Julie Flower: Grandma's Shop

Theatrical proof that Grannies are the most vital, important beings on earth, and that vintage is always best.

Excellent. One of the best shows we saw. Highly recommended.

Charmingly delivered and a thought provoking trip down memory lane. Julie Flower engagingly shares her journey of discovery in Grandma’s Shop. Tinged with sadness of a time gone by and ultimately the joy and happiness of secure family and childhood memories. Recommended.

A charming show, Nigel Slater's Toast meets a vintage shop in a world before Vinted. Beautifully weaves stories together to show how one person's small actions can have a huge impact. Eccentric, go see it and come out uplifted.

Really enjoyable show and reminded me of my own grandfather’s unusual life. Well worth seeing.

We really enjoyed this show!! Full of nostalgia, fashion, history and eccentricity. Highly recommend - it was surprisingly moving & a wonderful tribute to a grandma. Very well delivered and a truly heartwarming hour.

An entire audience fell in love with Julie’s Grandma and with Julie too. Julie’s grandma’s stories felt like they were stories of the women I knew in charity shops. Eccentricities celebrated through this hour of laughter, warmth and joy.

A beautiful show.

Great show, Hilda brought to life with warmth, respect and humour. But it’s not just about Grandma it’s about us all finding our identity in unlikely places and gaining the confidence to be comfortable with who we are.

To step inside ‘Grandma’s Shop’ is to begin an engaging journey into the past, a trip that pays affectionate homage to one of Britain’s genuine eccentrics: Hilda Flower. Hilda became a figure of low-level national interest in the late 1980s for her rambling second-hand clothes shop in Sheffield and for her obsessive love of cats. Rumoured to be frequented by the steel city’s burgeoning array of musicians, such as Jarvis Cocker, The Human League and The Thompson Twins - for where else could you emerge with a totally transformed image for just £2.50? - Hilda’s nameless shop was a kind of Mecca for the disenfranchised and the different.
And on Saturdays, at the centre of it all, was a child - Julie, a wide-eyed helpful enthusiast - whose first job was to open 15 cans of cat food to feed the army of strays supported by her Grandma.

Adult Julie retains her childlike enthusiasm and is clearly her Grandmother’s granddaughter - bright, breezy, inquisitive, clever and kind - and she revels in taking us gently by the hand and guiding us through her journey of discovery as she explores Hilda’s tragic backstory during the socially oppressive 1950s. Consequently, ‘Grandma’s Shop’ becomes a moving story of resilience, integrity and the importance of accommodating the idiosyncratic, both in society and ourselves. A gem of a show. Recommended.

They say you die twice…once when you actually die, the next time when no one speaks your name. Auntie Hilda is kept alive by her granddaughter in this show. This is what family history is all about. People and their “stuff”! Go and see it, it’ll make you think about your own family and their stories.

A perfect gem of a show, and for me what the Fringe is all about. Simple story engagingly told. Funny, charming and on a couple of occasions a tear came to my eye. I cannot recommend this more highly.

Saw on Friday and it was perfect. Funny, heartwarming and very nostalgic. Julie engaged the audeince in a very charming and comfortable way Definitely recommend.

Fabulous heartwarming show

Items brought back memories of my Nan

So well told…. thoroughly entertaining

A must see

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This is an absolute wee gem of a show, and is worthy of a MUCH greater audience than was there on the 1st preview show. What a star! Well done, and best wishes for the rest of the Fringe. Great to give you a wave today.

What a beautifully funny and moving show. The show is about Julie’s Grandma, the formidable Hilda who for decades ran a 2nd hand clothes shop in Sheffield and was a part of the city’s history. Warm nostalgia with plenty of laughs, amazing anecdotes, great ‘80s references and real heart. At 1220 it was my first show of the day and has put me in a really great mood.