“I had a conversation with a guest this morning,” Simon Drake recalls, “and my opening line was, ‘Weren’t you supposed to leave two days ago?’ He laughed and said, ‘Yeah, but the kids just keep finding more to do.’”
Can you really blame them? For guests at The Store, the newly opened, 101-room hotel in the heart of Oxford, it promises to be a recurring problem. After all, while the city might seem quaint upon arrival, a recent visit made clear that what’s most exciting about the home of one of the world’s best-known universities isn’t what you see immediately, but what reveals itself to you over time—the charming street you could easily walk past, the garden tucked behind an unmarked door, the history living next to the drug stores, bars, and smart shops.
The Store itself is a fine example of that. Beginning in 1912, the building at the corner of Broad and Cornmarket streets was home to the Boswells (which itself was begun in 1738), a family-owned Oxford staple that started out selling luggage and eventually become a thriving department store. It was sold in 1890 to Arthur Pearson, a local business owner, and his descendants ran the store until it closed in 2020. “The Pearson family, who’d purchased Boswells as it was 130 years prior, had reached the stage where financially it wasn’t making sense anymore,” Drake, The Store’s general manager, says. “They decided to sell it to somebody who could take it forward. People always ask me, what’s it like being the general manager of The Store, but I’m not just the general manager, I’m also the caretaker and custodian of Boswells in this next stage of its life.”
For anyone familiar with Boswells—or any guest at The Store who stop to peek at the vintage photos of the shop that line the walls—that stage looks rather different. Upon entering the building, guests are met by a sleek lobby, with a reception desk tucked away to the side and a large lounge and bar (with excellent coffee during the daytime) anchoring the space. Locals and guests alike are sprinkled throughout, some using the area as a co-working space, others just watching the world go by through the windows out onto busy Broad Street.
“The definition of hospitality to me is ensuring that people feel comfortable in whatever part of the environment they choose to use inside of my building,” Drake says. “In London, there is a culture where you can take your laptop, grab a latte, and sit in a hotel lobby for a few hours and that’s the norm. In Oxford, you couldn’t do that; the heritage properties don’t have lounges, and I realized that there’s a hole in the market here. Some people try to restrict those so-called lobby lizards, but I’m good with it. Sit down, we’ll bring you a coffee, make yourself at home.”
Boswells department store was an Oxford fixture since 1738. Today, the building where it last stood has become The Store, a smart, charming new hotel.
That feeling extends beyond the lobby. The hotel is home to a charming restaurant, Treadwell, which is open for three meals most days (and a roast lunch on Sunday) and serves what’s called “untraditionally British” fare—the fish and chips are not to be missed—as well as a rooftop terrace bar with cocktails, American-style barbecue, and a view out over the city’s skyline. There’s also a spa that uses products from the homegrown brand Oskia and would be a fine place to spend an afternoon unwinding. The rooms are a respite as well, with smart design, modern touches, and space to spread out; I stayed in the rooftop terrace suite (ask for it; morning coffee on that namesake outdoor space was a highlight of the trip) and was never disappointed to pop back for a midday rest—or a piece of the excellent chocolate left lurking near the minibar.
What’s going on inside of The Store is only part of the story, however. Just as the lobby welcomes in students, locals, and tourists to make themselves at home, guests can easily wander out to get lost in the city’s mix of college-town bustle and Gothic and Baroque (and Neoclassical and Romanesque) charm. In just a manner of moments, one can walk to the exquisite Ashmolean Museum, Britain’s first public museum, to see an impressive collection of art and antiquities; pop into the historic Covered Market for snacks and souvenirs; wander the historic streets to see the colleges, libraries, and gardens the city is known for (some are open to visitors, it’s worth asking); or visit local landmarks like the Oxford Playhouse or Christ Church Cathedral, which had more than one role in the Harry Potter films, to take in the daily Evensong concert. Slightly further afield, but still worth the visit, are treasures like Blenheim Palace, the Oxford Botanic Garden, and the city’s eclectic, exciting east end.
“Oxford punches well above its weight for a city of the size that it is,” Drake says. The city is seeing increased tourism from the U.S. and Asian markets but has also become popular with tourists and Londoners alike for short getaways. “Anytime [tourists] have come across the pond, they would go to London, and maybe they’d have gone to Manchester, Glasgow or Edinburgh, but Oxford wouldn’t have been a destination,” Drake explains. “Now we’re seeing, because it’s so simple to do a 45-minute trip and be at the gateway to the Cotswolds, that it seems more logical for travelers. Visiting Oxford is something that works well for them.”
The Store features an airy lobby lounge, open to guests as well as the public for coffee, drinks, and excellent people watching.
There’s also a rooftop lounge, which offers drinks and a full menu, as well as a view out over Oxford’s stunning skyline.
The Store will be doing everything it can to keep it that way. There’s talk of local galleries hanging work on the walls, of hosting fashion shows, and holiday pop-ups. “This space needs to be given over to the community; anything we can do with local business partners is really important for us,” Drake says. “We’ve just launched our outdoor seating area, so we’ve put 50 or 60 extra covers outside, bringing Parisian bistro-style dining to the street, and the roof will be an ongoing project with the menu changing throughout the year. I quite like the idea of an Alpine chalet on the roof when we get to the end of the year; there’s a lot to be said for melted cheese.”
Drake notes that Oxonians still wander in to see the spots where they once shopped, to marvel at how what was a pharmacy counter is now something else entirely but is confident that the building that used to house Boswells has found a purpose that’ll keep it at the center of the city’s action for years to come. “Every story that you go tells a story of what this building was,” he says, “and that’s just the beginning.”
Adam Rathe is Town & Country‘s Deputy Features Director, covering arts and culture and a range of other subjects.
