If you are heading to Faversham Fringe this month then there is one show that you have to go and see and that is Julie Flower’s show Grandmas Shop. Returning from Edinburgh Fringe with raving reviews, this show is doing incredibly well and is warming the hearts of many audiences. It plays at the Faversham Fringe on the 5th October at 1pm. Today I speak to Julie to find out what you can expect and also to find out more about the show.

Hello Julie how are you, tell us about yourself? 

I’m very well, thank you.  I’m an improviser, actor and writer based near Whitstable in Kent.  I also run a leadership development consultancy and teach at Henley Business School.  I’m known for being ‘annoyingly cheerful’!

The last time we spoke was just before the Edinburgh Fringe – how was the festival?

It was a real joy!  Performing a solo show every day for 27 days, with just one day off, is a bit of a feat of resilience but it was great fun.  And I was surrounded by lovely people.  The audiences were so supportive, curious and open to this sort of show…and being at the Gilded Balloon was a great atmosphere.  It was also fantastic to be able to improvise with Improbotics as well, and catch lots of different shows.  Lots of creativity and learning!

It sounded like you had some amazing reviews for it?

I was very fortunate to receive some lovely reviews, which are now plastered all over my poster and flyer.  What I loved was the way reviewers ‘got’ the different layers of this kind of piece, which weaves together family history, multi-character work and elements of childhood memory and imagination…as well as lots of nostalgia.  ‘You will leave bathed in the warm glow of humanity at its best’ (Edinburgh Reporter) is one of my favourites. 

Why did you decide to create  the show?

My grandma had a very strong influence on me as I used to help her out in her shop (a second-hand clothes shop) every Saturday morning, when I was growing up. The real inspiration to write about her came when my brother rediscovered an article about my grandma that had appeared in The Guardian in 1989, exploring her shop and her eccentricity.   I’d been thinking about trying my hand at writing a solo theatre show for a while and, in that moment, I knew I had my subject!  An ‘ordinary’, yet extraordinary shopkeeper.

What can you tell us about you show this week?

Grandma’s Shop is a solo theatre show based in my grandma’s second-hand clothes shop in Sheffield in the 1980s.  I used to help her out every Saturday as a girl and now I’m bringing my childhood memories and family history research to life, all in an atmospheric set filled with vintage clothes and nostalgic props.  It’s comedy-drama which includes lots of different characters and explores the extraordinary life and character of an ‘ordinary’ shopkeeper.  Hilda Flower, my grandma, was a self-professed eccentric cat-lover who defied societal norms of the time for women and who offered a welcoming space to many different people.  The show is underscored by classic Sheffield music of the 80s and early 90s.

What is the most challenging thing about doing the show?

I suppose switching between the characters in a way that the audience can follow and appreciate, whilst doing it quickly and not breaking the flow.  Only an improviser would decide to include so many character shifts and time leaps in a scripted show!

What have been some of the best highlights since doing the show?

Being approached by a major Arts Council-funded rural touring organisation to have the show included on their autumn menu for 2025.  They came to see the show in Edinburgh and wanted to include it.  I’m also exploring a couple of other similar opportunities.  It will be lovely to keep Grandma’s legacy alive in this way and to bring the show to wider audiences.

What is the best reaction you have had from an audience member?

I’ve had so many lovely interactions with audience members and that has made it such a joyful experiences.  Many people were very moved by the show – it’s a comedy but it’s about family history and extraordinary ‘ordinary people within our communities.  One woman was very tearful afterwards and wanted to share with me information about an oral history project she was pursuing about her late father.  I’ve also had other audience members who remember Sheffield at that time…and think they remember Grandma’s shop.

If people want to follow you on social media where can they find you? 

X: @GrandmaShopPlay | Facebook: @grandmasshopshow | Instagram: @grandmas_shop_play

Finally in three words why should people come to your show?

Nostalgia. Vintage. Memory.