Every year in Nottingham we have a 'Light Night' city wide event which celebrates light in many forms by local businesses. This year there were 40 businesses taking part and I was lucky enough to be invited along to see how Debbie Bryan was involved.
Debbie Bryan opened her store in the Lace Market area of Nottingham in 2009, selling her own award winning scarves and brooches. With a Masters in Fashion and Textiles Debbie has exhibited and sold her work in 6 countries, including Italy, Hong Kong and the USA. The store, which is nearby to Debbie's design studio, has expanded it's offerings over the past 6 years and now houses the cities Lace Archives, independent art, home decorations, textiles and a tucked away Tea Room. In the historic Lace Market and Creative Quarter, Debbie has been able to contribute a creative business in this perfect location and beautiful building in a secluded street that is still easy to find.
During this festival of light, Debbie offered a late Crafternoon where customers were able to have a relaxed get together and stitch their own items whilst enjoying the event. With inspiration all around the store and a cheerful host it was easy to sit there for, what felt like, hours and watch the people come and go and see the creations people were making. Crafternoons are sessions that Debbie holds for groups of people who may wish to get together and enjoy tea and cakes whilst creating their own Lampshades, Wreaths or even Cake Stands.
If you are interested in going along and crafting you don't have to be in a group though as regular events are held for occasions all year round. These are perfect for those budding crafters or close friends who want to do something a little different on an afternoon whilst spending some time together and taking something home handmade by you.
The majority of items are made in store and everything is labelled to be bought or just admired at your own leisure. From the simple gift tags to jewellery and items of clothing this store really does have something for everyone and if you are in need of a last minute Valentines Day present these cute 'I Love You' bowls would be perfect.
Getting back on track to the Light Night event, I took some time to take a look around the store at all of it's offerings. It may not look large from the front but once you step in side you are greeted by a lovely decorated space and beautiful furniture housing delicate and intricate pieces of fabric and art. Framed original lace and sections of delicate white lace can be bought for your own collection or possibly used when you attend one of the craft events. The store is welcoming and has beautifully selected pieces that make you want to stay there and never leave - though with the store open until 6pm you can definitely enjoy your time there for as long as you want to.
I am a huge fan of scented candles, aren't all bloggers? So when I saw this new collection of fragranced kitchen candles I was blown away by their scents and affordability (£15). In large white ceramic jars there are sweet and savoury scents for everyone's home and I am sure many homes in Nottingham will soon house one of these. My favourites were Rhubarb and Custard, Victoria Sponge and the amazing Hot Chocolate one that was burning in the Tea/Brew Room. So heavenly and comforting I wanted to buy them all, maybe just a few to start.
Light Night is a celebration of light creations interpreted in many different ways. As Debbie sells gorgeous home decorations she displayed her offerings of lights and handmade lampshades throughout the store. Lit up in windows, in display cabinets and on tables were multiple lights each with delicate details and soft shades that would suit any work top or bedside table. The store has been carefully designed to incorporate many items at the same time and have them relate to each other in a way that doesn't look too cluttered and messy.
As the new Brew Room and Afternoon Tea offerings were being advertised I couldn't help myself but to pull up a comfortable wooden chair and enjoy a Pot of Tea with a Homemade Scone served with jam and clotted cream. The tea pot kept on giving and the scone was delicious and big enough for an evening snack but not too dense or heavy. Everything was enjoyable and I could have eaten a few more scones if my stomach would have allowed me to. There may have also been a cheeky tipple added to my tea that made me love the evening even more - well it was a Friday night!
The local produce of drinks and food items looked amazing and was very affordable compared to items of similar appearance in your local supermarket (£6). The honey's and local ales look amazing and I over heard good things about their taste too, with some ales room temperature and some refrigerated Debbie had definitely thought of everything to make the evening very enjoyable for all. The next time I am in the area I will be browsing the candles, cards and jars to see what goodies I can treat myself to and support the local businesses whilst I am there.
I would recommend Debbie Bryan to anyone looking for an event space, afternoon tea, gifts or even clothes, there really is something for everyone and with a great host and atmosphere I can see why customers are always returning. Thank you to Debbie and the apprentices who help her run the store I really had an enjoyable evening and will be back again soon.
