The Story Behind Radical Living

People often ask me how I ended up opening Radical Living. The truth is, I don't think it was ever really a decision. Looking back, it feels like I was always heading here.

As a little girl, I was obsessed with playing shops. I'd line every single one of my toys up in perfectly straight rows and spend hours arranging them until they looked just right. I'd make my family walk around and "buy" things while I carefully served them, rearranged displays and imagined what my own little shop might look like one day.

I didn't realise it then, but I wasn't just playing. I was dreaming.

Even now, when I'm styling a display in the shop or curating a new collection, I sometimes think back to that little girl. It turns out she knew exactly what she wanted all along.

Creativity has always been part of who I am

Art was always my favourite subject at school, so when it came to choosing what to study at university, it was a complete no-brainer. I loved the freedom to create, experiment and bring ideas to life.

But university wasn't just about studying. My best friend and I started our very first business together, Book Ends, selling vintage books at Brick Lane Market in East London. If you've ever picked up a box of old hardback books, you'll know they're incredibly heavy! Every market day meant an early start, hauling box after box across London before the sun was even up before carefully creating our little bookshop for the day.It was hard work, but we had a ball!

Some of my happiest memories are from those weekends. Meeting wonderful people and chatting with customers. There was such a wonderful community at the market, and it gave me my first real taste of what running a small business could be like.

Alongside Book Ends, I also created More Amelia, my own vintage fashion label. Those early businesses taught me lessons I still carry with me today. They gave me confidence, showed me the joy of connecting with customers and proved that there was nothing more rewarding than building something from the ground up.

The job I thought I wanted

After university, I worked hard to become a buyer at Arcadia. At the time, it felt like the career I was supposed to want. I learnt an incredible amount about buying, trends and retail, and those lessons have stayed with me to this day.

But something never felt right. The culture wasn't one I believed in. The way the business was run, its ethics and its leadership simply didn't align with my own values. Every day I found myself feeling further away from the kind of business I wanted to build.

Working there taught me something incredibly important. I didn't want to build somebody else's dream. I wanted to build my own.

Radical Living begins

Leaving Arcadia wasn't the end of something. It was the beginning. That's when the idea for Radical Living was born.

Like so many small businesses, it started with a huge amount of hope and not a huge amount of money. We launched a crowdfunding campaign and, thanks to the incredible generosity of people who believed in the idea, we raised £6,000.

To this day, I still feel incredibly grateful for every single person who supported us. That belief gave Radical Living its very first chance.

With that support, we were able to carefully curate our very first collection of products and begin bringing the vision for Radical Living to life.

Then came one of our biggest milestones. Against the odds, we secured permanent pitches at both Old Spitalfields Market and Broadway Market in London, something that's notoriously difficult to achieve. It felt like real validation that people believed in what we were creating.

Those years shaped me. They were early mornings, late nights, freezing winter weekends, carrying stock across London, setting up before sunrise, chatting with customers all day and packing everything away again long after the markets had closed.

It was exhausting. It was exciting. And I absolutely loved it.

Those markets taught me more than I could ever have learnt in an office. I met incredible customers, that we still have till this day. Discovered talented independent makers and learnt what it really means to run a small business. Every weekend I wasn't just selling products. I was building Radical Living.

The dream that never changed

As much as I loved the markets, there was always one dream that never left me.

The shop. I wanted to create a welcoming space where people could slow down, browse at their own pace and discover products with a story behind them. I wanted to create a special and sensory experience for my customers. A place where every item had been thoughtfully chosen.

A place where customers could meet the makers, hear their stories and understand the love, skill and craftsmanship behind everything they bought. A place that celebrated independent businesses.

Six years ago, that dream finally became a reality. Opening Radical Living was one of the proudest and most terrifying moments of my life.

There have been plenty of sleepless nights, moments of self-doubt and challenges that people never see behind the scenes. Running an independent business is one of the hardest things I've ever done. But it's also been the most rewarding.

Watching someone find the perfect gift. Seeing a customer fall completely in love with a handmade piece. Watching complete strangers become familiar faces, then friends. Seeing independent makers thrive because people have chosen to support their work. Those moments make every challenge worthwhile.

Why independent makers?

People often ask why supporting independent makers is at the heart of Radical Living. The answer is simple. Because I know what it feels like to start with an idea and hope that somebody believes in it.

I know what it feels like to take a chance on a dream. Behind every handmade mug, every candle, every piece of jewellery, every artwork and every garment is a real person. Someone who has poured hours, days and often years into perfecting their craft. Someone who celebrates every order. Someone who has probably questioned whether to keep going at some point.

When you choose to buy from an independent maker, you're supporting so much more than a product. You're supporting a dream. And that's exactly what Radical Living has always been about.

Thank you

If you've ever stepped through our door, placed an online order, joined one of our workshops, recommended us to a friend, followed along on social media or simply stopped for a chat, thank you.

Every single bit of support means more than you'll ever know.

Lot's of love, Milly x