Live Right, Love Right, Everything Is Gonna Bee Alright is the grafittied slogan painted on one of the exterior walls of the Magpie building where Picton Street meets Ashley Road, just before the traffic lights leading out onto Stokes Croft. It looms above the 'al fresco retail arm' of the Magpie collective, and is essentially one of the largest fly pitches you are ever likely to see, taking advantage of a piece of derelict wasteland on the corner of the street, and making it a whole lot prettier. Selling the kind of clobber that you will find at flea markets across the city, or on tat stalls at all of the festivals this summer, this permanent fixture is a welcome addition to the retro shops on Picton Street.
Around the corner on Ashley Road, next to the front door of the Magpie building, there's a hand painted sign that reads: "This building is an ongoing and evolving exhibition that you can add to if you wish." Immediately beneath it there's another sign saying, "Enquire within." I love the 'Enquire within" sign that appears to have been added as an afterthought. It seems so incongruous to have such an old fashioned sign accompanying this sub-cultural, progressive and altogether unorthodox establishment.
The Magpie is worth a visit. In simply walking through the door you seem to enter another universe entirely. You will find out stuff about Bristol that you never knew existed, and it will change your perspective of this city forever. read more