Nordic Cafe at ARKET Liverpool

We welcome the new ARKET store to Liverpool. The doors officially opened at 12pm on 18.08 but we were invited in for a little preview the day before. The store looks fantastic, and it's a great addition to the city – finally giving the brand a strong Northern presence – but we did end up spending most of our time in the beautiful cafe up front.

If you visit the store soon you'd be excused if you don't make it far past the coffee shop. The smell of Swedish cinnamon buns, dark roast coffee and Nordic-inspired pickle-filled flatbreads is a winning combination, and one to go back for.

ARKET Liverpool, 91-92 Paradise Street, L1 8FJ, UK.

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Outfit | Red Wing Boots + Becoming More Open as a Blogger

Blacksmith Boots c/o Red Wing | Albam x MR PORTER Jeans | Sunspel Sweatshirt | Barbour Jacket | Messenger Bag c/o Trakke | Ace&Tate Sunglasses | Timex Watch | CHUP Socks

Since the middle of Summer I've had a slight shift in my thinking as a blogger. I've become more open to discussing the finer details of how it all works; you know, the details that not everyone is so forthcoming with. I've talked taxes with Kristabel, the struggles of starting out as a freelancer with Jordan, negotiating for projects with John, building communities with Lucie, and the hot subject of people buying followers on Instagram with Nik.

Being more open has had a positive affect (I'm planning to write a post on this soon) on the way I work and my day-to-day life. It's given me an extra drive to collaborate with like-minded people and create solid content for brands that I am truly passionate about. Red Wing Heritage being one of those brands that I am extremely excited to be working with.

One of the recent meet-ups was in Liverpool, to celebrate the launch of Harry Stedman's new exhibition. The launch night was a success; they brought a mixed bag of people together, and it was great to finally meet the guys at Jocks&Nerds. The next day myself + Jordan had a free day to explore to city. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give my new Red Wing Blacksmith boots their first full outing.

 Jordan has just turned freelance, read his post here

Red Wing at Weavers Door, Liverpool

The Red Wing Blacksmith boot is a little bit different to my usual style, with an overall smarter appearance than my much-loved Moc Toe boots. The durable Vibram mini-lug sole makes them a solid choice for our wet British winter, and with a 6 inches of height it makes them an ideal boot for when I travel anywhere colder.

The original idea behind the Blacksmith boot was to create a style that was rugged and hardwearing enough to withstand a day of labour, but be elegant enough to be cleaned up after work for an evening down the town. Now that's some versatility I can get on board with!

Red Wing's Rough + Tough leather breezed through a day of coffee, food and some of my favourite locations in Liverpool with no effort at all. But then again, they were built for traditional Blacksmiths, so I reckon the boots will be able to take a few spills of 92 Degrees coffee with no issues at all...! A few months of hard wear, along with the staple Albam denim, should give the Blacksmith boots the perfect patina.

It was a day well spent. Liverpool is an incredibly friendly city, and showing Jordan around some of my favourite places really did make me want to stay for longer. We're already planning to meet up in another city soon, that may not happen until little down the road, but it will give me a chance to properly wear these boots in good 'n' proper.

Thanks for reading, let me know your thoughts!

Photography by Jordan Bunker.

This post is in collaboration with Red Wing Heritage. Thank you for taking the time to support the brands + businesses that make this blog happen.

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Outfit | Harry Stedman AW15 in Liverpool

One of the best things about social media is the friends we make, and the relationships that come out of it. I met the gang from Harry Stedman just over a year ago - does anyone remember when they visited us up in Blackpool? - and since then we've kept in touch, and become pretty decent buddies. What started as a working relationship has turned into pints down the local pub, working on small projects, and visiting one of the original cities that the brand takes its main inspiration from. Liverpool.

The Harry Stedman brand is based on, and inspired by a working class hero; a traveller, military hand, labourer and true inspiration - and was created by his son + grandson, Phil + Rick. We visited Harry's hometown of Liverpool (Harry now happily retired in my hometown of Blackpool, Lancashire), to explore some of the places where Harry may have visited as a kid. The AW15 collection takes inspiration from Harry's time spend at the dockyards of the UK, and his time spent working in New York; with Ivy League-influenced varsity jackets + sweats, hard-wearing harrington, deck jackets + smocks, work shirts, and heavy jersey layers.

The current Harry Stedman collection is available here. Also see our Independent Guide to Liverpool.

Location - Liverpool Met Cathedral, Pen Factory, 92Degrees + Crosby Beach.
Styled by Ryan Lee of Harry Stedman + Matthew Pike
Photography by Jake Millers.

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Giveaway | Tickets to Explore Glasgow c/o Enterprise

Last month, we were lucky enough to visit Liverpool (view our City Guide here), courtesy of Enterprise, Official Rent-A-Car of the UEFA Europa League, to explore the city and get a VIP match day experience. Now Enterprise Rent-A-Car is offering Buckets & Spades readers the chance to explore another one of the UK's most famous cities - Glasgow!

To be in with a chance of winning VIP Match Day Assist courtesy of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, for Celtic FC vs. AFC Ajax (26th November, at Celtic Park) in the UEFA Europa League, with exclusive seats, chauffeur driven, hotel, hospitality and even post-match press conference access, simply head to our Instagram page and LIKE this image!

Terms + Conditions can be found here. Best of luck.

The winner of this giveaway is Loft Trading. Full details here.

City Guide | Discovering Independent Liverpool

Accompanied by Enterprise Rent-A-Car we spent a couple of days exploring Liverpool and discovering what unique shops, restaurants, bars, sights and true characters the 2008 European Capital of Culture has to offer.


Life is so much better when you take the time to search decent things out. Take pumpkin beer, for instance. Mat’s been hankering for some for ages, but as it doesn’t seem that popular here in the UK, it’s been a hard find. Even BrewDog Liverpool - that shining beacon of choice for beer - almost failed to provide; but there, nestled at the back of the fridge, were the last couple of bottles. A pumpkin beer found and downed - and, with it, Mat’s number one priority for the day ticked off the list.


We were in Liverpool for a project with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. They’d invited us up to watch a Liverpool FC game in the UEFA Europa League; but, more than that, they wanted us to take our time, explore the city and discover its independent spirit. Strange, you might think for a big car company headquartered all the way away in the US of A; however, Enterprise is a family-owned business, so they understand the passion, commitment, and effort independent businesses put into their work.


When visiting any city, a little bit of research goes a long way. It’s easy to print off a top 5 list from TripAdvisor; but, in doing so, you miss out on a lot. Armed with a City Map produced by the Independent Map Company, which we picked up back in April, we delved a little deeper.

Store Visit...Weavers Door, Liverpool

 Weavers Door, Liverpool.

Northern Goods Co. sitting alongside Universal Works, Mr. Natty, Uniform Wares and Mamnick!

Located down the twists and turns of Cavern Walks in Liverpool is a small menswear store, with a big presence, heaps of personality and a dedicated following.  In fact, the location of Weavers Door is perfect, it's far enough off the busy highstreet to be considered a hidden gem but close enough to one of Liverpool's most historical and culturally relevant areas.

Last week I took the opportunity to catch an early train down to Liverpool, to shoot the shop for a Store Visit...feature. Liverpool is one of my favourite places to visit so I'll take any excuse for a day out there. It's one of the first places myself and Hollie took a day trip too, I've lost count of how many exhibitions and gigs we've attended over the years. 

Since opening in 2010 Weavers Door has been providing the city with something that is was missing; a menswear store that not only stocks established, quality brands but also carefully chosen independents and exciting up-and-coming labels. This little space of Liverpool boasts a brand list that could rival any; Barbour, Edwin, Folk, Norse Projects, Oliver Spencer, Our Legacy, Red Wing, Sunspel and Universal Works to name a few. They've also been keen to work with independents such as Sheffield's Mamnick and now our label, Northern Goods Co.!

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I caught up with Weavers Door store manager, Lee Fleming over cup of coffee from Duke Street Espresso Bar. We chatted brands, music, Liverpool and future collaborations;

Buckets + Spades - You mentioned you've been going since 2010, how do you think the menswear market has progressed since then and how do you stay ahead of the game?

Lee Fleming - I suppose I only have a limited viewpoint with regards the change of the menswear market but with regards to where Weavers Door is positioned; I definitely find men of all ages are  more concerned about their appearance and clothing choices. Quality is always at the forefront for us, everyone is a lot more 'clued up' and therefore are careful and their decisions are well considered. 

B+S - Just being a stone's throw away from the busy high street, Weaver Door really does stand out from the crowd in terms of menswear competition. What has been the reaction from the public and do you see a lot of repeat custom? 

LF - Weavers Door is tucked away on Harrington Street, it's not too far away from the main trading streets but we have definitely found we're become a destination store. Our customers enjoy the notion that our brand mix is unique to Weavers Door, every garment hanging on a rail is well considered. Our regulars are key to our business, we know everyone personally and appreciate their ongoing support since we opened. I believe they enjoy Weavers Door for more than the clothing, we work very hard as a small team to create a experience for our customers, from our customer service, product knowledge and in store events.

B+S - Liverpool city itself has a real sense of community and there's definitely been a rise in independents, have you been working with any other local business or projects?

LF - Liverpool is definitely seeing a change in the city, where independents are realising they are unique, but by connecting with each other the independent way of living becomes more visible. We are fortunate to have close relationships with other independents such as Bold Street Coffee, Camp & Furnace, Santa Chupitos and Berry & Rye. The Weavers Door Journal has a direct influence to these formed relationships with the local community. We are always looking to collaborate to highlight the best Liverpool has to offer.

B+S - What's in store for Weavers Door this coming AW? Have you bought any new brands in, which are you excited about?

LF - We are really excited for Autumn/Winter 13 and what it has in store for Weavers Door. We had increased our offering for our current brand mix alongside introducing technical outdooring from Patagonia, knitwear specialists John Smedley, Italian Bootmakers Fracap, Sneaker supremos Nike and Converse.

Swing by if you're ever in the area. Weavers Door, 1 Caven Walk, Harrington Street, Liverpool, L2. 

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