Counter Culture Issue 01

Stories from the people at the heart of local & indie business

// Issue 01 //

Counter Culture is a new zine introducing you to the amazing people ‘behind the counter’ of the best local and independent businesses in your area.

We love the nostalgic notion of knowing the butcher, the baker and the candle (stick) maker by name, but life has changed since then. Many of us don’t have the time to pop into the shops and get to know the people who run them. Other independent businesses operate solely online, meaning we rarely have any interaction with them at all.

We want to change that!

We know (as do loads of other clever people who’ve done lots of research into this) that the people who run independent businesses are the glue that holds a community together. Their stories about who they are, and why they do it, are inspiring, feel-good stories that help us connect with others in our community.

If you’d like to be featured in Counter Culture, or know someone who should be featured, get in touch with us at hello@counterculturemag.co.uk. We’d love to hear from you.

The Counter Culture Team

w counterculturemag.co.uk // i @counter_culture_mag

Look out for this symbol. It means they are listed on ibuylocal.co.uk. You can read more about the people behind I BUY LOCAL in this issue on page 14.

In this issue let us introduce you to the awesome people behind…

Girls Who Grind Coffee

Planty Kate

Brewed Boy

Gillards Of Bath

Christina Oswin Jewellery

Bundle Bean

Eclectic Gift Shop

Omaggi

Selva Plants

Sweet Bee Organics

I Buy Local

Charlotty

Fi O’Brien + Casey LaLonde

Nikki + Scott Lakin

Nicola Bartlett

Holly King

Kate Clark

Christina Oswin

Ben + Emily

Paul Cranwell + Nigel Fryatt

George White

Emily Goodall

Sam + Delicia

Charlotte Bolton

Girls Who

Grind Coffee WHO? Fi O’Brien + Casey LaLonde

While our kids played at school drop-off and pick-up, we often got chatting about our love of coffee and our various experiences in the coffee industry.

As women, we felt a little pushed out of the industry we loved. Rather than complain about it, we started GWGC to be the change we wanted to see. We’re creating an industry where women feel empowered, celebrated and heard, hence why we made the conscious decision to focus solely on buying coffee from female producers.

Before diving into the coffee industry, I (Fi O’Brien) started my career in advertising before leaving to open my own cafe in support of hip-hop and street art culture in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Opening a cafe was the ultimate way for me to combine my interest in design, brand strategy and marketing with my love of coffee and underground cultures.

I’m also completely obsessed with architecture, especially contemporary concrete buildings and interiors, so here’s to a concrete GWGC cafe sometime soon!

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Our Co-Founder and Head of Coffee at GWGC, Casey LaLonde, loves the art and science behind making a great cup, as well as the stories of the producers at origin. When she was living in Vermont, Casey worked at a roastery and coffee lab where she assisted on Q-grader courses and learned to cup & roast. She’s the woman behind sourcing, roasting and creating our awesome producer partnerships.

We sell coffee exclusively from female producers, creating much needed positive change through the empowerment women. Championing and celebrating these incredible women and their stories, and giving them the recognition they deserve, is our top priority. Starting up our own, all-female roastery seemed the perfect culmination of both of our ideas and passions. It allowed us to have the greatest impact on the lives of female producers.

We can be controversial in tackling the issue of inequality in the coffee industry, but we make no apologies. We want our message to be heard and noticed. Alongside our incredible coffees, we have some badass merchandise including t-shirts, mugs, stickers and posters – all with the message of female empowerment. When women are provided with the opportunity to be the boss, great things happen!

We plan to keep going and growing. In addition to paying a premium price for our grower’s green coffee, last year we launched ‘Cheek to Cheek’, a GWGC Women’s Empowerment Initiative that puts 10% of the sale price of all of our retail bags of roasted coffees back in to the pockets of our growers. This is so important as coffee producers struggle to make a living wage from their product. It’s even more difficult for women who, more often than not, receive less money for the same task carried out by a man.

