Folklore Home Store opened its doors in historic Clyde five years ago spearheaded by the simple principle of owners Todd and Sarah Sisson to stock beautiful objects that they personally loved. 

This philosophy has resulted in an ever-evolving range of products crafted predominantly from natural materials and the store has become known for its authentic range designed for the home.

“We adore one-offs and even though we haven’t been able to travel abroad for two years we’re still sourcing wonderful pieces from our trusted suppliers such as a recent import consignment of marble onyx and petrified wood items,” says Todd. “We don’t believe in throw away consumerism and that’s why we like natural materials. They are beautiful, enduring and tend to last a lifetime if looked after.”

Folklore is a purpose-built store with an appealing Holloway Street frontage and adjoining gallery space that displays Todd and Sarah’s own award-winning landscape photography.

“ There have been many memorable moments and one has been our store manager of five years Bec Black who is sadly leaving in January – certainly hiring the right people can be transformative for a business like ours,” says Todd. “Covid-19 has also had its impact most particularly forcing us to pivot more towards our online Folklore store business – a sales channel that has grown exponentially for us since the 2021 lockdowns.”

 “Online shopping is both convenient and entertaining for our customers and is clearly meeting a need that can’t be fulfilled through traditional shopping. Literally thousands of people a day are searching for unique products which is why Folklore attracts so many.”

Currently everything that is available online at www.folklorestore.co.nz  can also be purchased at the Folklore store in Clyde and he says there are many interesting items that do not appear online making it well worth visiting the store.

“We continue to build on an offering that has year-round appeal so we have invested heavily in expanding our range of Japanese ceramics and there are beautiful displays of these instore.”

“It wasn’t until a couple years ago that we gradually became aware that people were beginning to make a special trip to Clyde just to visit Folklore which is genuinely an honour and one that is quite humbling,” says Todd. “It’s also good to know that we are contributing to the growth of Clyde as a visitor destination – we are very lucky to have landed in this special little village.”