Member Article

Handbag Clinic opens in Islington

A handbag hospital has opened its second London store.

Handbag Clinic, which cleans and restores handbags from some of the world’s most renowned designers, has opened in Islington.

The firm opened on Chelsea’s Kings Road last year and, such has been the demand for its specialist services, it has now launched in Camden Passage, Islington.

As well as giving designer handbags a complete overhaul, Handbag Clinic also sources and sells vintage and pre-loved bags from the likes of Hermes, Chanel, Celine and Louis Vuitton.

Every day, the company’s restoration experts provide TLC to bags worth tens of thousands of pounds, offering everything from a handbag clean to a full re-colour. Handbag Clinic also restores Christian Louboutin red soles.

Handbag Clinic MD Ben Staerck said: “We’ve been absolutely thrilled by the response to our Chelsea store and wanted to make it easier for customers in north London to visit us.

“We’ve been searching for the right premises in Islington for some time now so we’re delighted to be able to announce we’re opening in Camden Passage. Renowned for its independent boutiques, antique shops and jewellery stores, it’s the perfect location for Handbag Clinic.”

The firm has completely refitted the Islington store, which was previously a blow dry bar. The 5,000sq ft shop is set over two floors, which have both been transformed into repair and sales space.

Three new members of staff have been recruited for the new store, while a further four employees have also been taken on to carry out cleaning and restoration work.

Ben added: “We’re experiencing huge demand for our services in our existing stores and we’re expecting interest to be high in Islington too. This area of London is renowned for its love of vintage so we’re anticipating a lot of enquiries from owners of pre-loved and vintage accessories who want us to revive them.

“We’ve previously taken on all sorts of restoration and repair work, including a Hermes bag from a lady who wanted the pink Hermes Birkin but didn’t want to put her name on the waiting list. Instead, she bought a tan bag and we completely changed the colour, including re-stitching to make sure the thread matched the new shade.”

Handbag Clinic buyer Charlotte Staerck uses her extensive contacts worldwide to source previously owned designer handbags, which will go on sale in Islington.

The firm was first established in August 2013. It already has stores on Kings Road and Mosley Street, Newcastle. Handbag Clinic has swiftly become a favourite of celebrity clients, including the Made in Chelsea cast, reality TV star Imogen Thomas and Daily Mail columnist Liz Jones.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Liz Hands .