Ed’s Stuff – Stuff From Ed

Etiene and David are the two halves of Ed’s Stuff.  They make stuff, stuff you don’t need, but stuff you really want. Their business started during Covid, as is the story with so many creatives.  Their talents lie across textiles, ceramics, decoupage and a wonderful sense of fun. Hell, as one of their tea towels suggests, has no fury like a slightly inconvenienced gay, yet the boundless energy from their sea swimming ladies makes you feel you could start up the sport yourself. This collaborative creative couple have opened a shop on The Old High Street in Folkestone. Folkelife went to meet Ed to hear their story of discovering Folkestone.

Etiene: “A friend of mine had talked to me about twoness in art – it’s when two people come together to creatively collaborate, and do things they couldn’t possibly achieve on their own.  I think this is what we have; I couldn’t do what David does, his background is in marketing and figures out how to apply our images to textiles and does the business side of things.  We both create the images, and different types and styles of ceramics.”

David: “We’re on a journey learning how to create different items, and we’re still on that journey.  We’re constantly thinking about the next creative thing, and why we are making it.”

discovering folkestone

David: “I grew up in Kent, and went to school in Canterbury, and we always wanted a bolthole from London.  We came down during Covid and stayed in a village outside Canterbury and started our coastal exploration. We went to Margate, Ramsgate and so on, and love beaches, but Folkestone always drew us back.  The baseline is that there is such a good transport link between here and London, and the town has such a unique character and vibe. We’ve stayed in a friend’s house here for a month and Folkestone just felt like home.

“It consolidated our thinking; Folkestone has that edge, a rawness, it isn’t afraid of doing stuff. At the moment it’s grungy and creative, a bit rough and a bit poncy.  I hope it never becomes gentrified.”

Etiene: “We first traded on the Folkestone Harbour Arm Festive Marketplace in the run up to Christmas 2022.  And that made us think we definitely needed to move to Folkestone.  However, David’s job pulled us in the opposite direction.  So, phase two, move to Folkestone, has actually happened, but it’s taken us three years.”

opening the shop

David: “The most humbling part of this, and an amazing breakthrough, was getting on the shortlist for a property in the Creative Quarter.  We were at the Folkestone Harbour Arm Festive Marketplace for Christmas 2025 and that cemented the idea that we could have a bricks and mortar place. We were gobsmacked by the welcome we had from customers at the Harbour at Christmas.  The team there make it so easy to trade, with all the footfall from the activities they put on; from tractors, to choirs to old lovely Christmas films, and a free car parking space for the trader, it’s about facilitating independent trade.

“Now, our shop is the most amazing space, and feels very grounded.   We’ve started to become part of the community, thanks to being here at the Festive Marketplace.  Our shop can do so much more though; if people want poetry readings then we can do that.”

Etiene: “We have benches and a table, and that’s deliberate, so we can run classes if people want that.  We also have space for Guest Artists and want to promote local artists as part of this.  It’s also wonderful meeting our customers and having lovely chats about our work. On the opening day recently, a lady came in and was commenting on David’s pottery.  It was so funny, because we have a completely different approach to our work.  David is incredibly fast and I am the opposite, I take so much time to perfect each facet of the pieces I am making.  This lady came in and was so impressed with David’s work, and said that he clearly understood clay and knew what he was doing.  I had to share that with him, and we had a giggle about it afterwards.”

such an opportunity

David: “We were offered the shop in May 2026 and went for a long walk from Sandgate to Folkestone to get our heads around how we were going to run it.  It’s such an opportunity; Creative Folkestone is a charity, so the rent, the whole framework  has enabled independent creatives to have access to commercial outlets.  It’s incredible really.  Without this opportunity, we would still be just working online with the occasional pop-up. What Sir Roger De Haan has facilitated here is incredible.”

Etiene: “It really is.  I am lucky to have this opportunity to have this creative outlet for my work.  I do have a day job, but this opportunity, and to live here in Folkestone has been a life changing experience for us both.”

David: “My career direction has changed.  We’re building a studio in our new house so that we have the space to create when we’re not working or in the shop.  It means that we have the space and the time to explore more with ceramics.  I’ve been creating lamps from vintage vases I have found in different places.  Etiene has been decoupaging different surfaces such as driftwood and pebbles.”

life changing experience

David: “From a personal point of view, I cough far less than I did living in London. I love the fresh air, and that when you drive down here you see the sea.  Walking along to work or to the shop in the mornings is beautiful.  I feel my centre is here now.”

Etiene: “I still travel up to London for my work, so I do spend less time here, but I am looking forward to having our studio so we can make from home.  When we got back home from trading at the Harbour at Christmas it took us two days to come down from the high.  But that’s when it became clear that we were ready for bricks and mortar.  Let’s give it a try and see what happens. 

David: “I think we’ve assessed the risk, but it’s genuinely an amazing thing to be able to do. The rest of The Old High Street traders have been so welcoming and helpful.  Opening weekend was a great success, and we’re ready to enjoy where this journey takes us next.”