The more we grow, the bigger the difference we can make for the producers we work with. In the future we’d very much love to have GWGC concept stores and roastery cafes in different parts of the world, bringing winds of change wherever we go.

Thinking of starting your own business? Just go for it!! Obviously do your research and plan, but don’t let anyone talk you out of living your dream. Yes it will be difficult and a killer amount of work, but if you’re passionate about your idea, it will be worth it in the end.

w girlswhogrindcoffee.com // i + f @girlswhogrindcoffee // t GWG_Coffee

Planty Kate WHO? Kate Clark

PlantyKate came about after I had my daughter. I wanted to stop the insane amount of travel I had done previously for work – my background is in fashion – to spend time with her.

While I was on maternity leave I got really into growing plants. When I had too many, I started selling my house plants online and at markets like The Frome Independent. I sold under the name, PlantyKate – a name my friend’s children jokingly called me instead of Aunty Kate when I became obsessed with plants. The nickname stuck and now I answer to people shouting ‘Planty’ to me in the street.

I naturally collaborate with other makers, as I like sharing and developing ideas with other creatives.

Initially, a wonderful, local potter called Simon Wright made lots of plant pots for me. After that, I began collaborating with others on candles and plantbased beauty products. Before long, I enrolled in a natural beauty formulating course, Formula Botanica.

I experimented, refined and tested new plant-based products on friends

and had some hideous fails and mistakes in the early days. I burned a favourite pair of gold shoes by spilling lye on them (and me) when learning to make soap; I created a fireball candle by putting in way too much Grapefruit Essential Oil into the blend; and I dyed my daughter Oompa-Lumpa orange when I began experimenting with dyes. Eventually, I learned to make well-sourced, environmentally friendly, great smelling products using locally sourced and repurposed ingredients like coffee and tea grains. Now I hand make candles, reed diffusers, coldpressed soap, body balm, face serums and bath bombs. My packaging was designed locally and I do all of the illustrations myself.

I love Bath’s local and independent businesses and I try to work with them when I can. My favourites are The Green Bird Cafe, Thoughtful Bakery, Solsbury Hill Honey, Dorset Sea Salt., Simon Wright Pottery, Gudie Derrick, Jen Allan photography, Nick AskewMiller design, Scout & Sage Micro Brewery and Geo Attic.

I think running your own business is a balance, there is always something

to do and always more admin that needs attention. You have to be prepared to wear many different hats as an entrepreneur and accept that if something needs doing you just have to turn your hand to it.

You can find my products on my website, on ibuylocal.co.uk and in amazing independents Leak, Refillable, The Green Bird Cafe , The Thoughtful Bakery, Consciously You, The Urban Garden Centre in Bath, FillerUp and lots of other places across the South West.

w plantykate.co.uk // t + i + f @plantykate // 01225 683 122

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Brewed Boy

WHO? Brewed Boy came into existence a bit randomly actually.

George White We saw that other people were giving the craft beer world a go and we thought we could do it better. So we found the unit in Frome and the Brewed Boy journey began.

Later, I started my own brewery, Imaginary Friends, while travelling through the deep south of America. Everyone thought I was crazy, but we did it and it’s been a great success so far.

Something interesting about me? I am a huge fan of mixed martial arts! I am an avid amateur kickboxer and I have my own mixed martial arts podcast and YouTube channel called Fightingtalk2 – check it out!

Across all of the Brewed Boy outlets, we sell small batch, high quality craft beers and artisan ciders from the best independent producers. The beers come from small breweries in the UK, Scandinavia, USA and Russia. The ciders are from the local cider farms we are blessed with in Somerset and Dorset.

People I need to thank are my staff! Every day they help me and my dad, John Simon White – legend– run Brewed Boy and Imaginary Friends. They are absolutely brilliant and we couldn’t do it without them.

The best thing about my business is that I get to build amazing relationships with all the customers that come into the outlets. We have been invited to people’s weddings and I’ve even been on an American road trip with a customer for 6 weeks back in 2018. The memories we have, and the people we see, are the best!

