Shops / Shop of the Week
Shop of the week: Flux, Cotham Hill
Tucked away amongst the bustling fancy restaurants on Cotham Hill is an unsuspecting minimalist facade.
A brief glance might discern nothing, but from the vantage point of one of the pleasant tables outside on the pedestrianised street, your vision might be drawn to a geometric glass cabinet or a swirling ceramic bowl in the window.
This is the world of Flux, a modern jewellery and art gallery, which offers a diverse range of artistic wares, from Bristol and beyond, as well as classes and workshops on smithery and design.
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The store, which opened in 2016 near the Bristol Royal Infirmary, moved to Cotham Hill in 2022, to provide a new space for “beautifully handmade things from across the country and Bristol”. The owner Sarah McCallum explains: “I wanted to represent more than just Bristol. We choose from further afield.”
That’s not to say that Flux isn’t rooted in the city – most of its painters are Bristol-based – but what Flux excels in is finding the very highest talent, including artists who go on to win national and international awards.
Flux on Cotham Hill also offers jewellery and smithery classes, led by Sarah McCallum – photo: Morien Robertson
Stepping into the shop, you’re immediately greeted by an explosion of colour and shapes: artworks that sit somewhere between abstract expressionism and cubism; huge vases bedecked with sand and stones.
The products don’t come cheap, and Flux is openly an upmarket destination, aiming to offer the best of the best. In this it’s certainly well-located, with all of Cotham Hill becoming ever more popular and in-demand.
Flux looks for original and exciting contemporary art, with a penchant for bold colours and abstraction – photo: Morien Robertson
Sarah and Jordan, the gallery manager, both enthuse about the road: “It’s such a great street to be on, it’s so well-connected, with great transport links, and the best ice cream shop in the world.”
She’s become particularly recognisable in the area due to her dog, Tallulah, which has taken to carrying her wallet around in her mouth.
Despite Sarah’s love for them, dogs present a particular challenge to the store, not being bound by the same norms of decorum and care as the other customers: Flux has had to stop admitting them, after a few expensive accidents.
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It goes beyond being a place from where you can brighten your house. Flux offers weekly classes on making jewellery, from beginners to more advanced sessions, in a workshop studio hidden behind the till.
Sarah has been jeweling for 24 years, but admits that “you never stop learning”.
“There’s so much to learn, and if you don’t practice all the time some things fall to the side.”
Sarah and Jordan run the shop, with help from Sarah’s dog, Tallulah
All Photos: Morien Robertson
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