Thursday 9 August 2012

The marvellous Mulberry factory outlet store at Shepton Mallet

Mulberry Shepton Mallet store
Throughout my teenage life, I've lusted after a Mulberry handbag. I've always said to myself, "Oh, one day I'll have one of my own" (instead of stealing my mum's!) Well, ladies and gents, 'one day' was yesterday.

The trouble has always been that, as beautiful as Mulberry's bags are, their prices are less appealing to the average student. On countless occasions I've gone to their outlet shop at Bicester Shopping Village with high hopes of finding The One (not that I had any particular One in mind) at an affordable price, but each and every time I left disappointed and empty-handed. They never had any particularly amazing bags on offer, and the reductions were equally uninspiring most of the time. On numerous occasions I considered buying one of their teeny bags as a way of having just a little piece of such a beautiful brand (as that's all I could afford) but I never did, as what I really wanted was an It bag. A statement bag. Something that I would use again and again but would last me a lifetime.


Mum and I had known about the Mulberry factory store in Somerset (Shepton Mallet, to be precise) for some time, but had never actually been until yesterday. And sweet Jesus am I glad we made the trip. The name "factory shop" is somewhat deceiving. I was picturing a little room on the edge of an actual factory, but in reality, the "factory shop" is so much more. In a beautiful old building on the edge of Kilver Court outlet village, the store is huge: it has its own café and loos, not to mention several rooms full to the brim with beautiful, gorgeous Mulberry.

the café
Naturally, I went head first for the bags on entering, and was very impressed. There was a great selection of bags on offer, with a range of reductions. I think the best I saw was a red Oversized Alexa reduced from £2553 to £638, which is bloody incredible if you ask me. I went into the shop thinking, "Maybe I'll get a keyring or something." Anyone who's been following my tweets or Instagram over the past couple of days will know that I bought a lot more than a keyring.

Yes, I am the extremely proud owner of this beauty - an Oversized Pink Champagne Mulberry Alexa Satchel:

ahhhhh-le-lu-ia!
And I love it with all my heart. Not only was it at a fantastic reduction already, I also got a 10% student discount because I have an NUS card - how awesome is that!? 10% makes a big difference on Mulberry prices, I tell ya. I just knew when I saw it. Beautiful, classic shape; great size; more unusual colour (come on... everyone has it in tan) that will still go with everything. IT'S PERFECT. I AM SO HAPPY. MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. OK, maybe that was a bit far, but you get my drift.


Having worked hard at two part-time jobs around my degree and saved up all year, I had the money in the bank, so just thought "Why not?" Usually I fritter away my money on a £20 pair of trousers here or £9 necklace there (which, being from somewhere like Primark, obviously don't last), but I think it's actually much better to make a one off, special, more expensive purchase. And I am so glad I did. I don't have one smidge of shopping guilt. Honestly!


Anyhoo, back to the Mulberry store. It's a delightfully pleasant shopping environment, all the staff were ridiculously helpful and friendly, and they have a great selection on offer: I'm talking bags, jewellery, shoes, clothes, keyrings... you name it! If I hadn't been so smitten with my bag (or if I was richer) I may very well have purchased more - a cute little skirt reduced from £250 to just £50, perhaps. The shop assistant also bagged up my bag in a beautiful dust bag and then another, erm, bag, for me to carry round all day. Yes, you know those women you see walking round the streets with Mulberry shopping bags, and you think "Ooh, she's just bought something from Mulberry"? Well, I was one of them. And it felt gooood.

My bag went on a trip to the Clifton Suspension bridge in Bristol
So, to sum up this blog post, the Shepton Mallet Mulberry factory store is brilliant, and I love my bag. YAY!
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23 comments

  1. Ahhh - I must go there! How much was the bag itself, if you care to divulge?

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    1. I'll DM you on Twitter :) And yes, you must go there!

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    2. I have got Mulberry gift voucher for Xmas and am looking to go to Shepton Mallet in january for a mini Alexa in black / tan. What prices am I looking at do you think?! I may look at a larger one if the reductions are good. I can't find anything online for rough prices. I am on twitter FionaMRees. Your help is appreciated!

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    3. I love the mulberry vintage backpacks, nothing else will do!