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I’m ambitious. Whenever someone says to me, ‘Do you want to do a new project?’, the answer is always yes. Currently we’re working on opening a bakery in the brewery unit in Sherborne. We’re planning to open Brewed Boy No4 later this year close to Cheddar. I also dream of opening a place in Devon where most of my family come from. Who knows what’s next for us.

When someone tells you that you can’t do it, don’t listen to them.

I’ve had so many people try and tell me it’s not possible and I’ve ignored them. In 5 years, I’ve opened 4 bars, a commercial brewery and, soon, an artisan bakery. I’m only 25. If you believe in yourself, and your idea, then go for it and don’t let anyone stop you.

Find us (and buy from us) on social media and come and see us in Frome, Bath and Sherborne for the most delicious beers and ciders. The Bakery will be open in Sherborne and our new project in Cheddar opens in June so make sure you check it out.

t + i @brewed_boy // f @brewedboyfrome • brewedboybath • brewedboysherborne

WHO? Nikki + Scott Lakin

Of Bath

Gillards We’re not really the owners.

My husband, Scott, and I refer to ourselves as the custodians of Gillard’s of Bath, the city’s oldest Tea and Coffee merchants established in 1888. We’ve been lucky enough to have travelled extensively and after living in New Zealand for a few years enjoying the coffee culture there, Gillard’s of Bath seemed the perfect fit. After we returned to the UK, a lovely school friend who has a cafe in the Guildhall Market mentioned that Gillard’s was for sale.

We had been looking to base ourselves in Somerset. It’s an area that we have great fondness for as my husband and I met at school here.

When we bought Gillard’s of Bath in 2019 it had been run down and needed a lot of work. Over the years we have carefully and sympathetically brought it up-to-date with things like new packaging and a new website.

We’ve also tried to maintain it’s traditional feel as it’s a business that’s been in Bath for over 130 years!

Our specialty is our traditional, hand-blended teas, most of which are from recipes that have been used for generations. We are also over the moon to be launching a new blend, ‘Lady Whistledown’s Extraordinary Tea’. It’s a beautiful English Rose Black tea blended with rose petals, rosehip and blackberry leaves, perfect for sipping while sinking into a sumptuous chaise lounges. It’s in keeping with all the excitement surrounding Bridgerton and its connection with Bath.

We love our customers. Many of our customer’s families have been supporting Gillard’s of Bath for generations. We love speaking to people who remember visiting the shop with their parents when they were children. We also love introducing new and often younger customers to loose leaf teas. We are fortunate to work with such high quality ingredients and share our passion with our customers in an artisan way.

As a family-run business, our eldest son also works with us in the warehouse where all the blending and online orders take place. Although she’s not technically family, Tracy, our Tea and Coffee Angel, has worked for the business for 12 years. She’s fantastic with the customers and clearly knows her stuff, she’s been a guiding light from the start.

Before going into business for ourselves we had no idea how much time our business would take from us, particularly evening and weekends. But seeing and hearing from happy customers and being part of an amazing community makes it all worthwhile.

w gillardsofbath.co.uk // i @gillardsofbath / f @Gillards-of-Bath

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Christina Oswin

Jewellery I think being a maker was inevitable for me. Looking back, I remember as a child making jewellery out of old, broken items and beads. At school and college, I dutifully studied academic subjects but it was only art and design that really interested me.

The first time I made silver jewellery was during a work-experience WHO? placement, aged 15, with Pippa Berthon. I was hooked. I started evening Christina Oswin classes with her and ended up working for her. She was an amazing, inspiring person and her fantastic training and support set me on my path. I knew that I would have a workshop and make jewellery for a living.

After working with Pippa, I went on to Plymouth College of Art to study 3D Design Metalwork. It took a few years, interrupted by having children, and during this time I worked part-time for other jewellers. In 2005, I set up my own workshop in Frome’s Black Swan Arts before moving to Cheap Street in the centre of Frome. My workshop is at the back of the shop, so you can say “Hi” and see us working.

