Next up in my series featuring some of our lovely independent shops, is Happydashery in Leighton Buzzard, not far from where I live. The story behind Happydashery Happydashery is owned and run by friends Sarah Arkle and Carrie Wainer. We opened our store in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 2019 with an aim to be a bright and colourful beacon on our local High Street. Our shelves are full to the brim with 'little bits of happy' - gifts, accessories, homewares and lots of other joyful surprises to discover, carefully sourced from independent makers and small brands in the UK and further afield ..read more

I love shopping in independent brick-and-mortar stores. I completely agree with Mary Portas, "that independent shops are the future of our high streets". That's how "Shop Indie Day" came about. To me, there's nothing better than finding a lovely, and well-curated independent shop. That's why I wanted to create a new series here on the blog, featuring some amazing independent shops, and the people behind these wonderful places, as told by them. First up is Nicola and Ben's shop, Pazaar in North Wales. The story behind Pazaar Pazaar is more than a shop...it's all about our stories & journeys ..read more

Small business owners can find themselves wearing lots of different hats in the day to day running of their business and sometimes it can be daunting to add another one to your hat rack, such as managing a wholesale website. Having a wholesale function on your website can save you and your stockists time, but where do you start? In this chat with Aime Cox from Studio Cotton, and Emma Bassey from Stitching Me Softly, we discuss if it's worth adding a wholesale function to your website, how to achieve this and if it can help save time. (Want to watch the video? Click HERE to catch up on my Insta ..read more

I sat down with Charlotte Broadbent, who leads Faire's UK operations. Faire is a digital wholesale marketplace servicing over 45,000 retailers and 12,000 brands in the UK. We talk about the benefits to buy and sell on Faire, and the unique features it offers to brands and retailers. You can watch the whole conversation over on my Instagram here. Here are the top five takeaways to help you buy and sell on Faire 1. Faire Offers Risk-Free Wholesale Buying Faire is a revolutionary platform that offers retailers 24/7 access to various products, taking the risk out of buying. It manages payments and ..read more

Visiting your first trade show as a buyer or attendee can feel overwhelming. Exhibition centres can take hours to walk around and deciding which booths to stop at and when, or if to place orders at the event, can make it an exhausting day. Especially if you're an introvert like me! But attending trade fairs is a productive way to find new suppliers for your store, meet sellers in person and form connections that could last for years. I've exhibited at over 50 trade shows as a seller, and attended lots as a visitor too. In this guide I'm sharing my tips on how to prep before your visit, what yo ..read more

In a recent episode of the Let's Talk Shop, host Therese Oertenblad sat down with Priya, owner and buyer of ,Lark London, to discuss the evolving landscape of buying for multiple stores. This episode provided valuable insights into the challenges and joys of the retail industry, as well as the importance of supporting local businesses. Here are the key takeaways from the conversation: 1. The Impact of Shoplifting: One of the prominent challenges faced by Priya and her team is shoplifting. She expressed frustration with the lack of response from law enforcement and the impact it has on their de ..read more

A celebration of independent brick-and-mortar stores On the 27th of October 2023, we celebrated the first Shop Indie Day. The idea originated less than 2 weeks prior, and it turned out to be a super fun and rewarding day. This year has been particularly tough for physical retail. Therefore, Beck, owner of ,Prior, an award-winning independent shop in central Bristol, and I wanted to come up with a way to use our collective voices to raise the volume for independent brick-and-mortar retailers. That’s how Shop Indie Day came about. It is a one-day-long Instagram campaign to celebrate independent ..read more

In a recent episode of Let's Talk Shop, host Therese interviewed Myfanwy Gloster and Tom Gloster from ,Glosters Pottery, a thriving retail business. With their experience in wholesale and a successful trade show under their belt, Myfanwy shared valuable insights on growing a brand in the retail industry. In this blog post, we'll explore three key takeaways from their journey, providing valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and established business owners alike. 1. Embrace Wholesale to Scale Your Business: One of the first insights Myfanwy shared was the importance of embracing wholesale ..read more

In a recent episode of Let's Talk Shop, podcast host Therese Oertenblad had the opportunity to sit down with Lucy Hitchcock, the founder of ,Partner in Wine and ,Sassy Digital. As a successful entrepreneur and expert in brand building, and digital marketing Lucy shared valuable insights on packaging and branding, value pricing, and the importance of consistent brand identity. In this blog post, we will delve into the episode and highlight five key takeaways that can help businesses establish and thrive in the competitive marketplace. 1. Branding is the Foundation: Lucy emphasized the significa ..read more

Guest Blog By Bee Dohnt (SEO Bitch) The Faire wholesale platform is an excellent tool for connecting buyers with suppliers - this we know from the statistics alone. With over 700,000 buyers and 150,000 brands, the platform is a hotbed of activity. Wait, does this mean your products are competing for attention against those of 150,000+ other brands? Ya, sorry! To do so effectively, you can work on your SEO. What is SEO? Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is an enormous concept, but understanding the very core principles and applying them to your Faire product listings will send them soaring to th ..read more