The Wool Shop: A Ghost Sign, and now a New Print
If there’s one thing I love as much as hand-painted signs, it’s knitting. So when I spotted The Wool Shop ghost sign on Nottingham Road, Loughborough, it felt like it was meant for me. A beautifully faded relic of a bygone era, a reminder of a time when wool shops were a staple of every town—and let’s be honest, an excuse for me to get fully carried away in my latest print design.
And yes, I absolutely picked a hand-knit jumper and hat to wear in the launch photos just for the occasion. How could I not?
What Was The Wool Shop?
No fancy branding, no tagline—just THE WOOL SHOP, big and bold on a side wall, quietly outlasting the business itself.
But after some digging, I found a little more. According to the 1936 Kelly’s Directory for Leicestershire & Rutland, the building at 45 Nottingham Road was home to a wool merchant named Mrs. Dorothy Mary Hutchinson. I love imagining what that shop might have been like—walls lined with skeins of yarn, the smell of fresh wool in the air, a little bell on the door announcing each new customer.
Back then, wool shops weren’t just retail spaces—they were community hubs. If you wanted to knit a warm jumper, mend a sock, or stitch together a handmade garment, you needed a place like this. And as someone who could happily spend hours picking out the perfect yarn for a project, I can only imagine how much I would have loved stepping inside.
Why I Love Ghost Signs (And Why You Should Too)
I’ve always been obsessed with hand-painted signs, especially ones like this—faded, understated, and just hanging on through decades of weather and change. Ghost signs are like time capsules. They remind us of the everyday businesses that shaped our towns, and of a time when signage was painted by hand, not mass-produced.
The Wool Shop sign is especially great because of how straight to the point it is. No frills, no fancy script—just big, bold lettering doing its job. Even after all these years, it’s still working. That’s good design.
Turning The Wool Shop into a Print
I knew immediately that I wanted to make a print that felt as bold as the original sign. But rather than simply recreating the faded lettering, I designed a bright, layered Risograph print—something that celebrates the sign while giving it a fresh, graphic twist.
🔹 A3 size – a perfect fit for your wall
🔹 Risograph printed – vibrant, eco-friendly, full of texture
🔹 Limited edition of 20 – each one hand-numbered
It’s a little piece of Loughborough history, reimagined—and a love letter to both ghost signs and knitting.
Where to Get a Print
If you love old signs, local history, knitting, typography, or just fancy a great bit of wall art, you can grab one of the 20 prints available in my shop here.
And next time you’re in Loughborough, keep an eye out for The Wool Shop—or any of the other forgotten signs hiding in plain sight. You never know what stories they might have to tell.