Mean Girls mugs and botanical prints: Inside Norwich’s new independent shop

Mean Girls mugs and movie insult posters. These items are on sale at No.31 from local artist Corblimey. Picture: Facebook/No.31 (Image: Facebook/No.31)

Vicki Johnson and Ali Cottrell have opened No 31, a shop selling printed products designed by them and other local artists.

The pair - which go by business names Printer Johnson and Wild - have opened the shop in St Augustines Street as it was a "natural progression" for their businesses.

Ms Johnson said: "We both do a lot of trade shows as well as selling online, and when this came up it was just too good of an opportunity to miss.

MORE: Inside Nourish, the new cafe serving up bullet proof coffee and edible flowers"Of course we were a bit nervous because of the state of the high street at the moment, but I think as long as you're clear in what you're doing and know what you're offering then you'll succeed."

David Attenborough prints on sale at No.31. Picture: No.31 (Image: No.31)

She went on: "Norwich has a strong trend of backing independents, and there are a lot in this area. I think it's because we have quite a young audience who like to buy things that are unique and shop differently."

On sale in store is everything from 'Old Person Smell' candles to Frieda Pinto greetings cards.

"We've got big plans for next year," Ms Johnson went on. "We'd like to start doing more in-store exclusives. Currently you can get some of my prints in-store which you can't get online, but we'd like to expand that.

"We're also looking at getting a central table where we can feature the work of other local artists."

(L-R) Ali Cottrell and Vicki Johnson of Wild and Johnson Press, have opened the shop. Picture: No.31 (Image: No.31)

The pair said that the independent retail community on St Augustines was a big factor in taking up the tenancy.

"The community down here is very supportive of each other," said Ms Johnson. "I think we would look at moving into the city centre but it's a lot more expensive there.

"Here our start-up costs were in the low hundreds. We didn't have to buy a lot of extra stock because we both had so much from trade shows, and we had a lot of the furniture for the same reason."

No.31 is open from noon to 6pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am to 6pm on Saturdays.

No.31 has opened in St Augustines Street, selling printed goods designed by local artists. Picture: No.31 (Image: No.31)

Inside No.31 in Norwich. Picture: No.31 (Image: No.31)

Some of the products on offer at No.31. Picture: No.31 (Image: No.31)