandising, at Mulberry, Matches, and Anya Hindmarch. I left Anya aged 29, we got our whippet Mabel, since I’d now be working at home (note: don’t get a puppy and start a business at the same time), and then setting up and running Studio B became my whole life for the past 6 years.

I worked myself to the bone (literally, lunch, what’s that?), ran it, grew it, all only me, to the point where I just couldn’t keep going anymore (burnout/breakdown hit hard, more on that here if you want the truth). So! Lighter note, this year I decided I HAD to make a life change, I had to take time out, and ‘pause’ the online store. To recharge, reset, and get back to what I really love and do best… basically finding lovely things! So, now I’m here, Studio B phase 2!

So! What am I offering and how does this newsletter work?

Think of this as a sort of niche independent department store… a place to share all the amazing things I find with links for you to buy them, that aren’t so much the mainstream; for me I cannot see another weekly post on ‘French Girl dressing’ or a monochrome / neutrals edit… in the words of Erica Davies ‘Leopard is a Neutral'!

Oh and the department store has a home floor, a cafe, and a bar that serves a great cocktail! I’ll be sharing with you mostly fashion but other things I love too, and some of my recommendations (who doesn’t love a recco?). There’ll be some exclusive offers along the way too, and you might have a great chat in the caf… hoping to get some guest posts on here too once we get going.

How lovely does this sound for around just £1.50 a week! Not to be a Nana but what can you get for that these days? Won’t this make life easier? Stop scrolling, start specialising.

So! What do you get? What’s in it for you?

I really hope you love this platform, I have so much to give you and really do think this is the best way to give you all my (priceless!) knowledge. Oh, and I will have the odd special incentive from some of my favourite small brands exclusively for paying members too (an extra treat!).

To get the most of this, including ALL the below, you can sign up here to become a paying member (£6.50 a month, less than two flat whites a month!). *Free subscribers only get half the weekly edit and none of the below.

• Full WEEKLY WISHLISTS with shoppable links - all in Studio B style, of course! Once a week. *Free subscribers only get half the edit, and none of the below.

• My SHOPPING SECRETS - sharing my knowledge, a brand or store I love, a new discovery, or a GREAT buy. And some of those secret finds that aren’t tagged on Instagram (the ones I scream at ‘WHO IS SHE!’). Once a week.

• Brand collaborations providing SPECIAL INCENTIVES for YOU! From people I already know, love, and buy from myself. Once a month.

• DAILY DELIGHTS - my spontaneous snippets, you know those things that make the heart beat faster and you instantly have to share! Not every day (don’t worry) but as and when I fall for something special.

• My curated edits, giving you my ‘buyers eye’ on a specific something (event dressing, holiday shop, best boots, sequins for summer etc.)

• Plus, a mix of other topics from time to time, area guides, my fave restaurants, places to stay, home items, affordable art, guest posts and so on (and later in 2024 hopefully shopping events too!).

Thank you! You’ll also be helping build the Studio B community, and by supporting as a paying member you’re keeping this newsletter going… this is my job, think of me as your buyer, you’re buying my brain!

It really does mean so much to me to help you discover different things, share with you all my finds (honestly, it makes me excited!) and along the way connect you with small brands to help support them too, building this into a lovely space. So, here’s a 10% off code if you’d like to join the community today. And come and intro yourself here if you fancy it 😊 I love a chat!!

Get 10% off for 1 year

THANK YOU for your trust, support and wanton need for wonderful things (describing myself here!).