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We can’t afford to lose you...

21/11/2018

18 Comments

 
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As Christmas madness starts to hit our TVs, instagram accounts and facebook pages it has got me thinking about the mixed messages I'm getting from different friends, businesses and makers about how to shop this year.

So if you haven't heard of it already, there is a campaign called 'Just a Card' which I have championed for a few years now. It's a simple message based on a quote from a shopkeeper who was closing down. "If every customer who said my shop was lovely had bought just a card, I'd still be open".

Powerful. To me anyway. I'm very proud of Yellowstone Art Boutique and the atmosphere, community and reputation I have built in my cabin over the last 7 and a half years. I hear the words "I love this shop", "My favourite shop at Trentham" "I could buy everything in here" on a daily basis and it fills my heart with joy. I'd also like to add that shoppers at Trentham are mostly spenders. They appreciate the individual shops on our street and really support them. If you don't live locally, the Trentham Estate has a quaint, pedestrianised shopping street with free accessible parking, full of wooden cabins, next to an Italian Gardens and lake. It's beautiful. 
BUT (there was always going to be a but) there are a small proportion of people who come in to my shop on a very regular basis, say lovely things, and leave every week empty handed. That's fine. Not everyone should have to buy and browsing is more than encouraged in Yellowstone. But after 6 months of those visits, even 6 years in some cases, it's tough as a shopkeeper to see the same faces saying 'I love this shop' and never buying even a £2 card.
It's always been a niggle of mine but on the whole, we've never struggled money-wise so I could never complain.

Last month, I had an interaction on instagram that stopped me in my tracks. A customer had commented on a @Justacard post and mentioned that they LOVE Yellowstone. The lady commented that they live locally and use my shop for inspiration. She comes in and although doesn't buy, she always write down the names of the makers and then shops online directly with them, throughout the year. 
I thought about this for a while (it's a VERY common occurrence in Yellowstone) and suddenly it came to me. If every person who came in to my shop and used it for inspiration, then went elsewhere, how am I going to pay the rent? Because inspiring people is brilliant but unless people are spending with me, I won't be here next time they need inspiring!
So I carefully replied "I love that we give you ideas for gifts. Food for thought though- if you always get ideas from me, but don't purchase from me that I might not be here next year to give you the ideas! So to shop here would be the best statement to make. (Please don't take that the wrong way as I know you meant your comment as a flattering one)". I nervously pressed send, aware that I didn't want to sound mean. But the lovely lady replied "I haven't taken it the wrong way and you're right. I mean so right, so this year I'll be on it". 
It made me realise that people might not even think that using us as inspiration might be having a negative effect on us. 

I have friends who have seen prints or pieces in my shop, and then gone directly to the maker to buy it at the same price from them. Which baffles me. If it wasn't for Yellowstone they wouldn't know about that item so why not shop where you found it? I spend so much time finding the best design led gift and homeware to bring it to your fingertips- it'd be amazing to know that's appreciated.
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The brilliant Hannah Nunn who is sadly closing her shop Radiance in January, recently commented that 'People [are starting to] prefer to go directly to the makers' which I found really interesting. When you buy a makers work through us, the maker STILL benefits. When I order from a designer, I order in large quantities, projecting chunks of money in to their small businesses. This is hugely beneficial to makers. They don't lose out if you buy their work from a shop! In fact, some of the designers whose work we sell, you can ONLY buy from shops (e.g. Louise Mulgrew). Buying from a store who sell work by 50 artists mean you can buy bits and pieces from 3 or 4 different makers in one go, rather than shopping on 4 websites and paying postage 4 times...

To end on a brutally honest note- 2018 has been a tough one. It's nationwide- retail is struggling and Yellowstone is no exception. I'm all for keeping social media positive (no-one likes a moaner and I'm genuinely so grateful for the situation I'm in). But honestly, for the first time in almost 8 years I've wondered if it's worth staying open. The pressure of paying wages for 4/5 staff (no matter how busy/quiet we are) is overwhelming some months and with a baby on the way, and a mortgage to pay, we need every single customer who loves Yellowstone to USE IT. Shopping in your favourite independent business is a huge statement to make and it's a vote for the kind of high street you want to see. Use us or lose us.

I've seen 8 shops and businesses who I greatly admire close this year and I don't want Yellowstone to be the next. I'm not planning to close so don't take this as a threat (far from it, I have plans to take Yellowstone Art Boutique from strength to strength) but I don't want to leave it so late that we don't have a choice.

