Stourbridge charity shop selling TV's Jay Blades furniture for discounted prices
A charity shop is selling top-of-the-range designer furniture at a huge discount – all courtesy of Repair Shop star Jay Blades.
The popular Mary Stevens Hospice shop, based in Stourbridge, has furniture designed by The Repair Shop frontman and is selling the items both on eBay and in-store at its High Street branch, with some items being sold for more than £1,000 less than their original price.
On show is a selection of two-seater sofas and armchairs, and the price on some of them show RRP's of £1,500, dropped down to just £450.
Furniture restorer Blades, who lives near Claverley in Shropshire, was made an MBE for services to craft in 2022 after he found fame on The Repair Shop, the restoration programme he has presented since 2017, which sees members of the public take worn-out family heirlooms to be restored by a team of experts.
He also presented the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020, which was based at his workshop in Wolverhampton, and appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and Celebrity Bake Off as well as Comic Relief and delved into the history of the West Midlands and the East End for two Channel 5 documentaries.
In March 2023, he became Buckinghamshire New University’s first chancellor having studied for a degree in criminology and philosophy from 2001, and in May 2023 he won a daytime Bafta TV award along with other members of The Repair Shop for a special featuring the King, who was at the time the Prince of Wales.
But he has pulled back from his work in recent months because of problems in his personal life. He appeared in court in October to deny engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife, Lisa-Marie Zbozen. The couple had lived together near Ironbridge but split in May last year.
The designer is well known for painting individual legs of his chairs in bright colours, and a lucky local could now swipe a set of his designs for a tidy sum.
A total of 23 Items are for sale on its eBay shop which includes a pair of streamlined armchairs for £399.95, a Kalaeido splatt chair for £79.95, a pair of Round Black/Cream Dining Chairs for £99.95, and an orange rectangle stool seat for £89.99. Other items of furniture are available to view at the shop in Stourbridge.
In comparison, Jay Blades’ brand Jay&Co continues to trade and offers furniture at premium prices, with a 1960s swivel chair on offer at £1,300 and a multi-coloured ottoman for £450.
But the star has been open about his affection for the West Midlands, revealing how he settled here to start a new life. He presented a tribute to the industrial heritage of our region in the Channel 5 series The Midlands Through Time.
CEO of The Mary Stevens Hospice, Claire Towns, said: "The Mary Stevens Hospice provides specialist palliative care to persons aged 18 and over who are living with a life limiting illness. The hospice costs over £3.4 million pounds a year to run of which we must raise 2.8 million pounds annually.
"These costs are set to rise significantly following the autumn statement due in part to the rise in NI contributions As a charity we are grateful to have support from both our local community and businesses who support us to raise the monies needed to provide this vital care to people that need it.
"This is just one of many anonymous donations which we are very thankful to receive. We are a non-profit organisation all proceeds from sales within our stores contribute towards the running cost of our Hospice."
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