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As chain stores are appearing in every suburb in
London, it’s refreshing to find an independent luxury goods store
that is paying homage to the past and makes customer service its
priority.
In a consumer world where items are increasingly mass-produced
leaving little room for individual self-expression, customised items
are now more sought after than ever before. But once the decision to
go for a luxury item has been reached, the question of who to trust
with the job of creating the personalised gift can weigh heavy. What
better answer than to approach William Asprey of William & Son, a
direct descendant of the original Asprey family. The name is
synonymous with quality, prestige and distinction. Customers can
relax, secure in the knowledge that William’s family has been
creating gifts tailored to his clients’ personal requirements for
decades.
William & Son was founded three years ago by William Asprey and his
partner Scott Luard. The store is located in the old Coutts Bank and
was completely refurbished to the highest standard, yet William has
managed to recreate a feeling of old-world charm and the traditions
of Mount Street in Mayfair. Discreetly decorated, William & Son is
the apex of understated refinement. Clients are presented with a
wide variety of predominantly British-crafted merchandise ranging
from fine jewellery and wristwatches, gold and silver, stone and
leather goods, sporting rifles and accessories, along with country
clothing and footwear. There is almost no limit!
With personalised service a priority, the atmosphere immediately
puts clients at ease. Understandably, the store boasts a clientele
that reads like a who’s who from the world of music, film, sport and
fashion. Celebrities are happy to rely on William & Son to create
customised items, turning their aspirations into reality. To give an
indication of the breadth of William & Son’s expertise, previous
clients have opted for the traditional choice of jewellery, such as
the famed diamond and sapphire necklace, consisting of seven
pear-shaped blue sapphires, totalling 26.36 carat and punctuating
the diamonds which are mounted in platinum; strings of pearls that
run the spectrum from pea green to slate grey, or a “snowflake”
pearl necklace punctuated by stars of marquise-cut diamonds. Each
piece is unique and though it may be copied on request, is
ultimately one of a kind.
William & Son also have a selection of historic watch brands such as
FP Journe, Arnold, Tompion and Graham, also Voltime, Audemars
Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre and Quinting wristwatches. As a special
gift, you might want to include one of these diamond-edged beauties
in a custom-made boxed set, complete with diamond-trimmed, black
patent crocodile evening wallet and matching memo pad.
The next logical step is to invest in an ostrich-leather,
multi-tiered jewellery case, which can be made to specification
depending on your predilection for necklaces, rings or even tiaras.
Team it with other goodies from the leather goods section: photo
albums, visitor books and even passport holders in a range of
classic or fun and funky colours.
Speaking of colour, William & Son has a delicious selection of
decorative stonework, such as harlequin cigar boxes made up of
sections of the finest labrodite, lapis luzuli, tiger’s eye and
salmon-pink rhodochrosite. Magpies may well begin a lifelong
collection of matching photo frames, stone eggs and organic-shaped
bowls.
You might want to commission a custom-made butler table, inlaid with
heirloom photos or favourite prints. Or, for a fireside games-lover,
a leather bridge box or backgammon set. Other great gifts include
silverware, a vast selection of clever or simply classic cufflinks.
The list goes on.
William & Son also has everything for the shooting party, including
clothing in William & Son’s own tweed and sporting guns and
equipment. William & Son are happy creating personal sporting rifles
and shotguns. Figured wood is individually picked and clients are
invited to choose a personal engraving of game scenes and scroll
patterns for the lock plates.The store boasts of its own in-house
gunsmith who can help with any queries regarding the choosing of a
new or second hand English gun or indeed carry out repairs.
According to the boutique’s owner, William Asprey, “It’s all about
personalised service. Our concerns are for the customer and their
satisfaction with what we create. It’s a people orientated business.
People come to us with their ideas and we make them happen. Our
clients trust our capacity to interpret what they want to express to
the highest standards of craftsmanship. In a way, we make the
impossible, possible.”
As a leading retailer of luxury items, William’s clients are the
envy of boutiques everywhere. “We have a lot of very high profile
clients who will remain unnamed because at our store, we offer
complete discretion. Some very famous people from the worlds of
music, sport, fashion, film and Royalty have enlisted our help. They
trust our name”.
Despite these dizzy heights, William is quick to point out that the
store has an open door policy welcoming clients from all walks of
life.
The highly experienced staff of 20 go out of their way to make every
client feel at ease. “We never turn anyone away,” he says. “When
someone walks through the door, we make it our priority to put them
at ease. We see every client as an individual and we always do our
best to help people and create what they desire.”
William and his staff have a great deal of experience in satisfying
the needs of even the pickiest of customers. After all William is a
direct descendent of the original Asprey family and is well schooled
in the business of creating luxurious items and how to look after
his clients. His decision to open the store after the family
business had been sold off was borne out of respect for what his
forefathers had created. “It’s in my blood. I couldn’t resist doing
it. I believe there will always be a market for customised gifts
tailored to meet the requirements of the individual to the highest
technical and aesthetic standards. In today’s culture of
mass-production, William & Son is satisfying a need among consumers
to be able to express their individuality. This market is growing at
a faster rate than ever before.”
William & Son
10 Mount Street, London W1K 2TY
Tel: 020 7493 8385
Fax: 020 7493 8386
E-mail:
info@williamandson.com
Website: williamandson.com |