I really don't want this to be a preachy blog about shopping independent. At 37 weeks pregnant, I'm not afraid to admit that I've been ordering sterilisers and bottles with next day delivery from huge retailers for the ease of convenience and an easy life. I'm only human and I'm also realistic about how busy our lives are.
But when you're struggling to find a gift for that fussy Aunt or want something special for your friend who is having a really tough time, why not shop with a small business?

As a very last point, we obviously can't afford to compete with BLACK FRIDAY codes this year. But as a thank you for deciding to spend with us, we will be popping a treat in with every order placed from now until Sunday 25th November. Have a browse and SHOP HERE.

To learn more about the Just a Card campaign, visit their website and follow their engaged instagram which raises many of the issues and habits I've mentioned here -  justacard.org

​Hannah x
18 Comments

How & Why I set up Yellowstone Art Boutique

2/3/2017

7 Comments

 
Every week my inbox sees a few emails from creative students and graduates asking me questions about how and why I set Yellowstone up. I thought you might like to read some of the most commonly asked questions and my answers to them. Enjoy!
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What initially made you want to open Yellowstone Art Boutique? 
​Even at University (back in 2007-2010) I knew I wanted to have my own space, be it a gallery or a shop. Thoughout my degree I knew I'd probably end up going in to the gallery/sales/commercial side of the art world so I took an interest in that side all the way through my course. When I volunteered and worked in galleries I found it hard that new talent was often ignored. Lots of galleries only work with artists who have big reputations but I kept coming across graduates and new artists that weren't getting a chance to show their work. That is when the penny dropped that I wanted to make my 'gallery' about giving makers their first chance and showing the public what's happening in studios all over the country. 

How did you go about the process? 
I started writing my business plan after Uni (I got a first class honours in Fine Art Painting) alongside working on the front desk of a gallery in London. To set up my company, I was using money I had saved over the years (I could never cope with a business loan as the pressure would kill me), so I went to a few mentoring sessions with a government business advise service (that unfortunately doesn't exist anymore) to make sure I was on the right track. I had some help with my business plan and a few legal things I had no idea about. I must admit I am mostly self taught on the business side of Yellowstone. I'm a designer and an artist but always put an academic, business spin on things as it comes quite naturally to me. I already had the name and premise of Yellowstone, along with a business plan, so I started to contact makers and see if they'd get onboard. The response was amazing and added fuel to the fire, so I started viewing commercial property, had a meeting with The Trentham Estate, and Yellowstone was born!

What did you learn from this experience? 
That people will tell you you can't do it. You're too young, you don't have enough experience, most businesses fail in the first two years blah blah blah... So many business advisors told me how incredibly difficult setting up would be and I'd never make a living from selling craft and handmade.  
Yes it was really hard, and I didn't earn any money for a few years, and I made a tonne of mistakes but
I DID IT! And proving people wrong is one of my favourite things to do.


Did you have any doubts? 
I didn't really think past the first year to be honest. I knew that people would get on board with buying from British artists and buying something unique that isn't mass produced so I was very confident in the business. I think you have to believe in what you're doing more than anything, because if you don't then you can't expect customers too. 
Looking back I'm so glad we are going strong 6 years later. Turns out I was on to something.


How did you make your boutique successful? 
This is a tricky one- I don't know the magic formula for success! Success means a different thing to everyone but for me, it's being happy and being able to pay all the bills and staff on time. I earn less than most people my age but I have a good quality of life and I love my job. I'm passionate about Yellowstone and put 100% in to everything I do. That often equals success.

I hope you found those Q&A's interesting. Do you have anything you'd like to ask me? Leave me a comment and I'll do a second instalment next week!

Hannah x


​
7 Comments

Meet the Team Monday: Eve

27/2/2017

4 Comments

 
Today's Meet the Team Monday is all about our newest addition- Eve!
​Eve started working with us at the start of February and is already a brilliant part of the crew so we thought you might like to read a little bit about her.
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Tell us about yourself & how long have you worked for YS?... 
I'm Eve and I just started working at Yellowstone, four weeks ago. I'm currently in college taking my A levels in Art, Spanish and Maths but my main passion is art!

