Having recently relocated to Wells with his family, Joby Carter has opened a new retail experience in Wells which is proving popular with anyone who has a love of letters and hand painted items.
The pop-up shop opened on Sunday 17 November will remain open until Christmas 2024. Open from 10-5pm Monday to Friday and 10-4pm on Sundays.
Shop location:
23a Broad St
Wells
Somerset
BA5 2DJ
(next to South West Schoolwear Wells (formerly Identity Kits).
Joby says:
It’s quite unusual for signwriters to open a shop so I’m looking forward to being able to showcase this skill to a wider audience. Wells is a lovely part of the country and everyone is so friendly here.
I’ll be demonstrating most days or other signwriters will be there if I’m not in the shop. People can see traditional signwriting taking place and we can spread the love of this craft.
What can you buy in Joby Carter’s pop-up signwriting shop in Wells?
Joby is one of the world’s leading experts in traditional signwriting with over 30 years experience in signwriting, fancy lettering and fairground art and is a highly skilled decorative artist. His pop-up signwriting shop will combine a range of hand painted gifts and signwriting books and supplies alongside live demonstrations throughout the day.
Joby has long been an advocate for promoting traditional skills in a digital age and for many years he was well known as the owner of Carters Steam Fair, the world’s largest travelling vintage funfair. The fair was enjoyed by millions of visitors over the years, and it showcased traditional fairground art and flamboyant lettering styles which Joby has become famous for. The fair stopped touring in 2022 which allowed Joby to focus on championing traditional signwriting skills. He has published two books: Signwriting tips, tricks and inspiration and All the Fonts of The Fair, both of which are available in the pop-up shop to buy. The shop is packed full of eye-catching hand painted lettering, much of which has been inspired by a lifetime of travelling the fair. Items are available at a variety of price points from fun fridge magnets to higher value hand painted letter art.
Here are a few highlights:
Hand painted letter art
For Joby’s second book, All the Fonts of the Fair, he embarked upon a huge creative project which spanned three years. His aim was to provide a reference book for fancy lettering styles, many of which were either found at traditional British fairgrounds up until the 1960s or are inspired by the work of the great fairground artists of the time.
Each alphabet was created by hand using traditional techniques with individual A-Z letters painted which were then photographed and used in the book.
The final letters were varnished and framed in house.
(The image below shows an alphabet known as ‘pyjama’ on the workshop bench before being framed)
There is just one of each alphabet letter available and each comes with a certificate of authenticity on the back of the letter which helps add to its collector’s value.
There are a range of lettering styles available in the shop. (Other variants are available in Joby’s wall art section online)
Magnets
Signwriting in miniature! These fun magnets feature artwork created by Joby Carter which was then scanned and printed to create fun fridge magnets. Buy one for £4.40 or 4 for £13.50.
Prints
Featuring designs created by Joby Carter which have been drawn and laid out by hand then hand painted using traditional signwriting techniques, these premium quality giclee art prints are an ideal gift for anyone with a love of lettering and typography. Whether you are looking for some vintage style prints for your gallery wall or have a love of retro lettering, they will be sure to make an impact. They all fit in standard sized frames which are available from any high street retailer.
Artwork related to Wells and Somerset
If you live near Wells you may have found yourself trying to explain where you live and that often involves saying ‘Wells not Wales’ to anyone who is listening. Joby Carter found himself in this situation and noted that the more he tried to explain, the more it sounded like he was saying Wales. So he painted a sign for clarity!
You can buy prints and magnets featuring this design in the shop.
If you’d like some ‘very nice’ original artwork for your gallery wall, then you might like a hand painted ‘Gurt Lush’ sign. These signs feature a style of lettering known as ‘casual’ which allow a signwriter to paint efficiently onto a surface. Joby has 4 of these original signs available in the shop which are priced at £120. The artwork is also available as a fridge magnet.
He also has ‘Well, Well, Wells’ hand painted sign available for £120.
Handpainted orignals
Joby has a range of original signs available including these bright and vibrant ‘No Riff Raff’ signs which he painted in a ‘casual’ style which are £130.
Enjoy live signwriting demonstrations while you shop!
Joby creates stunning hand painted lettering the traditional way, using techniques that have been passed down through the centuries. That means designing a layout by hand without the aid of computers or modern design software. Everything is painted by hand: he lets the brush do the work. Visitors to the shop will be able to see Joby at work: he will be painting at his easel working on different stages of a project throughout the week from laying out by eye to painting special effects such as shadows and blocks to make the lettering stand out. He welcomes people to ask questions about the craft and believes that the more people that are aware of these traditional techniques, the more chance they have of surviving in our digital age.
Joby says:
The shop is a great opportunity to meet people, showcase traditional skills and to hopefully sell lots of my truly unique handpainted signs and gifts. I’m a big believer in shopping local and not buying all your Christmas shopping on Amazon or from the big conglomerates. I’m enjoying the variety of shops that Wells has to offer and I’m planning to shop local in Wells this year. Hopefully this gives people another opportunity to support local businesses”
To find out more about the shop you can follow Joby on Instagram @joby.carter or sign up to his e-newsletter for the latest news and special offers.