Not Just a fine Art Shop!!

"The Start of Our Business.
In 1960 Leonard Cowling and Bernard Wilcox went into partnership specialising in supplies for commercial Art and Graphic Studios. An office was obtained near London’s old Billingsgate Market and Cowling & Wilcox Ltd was born.

In 1961 a need for larger premises led to the lease of a small shop at No 61 Broadwick Street, Soho, in London’s West End.

Our move to Soho attracted many young artists to this area where they could find a good source of supplies, affordable rents and like-minded people.

The Art Schools were producing Design Graduates full of confidence and enthusiasm, ready to take on the world.

The expansion of Soho.
The 1960’s gave us The Beatles, Carnaby Street and most important to us Letraset, developed by two young designers just three streets away.

They came to us first to test their Wet Transfer Letters but when they invented the Dry Transfer System we welcomed it with open arms and we were the first in London to have stocks.

Selling at 5 shillings (25p) per sheet it was a huge money spinner for us, everyone wanted it and it changed the way the commercial artist worked.

The 60’s were exciting. We designed the first Artist Portfolio and added Presentation to our range.

With the demolition of our premises at No 61 Broadwick Street we were very fortunate to be able to move across the road to a brand new shop at No 26. We soon overflowed into No 28 and with the two shops combined settled down for the next 40 years.

New times. New challenges.
In the last ten years our Soho Shop has been significantly refurbished and modernised. We have obtained a further shop at Shoreditch to supply the expanding East End of London and a larger warehouse/retail shop at Camberwell to look after our customers in South London.

More expansion took place in 2011 following the popularity of our two new websites and the increasing numbers of customers wishing to buy online. A large industrial unit was taken in NE London to house our web administration team, accounts departments and further offices for our management staff. The ground floor gives us much needed extra warehouse space and it is here that all our web orders are packed and despatched.

In 2013, we expanded into north London with our most colourful shop to date. With a new influx of families and students into the Holloway Road area recently, we saw an opportunity to open a new shop to service this exciting part of London.

We have kept to the original concept of a Specialist Fine and Graphic Art Shop but have recently added Digital Supplies and Quality Designer Stationery to our range. Our Fine and Graphic Art Lines are as strong and as competitive as ever and a comprehensive Craft Department rounds us off nicely.

Our Portfolio/Presentation department.
Always a strong interest of ours, we have dedicated showrooms at all 3 shops and a very fine web site www.portfoliosplus.com where you can view and buy on line."

(Leonard Cowling)