diff --git a/src/stores/OwnProfileStore.ts b/src/stores/OwnProfileStore.ts
index 5e722877e2..bb45456f1e 100644
--- a/src/stores/OwnProfileStore.ts
+++ b/src/stores/OwnProfileStore.ts
@@ -29,13 +29,22 @@ interface IState {
     avatarUrl?: string;
 }
 
+const KEY_DISPLAY_NAME = "mx_profile_displayname";
+const KEY_AVATAR_URL = "mx_profile_avatar_url";
+
 export class OwnProfileStore extends AsyncStoreWithClient<IState> {
     private static internalInstance = new OwnProfileStore();
 
     private monitoredUser: User;
 
     private constructor() {
-        super(defaultDispatcher, {});
+        // seed from localstorage because otherwise we won't get these values until a whole network
+        // round-trip after the client is ready, and we often load widgets in that time, and we'd
+        // and up passing them an incorrect display name
+        super(defaultDispatcher, {
+            displayName: window.localStorage.getItem(KEY_DISPLAY_NAME),
+            avatarUrl: window.localStorage.getItem(KEY_AVATAR_URL),
+        });
     }
 
     public static get instance(): OwnProfileStore {
@@ -115,6 +124,16 @@ export class OwnProfileStore extends AsyncStoreWithClient<IState> {
         // We specifically do not use the User object we stored for profile info as it
         // could easily be wrong (such as per-room instead of global profile).
         const profileInfo = await this.matrixClient.getProfileInfo(this.matrixClient.getUserId());
+        if (profileInfo.displayname) {
+            window.localStorage.setItem(KEY_DISPLAY_NAME, profileInfo.displayname);
+        } else {
+            window.localStorage.removeItem(KEY_DISPLAY_NAME);
+        }
+        if (profileInfo.avatar_url) {
+            window.localStorage.setItem(KEY_AVATAR_URL, profileInfo.avatar_url);
+        } else {
+            window.localStorage.removeItem(KEY_AVATAR_URL);
+        }
         await this.updateState({displayName: profileInfo.displayname, avatarUrl: profileInfo.avatar_url});
     };