Debbie Bryan, 18 St Mary's Gate, The Lace Market, Nottingham - 0115 957776
Twitter and Instagram: DebbieBryanShop
Let me know if you have ever been to Debbie Bryan or know of a similar store I should visit! xx
Located on the cobbled side street of Cobden Chambers, Ideas on Paper is providing the local community with high quality and unique books, magazines and stationary items. In an intimate room on the first floor you will find Alex Smith perched on his stool ready to greet any customer coming in to browse or chat.
After growing up in Nottingham, Alex moved to London to study business with retail marketing and to pursue a career in management for the likes of Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, where he worked on both the shop floor and in the head offices. With the dream of always wanting to open his own store selling magazines, Alex began to sell them from the drawer of his counter in Hugo Boss - but don't tell anyone!
The experience he has gained over the years led him back to Nottingham with hopes of beginning his new adventure, after working for his brother and selling shares on the stock market there was time for change on the horizon. His great love for books and materials led Alex to become passionate about the love of writing and interesting articles that are not found in the average chain bookstore. By combining his luxury retail and marketing knowledge with his knowledge of independent publishers Alex was able to produce a plan for a local book store specialising in the bold and beautiful world of art and text combined.
In 2013, Alex entered in the Nottingham City Council Inspiring Retail competition but sadly did not win. This spurred on his ambition to open the store even more to create a space for the local community to enjoy and benefit from. His experience in retail gave him the knowledge to know that a retail store in Nottingham would not be a wise decision; he also knew this would be an unappealing project to stay focused on. The book store is a way for him to be unique and take the opportunity to be located in a growing area full of small businesses, bring ideas back to Nottingham and to also be a catalyst for change and positive experiences in the city.
As all start up entrepreneurs are aware it is not easy to find funding and progress into the market at the right time for you. Alex was able to stay confident and positive in order to set his mind to achieving his goals and was lucky enough to be introduced to Cobden Chambers who have been able to provide further support. Social media has proven really useful to the business and has been a great tool to promote the company in a cost effective manner as the only cost is the time taken to continuously produce material. With a lot of students living in Nottingham Alex's target market are the younger generations and therefore he can use Instagram in a successful way to target these customers.
When asked about the world of blogging Alex commented that he believes the community to be a phenomenon in the twenty first century of marketing and content generation. There is no longer a requirement to gain permission before writing a post and therefore everyone is able to voice their opinion on any topic they feel passionate about. This doesn't mean all blogs are good but the concept of blogging is useful and benefits businesses greatly.
I spoke more with Alex about the environment of social media and blogging where he began to discuss his views of using the platforms as a way to communicate and build a conversation rather than having a one sided advertisement in the forms of traditional marketing. All businesses and individuals can see the opinions of customers and can interact with them whilst indirectly pushing advertising messages in a more discreet way. Brands and individuals have to be ready to communicate with each other and build a genuine conversation in order to make social media effective.
In order to generate inspiration Alex looks at his day to day deliveries of new products he can Tweet about or post on Instagram for customers to see what is new in stock and request a copy to be held for them. He is also able to take requests and recommendations through his platforms and build a more personal relationship with his returning customers. Alex likes to stimulate conversations with individuals and local businesses to generate more sales but to also generate more interest in the city of Nottingham and for surrounding businesses.
So what are the plans for Ideas on Paper in 2015?
Alex is a very committed citizen to Nottingham and advocates the growth and need of small businesses. His aims are to open a larger store in the city where he can provide a coffee shop service alongside his bookstore to create a more comfortable environment for all of his customers. If he had the time he would also write a blog himself however, working 7 days a week as the only employee, it can be difficult to find the time. Local universities, such as Nottingham Trent University, are also looking to Alex for work placements in the business which will benefit his awareness in the city as more students will become aware of the store and also prospective customers linked with the university.
For bloggers, entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners Alex's top recommendations are to do more of what you love because you will be more effective if you love doing it; do what you believe in and care about because people will know if you are not genuine and to start now and grow organically.
Ideas on Paper, Cobden Chambers, Pelham Street, NG1 2ED
Twitter and Instagram: Ideas_on_Paper
Please let me know if you enjoyed this interview, comment and share! Thank you to Alex for your time during the interview!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)