Hoxton Street Monster Supplies
purveyors to the living, dead and undead
A wonderfully straight-faced joke shop selling everyday supplies for monsters, whose profits fund a children's writing charity.
Free to visit · Hoxton · Hoxton · N1 6SH
Opening: Open select days · check ahead
Hoxton Street Monster Supplies bills itself, with total commitment, as purveyor of quality goods to monsters since 1818. Step inside and the shelves are stocked with tins of fear, jars of escalating panic, cubed earwax and salt made from genuine human tears, all beautifully designed and played absolutely straight.
Behind the joke lies a serious heart, the shop is the public face of the Ministry of Stories, a charity that runs free creative-writing workshops for local children, with volunteer mentors tutoring in a secret room out the back. It is free to browse, gloriously silly, and every daft purchase supports young writers.
Getting there: On Hoxton Street, a short walk from Hoxton Overground station.
Best time to go: Check opening hours, then go to browse the wonderfully silly shelves.
Insider tip: Check the opening days before visiting, as the shop keeps limited hours around the charity's workshops. The deadpan product labels are half the fun, so take your time reading the shelves even if you buy nothing.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide