It’s hard to imagine that it’s over three years since we opened the doors to the Armstrong Ward Lifestore in Kendal. And what a fabulous three years it has been….. Our customers often ask us how we came to set up our Lifestore in Kendal (alongside discussing the finer merits of toys for two year olds, how to choose the perfect sofa, the best recipe for cupcakes and all the other things that can make all the difference to real quality of life) so here is a little bit about us and if you’d like to know more just pop in and ask us in person.

As many of you might know, we are both originally from The Lakes and following the birth of our son, Harry, in 2004, we decided to return to our roots and bring our collective experience of retail and interior design back to Kendal. Alongside our assembled family (including Dotty the dog) we also brought some really exciting brands to the party, including well-established and sought-after names such as Emma Bridgewater, John Sankey, Lexington and Duresta, as well as some niche and local designers and producers.

We constantly update our displays and stock, because we want every visit to Armstrong Ward to be just as exciting as the first – there’s always something new to be found and if you are looking for something in particular, we will do our best to find it for you. The service and attention we give our clients is one of the things that makes shopping with Armstrong Ward really enjoyable and we think it keeps people coming back for more.

Autumn 2007 saw the arrival of Matilda (Tilly) Ward to our family, stregthening our commitment to supporting local causes and inspiring the selection of Helme Chase Maternity Unit as our chosen charity. It’s important for us to support the community who, in turn, support our business so well.

People often ask us how we manage to choose the products that we stock, and the answer is quite easy, we just choose the things we love and we would have in our own home, and hope our customers will love them too.

Oh – and the name of Armstrong Ward – that’s our own surname (Ward) combined with the maiden name of Andrew’s grandmother (Armstrong). Just in case you were wondering...