I use recycled silver, gold and platinum and ethically sourced and traceable gemstones. Some of the collections are also available in Fairtrade gold. I have many different collections of jewellery to suit different tastes. I also take commissions, which I really like, especially when it’s for bespoke engagement and wedding rings. I enjoy remodelling customer’s old jewellery to make new pieces as it gives their heirloom items a new lease of life.

I’m lucky to have a great team. My assistant, Jess, is like a machine, she makes lots of the stock items. And my goldsmith, Heather, works miracles with the gemstone commissions and customer repairs.

Two years ago we changed our energy supplier to Ecotricity and partnered with One Tree Planted to plant one tree for every website order. This year I plan to expand our Anthropocene collection, a range of pendants and brooches of animal species that are extinct due to human activity, to include species that are on the verge of extinction. I make these animal pieces to highlight the situation and 10% of the sale price is donated to the World Wildlife Fund.

I want to keep improving the environmental and ethical sustainability of the business, and I’m always looking for ways to achieve this. My current aim is for all the gemstones I use to be fully traceable.

Something interesting about me? I do Crossfit. Lifting weights has changed my life and really helps with the strength needed to do my job. It’s also resolved my posture problems associated with working at the bench. When I’m not working, I also like going to gigs and festivals. I’m really missing live music.

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w christinaoswin.co.uk // i @christinaoswin // f @ChristinaOswinJewellery

I started the business 11 years ago, when I had two little ones in a very small flat. I dreamt of a product that could help me get out and about more easily in all weathers, whether using a sling, pushchair or car seat. I never expected it to grow into the business it has with a whole range of products!

BundleBean make and sell a range of products for babies, toddlers and wheelchair users. Our best-sellers are our award-winning warm and waterproof cosies including our hero product, the GO 5-in-1 Footmuff. We also have a range of co-ordinating travel products such as organiser bags for buggies and wheelchairs.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive brand and we believe that whether you are a new mum with a baby in tow or a wheelchair user, life is better with a beautiful, quality product that’s working hard to keep you cosy and looking good.

I am well supported by a fabulous team, including Nat, who looks after our customers, and Sam, who does our digital marketing. They are both hard-working mothers like me!

Bundle Bean

WHO? Emily Goodall

I absolutely LOVE hearing from our customers. Photos of babies, kids and adults getting out and about in beautiful places with our products keeping them cosy is the best feedback and it reminds me what it’s all about.

At the moment, we’re particularly excited about our new patterns and we have just launched two new designs; a flock of cheeky seagulls, and a chic metallic gold bee design on navy. They are perfect for summer and we hope you love them as much as we do!

We are steadily increasing our reach all the time and are now selling across the EU and America and expanding every year. Every year we grow our product range, responding all the time to our customers’ needs in a rapidly changing world I could talk about starting your own business all day but really my best bit of advice is to outsource.

Surround yourself with brilliant people who are better than you at doing the things you aren’t great at. For me, this was accounting and fulfilment, which we outsourced from the outset.

Secondly, keep a beady eye on your cash flow and do whatever you can to mitigate this risk – it’s the reason most businesses fail in the early years.

w bundlebean.com // i @BundleBean / f @BundleBeanLtd / t @bundlebeanltd

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c E electic WHO? Nicola Bartlett

About a year before I opened Eclectic Gift Shop, while working full-time in the NHS, I started selling photographs I had taken of my hometown, Bristol.

I was spending more and more time selling at markets and I’d started to volunteer in a couple of shops selling local art so it made sense to reduce my hours.

I met lots of fantastic small business owners and enjoyed talking with customers. At the same time, I was becoming increasingly disillusioned with my role within the NHS. I’m from east Bristol and live a ten minute walk away from where my shop is based. I realised that there was nowhere permanent to sell my work this side of the city and when a unit became available on my local High Street, I snapped it up. I was up and running within a few weeks. It was the best decision I’ve ever made! I love being my own boss and being part of a local High Street community.

