How Søstrene Grene’s Arrival Marks a Full-Circle Moment for Exeter’s First Department Store

Paternoster House has long stood as a familiar figure on North Street — its ornate Victorian frontage quietly marking time as Exeter evolved around it. Originally built in the 1800s as the city’s first department store, it introduced a new era of retail to the region. A bustling hub of homewares, furniture, fabrics, and everyday essentials, it was a space where residents gathered not only to shop, but to connect. Now, with the arrival of beloved Danish lifestyle brand Søstrene Grene, that legacy comes full circle.

This month, we announced that Søstrene Grene has signed a multi-year lease to occupy the ground-floor commercial space at Paternoster House, once again returning this historic building to its roots as a destination for thoughtfully designed home goods. It’s a partnership that feels as fitting as it is exciting: a brand known for beauty, utility, and calm, setting up shop in a building that embodies all three.

A Brief History of the Building

In the mid-1800s, Paternoster House was at the forefront of Exeter’s commercial innovation. With its grand display windows, pioneering continuous lift (the namesake “paternoster” elevator), and expansive retail floors, it was a revelation. Locals remember it as a place to buy fine fabrics, sturdy furnishings, and all manner of domestic treasures.

The building survived war, weather, and decades of changing ownership. Sdly, like many historic high street landmarks, it eventually fell into disrepair. Vacant for years and structurally unstable, it seemed destined for decay. But we saw something more.

NooKo acquired the site in 2023 with a vision to honour the past while building for the future. After a major restoration effort, involving hundreds of acrow props, reclaimed materials, and a whole lot of scaffolding, Paternoster House was transformed into a vibrant mixed-use space with 29 modern apartments, a communal rooftop terrace, commercial units, co-working space, and a gym currently under construction. Throughout, we retained the building’s soul: its brickwork, its bays, its bones.

The Commercial Heart Returns

When we designed the commercial spaces on the ground floor, we always hoped they’d be more than just units. We wanted them to reconnect North Street to its roots: to the buzz of market day, the charm of the high street, and the joy of discovering something unexpected behind a shopfront.

With Søstrene Grene, that hope becomes reality.

Founded in Denmark in 1973 by sisters Anna and Clara Grene, the brand has built a reputation for affordable elegance and warm, minimalist design. From storage baskets and stationery to ceramics and soft furnishings, their curated collections are as practical as they are beautiful. Every store is laid out as a calming labyrinth — a quiet escape from the chaos of modern life.

For Exeter, it’s a fresh retail offering. For Paternoster House, it’s a homecoming.

A Building, Reimagined

What makes this return to retail so meaningful isn’t just the historical symmetry — it’s the layered transformation that led us here.

Where once there were faded floorboards and crumbling walls, now there are bright windows and open spaces. Where an ageing lift shaft stood empty, now there’s a co-working hub and a rooftop garden terrace. And now, in the very place that once displayed wardrobes and tea sets, a new kind of homeware is arriving — a modern reflection of the building’s original purpose.

Søstrene Grene’s arrival doesn’t overwrite the past. It builds on it.

A Shared Ethos

It’s rare to find a retail partner whose values so neatly align with our own. Søstrene Grene is deeply thoughtful about where and how they open stores. They favour historic sites. They believe in the tactile magic of good design. And like us, they believe that buildings should feel lived in, not just passed through.

Their “Retail for the Senses” concept — designed to invite slowness, quiet, and curiosity — resonates with our own approach to development: one that doesn’t rush, but restores. That sees beauty not just in the final finish, but in the process of revival.

A City Centre Renaissance

Exeter is in the midst of a high street shift. As big-box retail falters, local development has an opportunity — and a responsibility — to shape what comes next.

We believe that begins with quality. With character. With places that invite people in not just to buy something, but to feel something.

The Paternoster/Søstrene Grene partnership brings new jobs, footfall, and energy to the heart of the city. But more than that, it brings continuity. A modern take on what North Street has always done best: helping people make their homes a little lovelier, one object at a time.

Looking Forward

Søstrene Grene’s fit-out begins this summer, with doors expected to open in early autumn. We can’t wait to see their soft lighting and timber shelves fill the shopfronts once more — and to see this iconic building buzzing with life.

In the meantime, we’re reflecting on just how far Paternoster House has come. From the grandeur of the 1800s to near dereliction.If you look closely, you’ll see the solar panels glinting along the roofline. You’ll see old ghost signs re-emerging on the brickwork. You’ll see residents sunning themselves on the terrace. And now, you’ll see Danish design in the display windows — right where it all began.

Because sometimes, the best stories really do come full circle.