We love to tell you all about the joys on our happy shelves, but maybe (as we’re friends) it would be good to tell you a little about ourselves too! The people who own the shop, love the shop, tidy the shop, chat to all our lovely customers and enjoy a cup of tea and a biscuit together everyday.
Firstly, the heads of the family, Spencer Thorn owners Chris & Sarah Pringle:
Chris Pringle
Chris is our book king. He knows all there is to know about books and looks after our wonderful customers to the highest degree.
Always looking perfectly put together and with the best stories to boot, we all love Mr P.
As the whole Spencer Thorn gang is obsessed with all things Jellycat, we’ve each chosen our kindred Jellycat to represent us here. And Mr P has chosen Ricky Rain Frog as his Jellycat doppelganger! We’ll let you decide if this gloriously green loveable grump is a fair representation or not…!
Sarah Pringle
Lovely Sarah’s Mum started Spencer Thorn in 1968 as a way to provide her daughter with beautiful books!
Now, Sarah is the genius behind all of the gift buying for the shop: you have her to thank for the amazing array of beautiful things on our shelves.
She looks after us all with her huge heart and knows just how to make the shop look perfectly put together.
Sarah’s perfect Jellycat pal: Amuseable Oats
Emily Colwill
Emily is the walking embodiment of what the Spencer Thorn ethos is all about. She’s kind, loving, vivacious and knows all the best (and sometimes weirdest) things to read and watch.
Emily’s captivating way with words and images brings our happy little shop to digital life and we have her to thank for our unique and much-loved social media treasure trove.
Emily’s Jellycat soulmate: Ooky Bat
Kirsty Heslop
Kirst is the kindest, busiest little bee who can sort anything out. She can normally be found with a coffee in her hand, shopping for highland cows or koala related treats (and keeping our greetings cards in check!)
An avid rugby fan, Kirst is an Exeter Chiefs season ticket holder and proudly waves the Scottish flag for international matches.
Kirsty’s favourite Jellycat tipple: Amuseable Coffee-To-Go
Leanne Wilkes
Leanne has the keenest eye for the perfect Jellycat and is a book-sorting whiz. You can usually find her busy making sure we have all the must-have brand new reads and thoroughly shoppable shelves.
She also chooses some great snacks and is a total legend. We all want to hug her but she’s ‘not a hugger’, so we love her from a respectful distance!
Leanne’s most ‘a-peel-ing’ Jellycat: Amuseable Potato
Louise Bishop
What would we do without Louise? Office Manager, organiser and problem-solver extraordinaire, Louise makes sure the shop functions in every way and we’d all be lost without her (and her lovely hugs).
She’s a true friend to us all, and we’re so lucky she is ours!
Louise’s Jellycat representative: Amuseable Boiled Egg Geek
Reb Fell
Magical Rebs is our beautiful woodland sprite, who brings the cleverest of chats and most fascinating book recommendations.
If you like books with Dragons in, or laughing with an utterly wonderful human: she’s your girl. She also makes beautiful origami creations!
Reb’s Jellycat fave is of course: Golden Dragon
Sarah Lewis
Sarah fits right in with her big smile, amazing statement earrings and excitement to tidy Jellycat.
She is an incredible artist, so look out for our stunning woodland window art and the fancy blackboard writing outside the shop next time you come in!
The Amuseable Daffodil Pot is Sarah’s bright and cheerful Jellycat favourite!
Sue Bromell
Wonderful Sue is all of our mums. If we can’t find her happily helping customers at the till, we know she is tidying the shop and making things look beautiful.
Her warmth and phenomenal reading knowledge make the shop a very happy place to be and we’re always glad for a day chatting with the wonder that is smiley Sue.
Sue is summed up perfectly by the irresisibly charming Amuseable Bouquet of Flowers.
Vee Smith
It feels like Vee has always been with us, she so quickly has become such a valued and loved member of our shop family.
She can often be found checking that our gorgeous gift wrap range is stocked for gift presentation perfection! From deep emotional support to silly shopping, we all love a day basking in Vee’s shining light.
The Amuseable Pair Of Toadstools perfectly sum up her down-to-earth, smiley nature.
Bea Barratt
We are very lucky to get little Bea when she is home from University, and we are always very happy to see her smiling face.
Each time she comes back it’s like she’s never been away, as she always hits the ground running and slots straight back into our cosy little team.
Bea is wise beyond her years and can recommend all manner of epic reads; she’s a little gem, just like her favourite Jellycat: Vivacious Vegetable Mushroom