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Gift Shop I work with over 80 independent, creative businesses in Bristol and local artists. There’s something for the whole family including natural soaps and skin care, baby clothes, jewellery, greetings cards, glassware, natural candles, incense sticks and room diffusers, artwork, mugs and coasters, macramé, ceramics, and a fun selection of gifts celebrating Bristol.

I recently created a mini deli corner in the shop. We stock a range of locally brewed beers, cider and spirits, alongside local honey, handmade chocolates, jams, biscuits, pickles, crackers and cheeses.

The best thing about Eclectic is being a part of a local community. No two days are the same and there’s always someone interesting to have a chat with.

I’m very hands-on and love to be on the shop floor. Some of the customers have become good friends. It’s great being an independent based on a High Street, you’re definitely a part of something bigger.

Before the pandemic, I didn’t give selling online a second thought. I’m really proud to have got stuck in over the the lockdowns. I also learnt a completely brand new set of skills through launching a new, complimentary business, thebathartshop.co.uk. The new web shop pulls together a selection of wonderful work from local artists and is a platform to showcase and sell their work. I’ve still so much to learn and I really want to focus on that moving forwards.

When starting a new business, it’s important not to be hesitant. You really have to go for it and be decisive to make a success of it. When I was trying to juggle part-time work as well as selling my own photographs it was very tiring and hard to grow the business side. Quitting my job to focus on what I cared about full-time was the best decision I made.

In my free time, I love walking and camping. I’ve walked most of the Jurassic Coast and parts of Devon and Cornwall. I love spending time outdoors and walking so much that I even walked around the Isle of Wight in three days. Strangely, I’ve never walked a dog, although I have walked a llama!

w eclecticgiftshop.co.uk // t+f @EclecticGiftShop // i @eclecticgiftshop

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Omaggi WHO? We were inspired to start Omaggi by time spent traveling around Sicily, Ben + Emily a love for the food and culture, and frustrated by poor cannoli representation here in the UK. We wanted to start a pop-up that would offer high quality, authentic, freshly-piped cannoli and share our love of the Sicilian pastries in a way that is both contemporary and respectful to its origin.

Armed with our idea we moved to Bath (Em’s hometown) from London last year in the midst of the pandemic to kick-start Omaggi. Before starting Omaggi, neither one of us had any previous professional work experience in food prior to setting up our business. That’s made it a steep learning curve! Thankfully, the one thing we did have experience of was illustration. Ben had been an illustrator – when he had such a thing as spare time – and created our branding as a lockdown 1.0 project.

What do we do at Omaggi? We sell amazing cannoli in a variety of flavours.

We don’t pre-fill our cannoli, they are always freshly filled and entirely handmade using traditional techniques. To make our cannoli unique, we pair carefully selected produce from Sicily/Italy with local produce from here in Somerset.

Our ultimate dream is to set-up a small Sicilian style ‘cannoli bar’ with traditional cues and a contemporary feel, but for now you can find us online (we delivery locally), at Green Park Market in Bath Saturdays 9am–1pm, at Harbourside Street Food Market in Bristol and at Frome Market (check our website for details).

If you have an idea and want to start a business, go for it, but definitely don’t underestimate the amount of work that is involved in doing so! Something I think we’d definitely have done differently is to be more outgoing in asking other people in our field for advice. When we started we were a little shy to do so but have since realised that people are nice and enjoy offering their help.

w omaggi.co.uk // e hello@omaggi.co.uk //t+f+i @omaggi_uk

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Selva Plants Selva Plants was born in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, through which both of us (Sam and Delicia) lost most of our work.

We’re both freelance artists who run AllouAqui Dance Theatre alongside another dance artist.

The beginning of 2020 looked like a promising year for the company, with performances, workshops, and plenty of work booked in the diary, but like a lot of other businesses, this work was canceled for the foreseeable future.

