While Attaway said many of the customers who visit Goodwoods used to live in the United Kingdom or one of the British overseas territories, anyone is welcome to stop by the Old Town Spring staple.
“We ship all over the United States to maybe people who don’t have a British store and they miss the food,” Attaway said. “So we’re selling memories.”
Ornate teapots, modern electric tea kettles and trinkets bearing the Union Jack flag are displayed at Goodwoods. On the front porch, cardboard cutouts of British royalty sit alongside a red telephone booth; inside, television screens play episodes of “The Great British Baking Show.”
Attaway—who has dual citizenship for England and the U.S.—began operating Goodwoods in January 2021, after her father, Richard Goodlad, retired. After taking over, Attaway said she revamped the storefront so that it would be eye-catching and photo worthy.
“I’ve tried to give people a lot of fun and exciting things to come and look at,” Attaway said.
Some of the bestsellers for Goodwoods are Walkers cheese and onion chips; sausage, or banger, meat pies; Cadbury flake and Crunchie candy bars; Branston pickle chutney; and HP Sauce, a condiment made with tomato, malt vinegar, molasses and spices. The location also sells a variety of teas, scones, cake mixes, cookies and bottled drinks.
“We keep all the same staples, everything that people love, and we are always adding new and fun items and switching them out so that it’s a new experience,” Attaway said.
Goodlad opened Goodwoods in 1991 in Old Town Spring and in 2019 moved the store to its current location, also in Old Town Spring. Attaway has worked at the store since she was 13.
Since Attaway took over, she also renovated the location, adding in new shelving, freezers and light fixtures she made using tea pots and cups. Attaway also recently redesigned the business’s website, which she said aims to make online ordering more intuitive.
“We have a very large online business,” she said.
In the last year, Attaway estimated Goodwoods has doubled its in-store and online sales.
The last year has been especially busy for Attaway: a couple of months before giving birth to her fourth child, she launched a second Goodwoods location in Friendswood in February. She said the Friendswood and Spring communities have been supportive of Goodwoods, and she has worked to give back by participating in local charity events.
“I’m very proud that I’m able to help support the community that helps me,” Attaway said.
Goodwoods British Market
220 Gentry St., Spring
281-419-7540
www.goodwoods.com
Hours: Mon. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m.