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  2. I need to go here!!

    I've done a mulberry bag review if youd like to check it out :)

    hollydotcom.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Yes you do! And in response to your blog: yes, a Mulberry bag is definitely worth the money, ESPECIALLY if you get an awesome discount on it :) Thanks for reading x

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  3. I like all the colors of spring - especially big pink!

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    1. Pink is always a good choice. Thanks for reading :)

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  4. I'm looking to go to the Shepton Mallet store on Monday - you're blog has definitely inspired me and thanks for posting images of the store itself! I also want to find out rough price ranges though. Can you give me an idea of the range of prices for bags? I don't have a particular one in mind but I have about £400 to spend and am wondering if I'll be able to get anything good for that.

    Thanks!

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  5. I'm looking to go to the Shepton Mallet store on Monday - you're blog has definitely inspired me and thanks for posting images! I also want to find out rough price ranges though. Can you give me an idea of the range of prices for bags? I don't have a particular one in mind but I had £400 to spend and am wondering if I'll be able to get anything good for that.

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I definitely recommend going to Shepton Mallet and thank you for reading my blog! As far as I can remember you should definitely be able to get something good for £400... I seem to recall the discounts ranged quite a lot though, so it might depend a bit. For example, some of the larger bags ended up being almost the same price as some of the less-reduced smaller ones. I hope that helps a bit! Do let me know how you get on :)

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  6. Amazing blog! And the pictures really help, convinced me to go and take a look for myself. I am looking to get myself a Mulberry bag as a graduation present to myself :) do they just accept NUS or can it also be a regular student card?

    And what were the type of discounts on a Bayswater handbag? Got my eye on one of those!!

    Thanks
    Sophie

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Sophie! I think that sounds like a super graduation present to give yourself :)

      I think I used my NUS card, but it was a while ago now so I can't entirely remember. I may just have used my Uni card.

      The discounts really ranged from bag to bag, I seem to remember. I'd also say that it's unlikely they'll have any of the classics in there as they're kept every season. So if you're after a tan Bayswater it may be a waste of a trip!

      Hope that helps a little bit and thank you for reading. Let me know if you get one in the end :) x

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  7. Do you reckon they'd have a Bayswater in blush/ maybe black ostrich? Or perhaps a Willow bag?

    I definitely agree with you about the tan thing, my sister took a trip up to this outlet and she picked up a blush Alexa for the same reason! You want to be different for the price paid I think and there are so many copies around of the tan colour! Great post

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    Replies
    1. Hi Amy,
      I'm afraid I really couldn't say! I've only been there the once sadly (although the temptation to go again is rather sizeable!), but like I said earlier, they're more likely to have the quirkier colours/materials that aren't reproduced every season. So you might have a good chance! To be honest I'm not sure it'd be a good idea to make the trip with your heart set on finding a specific bag, which I realise is a bit difficult when a Mulberry is obviously quite an investment for most of us, and wouldn't be a spontaneous decision (unless you're me apparently!)
      Sorry I can't help more, but do let me know if you go and what your find!
      Thanks for reading :) x

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  8. that bag suits a student perfectly !

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Martha! I completely agree :) Thanks for commenting and reading X

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  9. This is a great blog! Thanks for sharing. I'm after a new purse, do you know what the price range is like for them?

    xx

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately I really don't know about purse price ranges, sorry. Thanks for reading and commenting though :) x

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  10. Hiya! Love this post, if you love handbags I have a couple reviews on my blog as I am obsessed! Bristol is a lovely place. Check out my page for handbags and makeup looks! :)

    holliesayss.blogspot.com

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  11. Thank you SO much for this post. I am also a student and have worked numerous part-time jobs, and am (unusually) feeling flush. I have wanted a Mulberry bag for as long as I can remember, and always promised myself that I would reward myself with one as soon as I physically could. It is my 21st very soon, so this will be a 'to me, from me' kind of affair. Tomorrow I am off to Bicester to (hopefully) get my hands on a graphite Bayswater. I will love it as if it were my child. This has given me the push to go for it and treat myself.

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    Replies
    1. So glad you enjoyed this post, Emma, and yay! 'To me, from me' presents are often the best ones. Hope you find what you're after! x

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