After countless rehearsals (online and in-person when we’re allowed to), we soon realised the number of plants we each hoarded, and the mutual fixation began. We were officially addicted to plants! This is where Selva Plants began — a plant shop that is based on sharing the love of plants, everywhere!

WHO? Sam + Delicia

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w selvaplants.co.uk // f+i @selvaplants

We began researching, planning, and registering our business, and soon enough we had a plant shop!

Sam’s an Actor who has worked on productions like 1917, Eurovision, and War of the Worlds. Delicia is a Dance Artist working in theatre and in on screen productions.

We’re also quite international, Delicia is Greek and Sam was born in Spain – although he definitely looks very British!

We sell plants, plants, and more plants! We’re absolutely obsessed with them, and we’re slowly growing the amount of stock we keep. We don’t have a physical building for people to browse, but we have a market-style stall that we take around with us and pop-up in different locations and we also sell online. We work with a Bristol-based designer who makes our very own range of compostable 3D printed pots.

We also make macramé plant hangers – so basically, we sell anything planty!

A lot of people have said that our customer service is great. It’s probably because we love meeting new people.

We try not to take life too seriously and we love adding a little note in our deliveries and chatting to passersby at our market stalls. Our business was grown through a difficult time, and so we want to make things as easy, simple, and cheap as possible for our customers.

At the moment, our ambitions are to keep the business going. It started off as a small idea, but the dream would be to one day open up a plant cafe, or a shop. We’d like to create a beautiful venture for our customers, especially as we are based in Keynsham where there seem to be people who are just as plant-crazy as we are!

If we had one bit of advice for anyone setting up their own business it would be not to feel like you have to master everything from day one, and especially not on your own.

Ask people for help, look up other businesses that are similar to yours and send them a message. Most business owners are happy to share advice. Also, so much comes from our personalities and just getting to know people and what they want. People LOVE to see growth and progression, and people love to support.

Sweet Bee Organics One of the things I do to try to keep myself well is cold water swimming.

I try to do it every morning. If I can’t make it in to the water I take a cold shower. Another thing I’m interested in is the healing power of mushrooms.

WHO? We’re actually looking to open a shop in Hollie King Bristol soon so keep your eyes peeled.

Sweet Bee Organics sell organic I started Sweet Bee Organics in wellness products that boost the 2008. I was making suncream for my mind, body and soul. Our best selling boys because I couldn’t find anything product is our Sweet Sleep magnesium non-toxic. Friends had been asking me butter. It’s a cream you rub on your to make them some too so I decided to feet to help you sleep. Magnesium is start selling it and it went really well. responsible for over 500 processes but In 2019, I got cancer. I had an most people are deficient of it. In 2017, operation to remove the cancer but several studies proved that magnesium decided against chemo and radiation. can help with anxiety. Originally, I Recovering from my cancer gave me started making Sweet Sleep for my son. a lot of time to consider my brand He had been finding it so difficult to get and birth the concept of Sweet Bee to sleep and he was really restless. The Organics. After that it almost been like magnesium in the Sweet Sleep really divine intervention, everything we do helped so I started selling that too. seems to sell well.

Mostly, though, we sell Sweet Sleep We believe in treating your body to peri-menopausal and menopausal well so you don’t get unwellI. The idea women. They find it helps with restless of that just wakes people up. They think, legs and hormonal imbalances.

‘Oh, I can boost my immune system.

I have a great team. My sister, There are alternatives to the health Mallory Schillinger, is my right hand in care system.’ I think it’s your body, so building the business and in product you need to advocate for yourself. development. She’s an agriculturalist and has a degree in sociology. She’s also been an organic farmer and understands herbs. I couldn’t do it without her.

Our biggest ambition right now is opening our manufacturing studio in my hometown of St Louis, Minnesota.

Next, we’d like to open a creative studio in Bali to service Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Then, world domination.

