Lucy and the Caterpillar

Lucy and the Caterpillar is a beautifully curated vintage boutique which can be found on the ground floor of Bridge Mill in Hebden Bridge, a 15th century riverside water mill. Lucy and the Caterpillar was started in 2006 by Lucy Conroy, a musician and the shop’s owner. On the rails are hand-picked vintage items from the 1930s onwards, and on the shelves are vintage homewares chosen by Lucy’s Mum, Nicky. The layout showcases key pieces from the shop’s collection, making it easy to browse and choose pieces that suit. Shop here for menswear, dresses, knitwear, coats, kimonos, tops, bottoms, accessories and childrenswear – all vintage and second hand, helping to reduce buyers’ fashion footprints.

Conroy is also behind the bespoke, made to measure dressmaking service I am Lucille. Having noticed a market for tailor-made, vintage-inspired dresses, Conroy set up a workshop above the Lucy and the Caterpillar, creating one-off, original dresses that were as far from mass produced as possible. Catering to weddings, parties and proms, the dresses combined carefully chosen fabrics with retro styles.

Lucy and the Caterpillar is just around the corner from Hebden Bridge Market, which runs Thursday through Sunday and also features stalls selling second hand wares on Fridays. The town’s independent bookshop The Book Case, which was shortlisted for the Northern Bookshop of the Year in 2017, is a four minute walk away, as is Valley Organics Worker’s Co-Op, which sells local, ethical and organic fruit, vegetables and wholefoods, as well as offering refills for customers who bring their own containers. If you get peckish while browsing Lucy and the Caterpillar’s rails, Hebden Bridge’s Grilled Cheese Booth is a two minute walk away, serving up a changing selection of hearty grilled cheese sandwiches, soups and treats; alternatively, Woody’s Pizza specialises in New York-style pizza, and is also only two minutes away.