Everyone here is passionate about creating. Yes, we manufacture – but it’s more than that.

A lot of people ask me about how I set up this business. Just stop thinking and do it. Do it and ask for forgiveness later. People spend so much time thinking about it and not doing it. I do what brings me joy. I think I got that from Marie Kondo. I apply it to everything I do. Every single day I have a gratitude practice. Connecting to yourself is super important. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. It seems hard, but as an old mentor once said to me, ‘Yard by yard is hard, but inch by inch is a cinch’ and it’s true. Two years ago I was so broke I was struggling to pay the mortgage.

Now I’m running a successful business that I started from scratch and I couldn’t be happier.

w sweetbeeorganics.co.uk // f+i @sweetbeeorganics

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I Buy Local WHO? Paul Cranwell + Nigel Fryatt

I (Paul) was born in Kenya and I spent my early years living on a tea estate because my dad worked for Brooke Bond Tea. Every week, my mother and I would head in to town to get groceries and other supplies. I knew and talked to everyone, which used to confuse my mother. She couldn’t work out how, as a young child, I knew so many people. The penny dropped the day she caught me stealing biscuits from the pantry to give to the local tea pluckers.

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It was a good early lesson and I quickly learned that small acts of kindness go a very long way. Even later, as an adult when I started my sales career, I would arrive with gifts of biscuits and cakes for client meetings. Sugary treats and going the extra mile, it always goes down well.

I didn’t plan on starting I BUY LOCAL, it just sort of happened. I was working on a website development project with Nigel and we started talking about a website business I had once developed back in 2000. As we were talking we realised that the model would work well today. So, after a couple of pints up at the Flemish Weaver in Corsham, we decided to set up a business and get started.

We didn’t have a name to start with. The name ‘I BUY LOCAL’ came to me a couple of days later at 4AM – sadly, this happens to me a lot! Later that morning, I called Nigel, who couldn’t believe the URL was available. We bought the name and ibuylocal.co.uk was born.

We sell choice and convenience, offering an alternative channel to multi-national retailers like Amazon and larger national brands. Independent businesses should be part of the menu when customers want to buy online and have it delivered to their door. Our ambition is be the number one place in the UK to find the widest selection of independent retailers to buy from online.

My advice for starting a new venture is to have a plan, get advice from people that really know, and test your idea on others before investing. We’ve been lucky to have had a lot of help and advice along the way, including support from Lisa Merryweather-Millard, editor of Counter Culture, with brand design, guidance and ideas to keep us on track.

w ibuylocal.co.uk // t+f+i @ibuylocaluk

Charlotty

WHO? Charlotte Bolton

Although I run the business on my own, designing and hand-making the bags myself. I also have two teenage I started my business when I was children who like to think they are working for a contract sewing company part of my business. They offer lots of making up a variety of products and opinions and sometimes some helpful working with leather. I have an artistic advice. They inspire me to try new and background in design and a good eye different things. for colour. I wanted to play with the I think I’m at an exciting time in my different colour leathers and had lots business. Over the next couple of years of ideas for designs of my own. While I plan to expand into wholesale and at the company, I designed a collection employ people to do the bits I don’t like and had it made at the factory. It sold doing. I think that’s the aim for most well and the business has grown small businesses – getting to the point from there. of being able to hire someone so you I also own a horse box cafe that can focus on your business instead of runs alongside my bag business. We just making. sell coffees, cakes and light bites. It’s The best advice I could give to usually parked at Paxcroft Farm in anyone just starting out is to talk to lots Trowbridge overlooking fields but I’m of people about what you’re doing. Be thinking about taking it places in the honest and brave. summer.

I’m designing a new collection with a retro feel and a music theme. I’ve usually concentrated more on bags and accessories for women. This collection is targeted at a more male audience but also suited to women. I’m currently rebranding – watch this space – and the new collection will coincide with my rebranding launch.

w charlotty.com/ // t+f+i @charlottyengland

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