What do you do besides working at YS?
Well due to my studies I don't have a lot of free time to spare but when I do I like to spend it painting or drawing and adding to my portfolio. I also love to read and listen to music whenever I get the chance and spend time with my friends. 

What is your favourite product/maker at YS? 
I LOVE the paintings by Louise Mulgrew so much! I always find my self searching through the prints just admiring them because I find her style so delicate and beautiful. The only problem i'm having now is that I can't decide which one I want to buy!

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What do you bring to YS?
As the newest member of the team I hope that my passion for art will come through in my approach to the role. Nothing makes me happier than to be surrounded by artwork created by so many different, amazing people. 

What has been your favourite day/time working at YS? 
So far I have loved every day that I have worked at Yellowstone, with January just gone the store has been a very calm (after the Christmas rush) and happy place to work. I do really like working at the weekends though as the store is bustling and there's lots of new customers to meet.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself? 

I knit right handed (even though I am left handed) because when my mum was teaching me she couldn't figure out how the left handed method worked so insisted on teaching me the other way instead. Now i couldn't imagine trying it any other way.

Thanks Eve, we're so happy to have you!

I hope you've all enjoyed our Meet the Team Mondays. We hope you've got to know us all a little better and know who is behind the screen/counter now.

Today, Abbey is in the store, serving customers and unpacking a new print order, while Lauren and I are making personalised cards and updating our wholesale catalogue. Busy, busy!

I hope you're having a lovely Monday

Hannah x
4 Comments

Meet the Team Monday: Hannah

6/2/2017

3 Comments

 
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Tell us about yourself & how long have you worked for YS? 
I'm Hannah and I'm the owner of Yellowstone. I'm 28 and I have a degree in Fine Art. I am a designer and I sell my work in Yellowstone, along with other British artists. I have always wanted to have a store so I was working towards it for years before opening. Technically I started the store in March 2011 as a sole trader and then in March 2016 we became a Limited Company! 
 
What do you do besides working at YS? 
I've spent lots of 2016 planning my Wedding, which was a pretty cool thing to do in my spare time! Apart from that I'd say yoga and eating out are my favourite things. Along with watching Home & Away (yep it is still going). Me and my husband bought our first home in September 2015 so working on that, and planning how we are going to improve it is great fun. Actually doing the DIY is another matter but we are learning on the job.
 
What is your favourite product/maker at YS? 
This is tough one because we only stock work that I LOVE... but today I'd say Stolen Form. The brick vases are functional, practical and fun. Cannot be faulted. The yellow one is my favourite (what a surprise).
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What do you bring to YS?
I'm a jack of all trades so I think it's my diversity. I'd say I'm good at working on 20 totally different things in one day so can happily go from painting a Christmas card, to ordering carrier bags, and scheduling wages. Hopefully my designing (and making lots of the work we sell) is a plus too- otherwise the shop would be a little empty. 
My role at Yellowstone can be confusing to people because I do a bit of everything. We are predominantly a shop, so I'm a shop keeper. But we also have 3 online shops so we also manage those. As well as design new products and producing personalised work on a daily basis. I have an accountant (who is a God send) but I still do most of the financial side of the business myself. Sometimes I think I need to just pick one thing and concentrate on that but I love that no two days are the same. Tonight I need to go to the shop to replace a tube light - oh the glamour.
Did I mention that I also design Wedding Stationery for Yellowstone Paper Works?

 
What has been your favourite day/time working at YS? 
I love the end of summer just as Autumn starts. It's when we are busy planning what we are going to buy for Christmas stock which always feels so exciting. It's also the calm before the storm so we are trying to get as much work as possible done before the shop goes crazy busy!
 
and finally, Tell us a fun fact about yourself?
I own a tandem bike and a table tennis table but can't use either very well...

I hope you've enjoyed our Meet the Team Monday feature. We have a very special edition coming next Monday to introduce our newest addition- Eve! 

​Hannah x
3 Comments

Valentine's Worries...

1/2/2017

2 Comments

 
February is here and shop windows are full of red hearts meaning one thing...it's almost Valentine's Day.
​Valentine's is a funny time isn't it? Most of us know that it's just a ploy to sell lots of roses and chocolates and yet we can't quite bring ourselves not to buy a card...

But on reflection, is it really such a bad thing to have an excuse to tell the people we love just how ace they are?
Valentine's can be so difficult to get right. What if you go all out and your spouse just get a card from the local garage? Or even worse, THEY go all out and you totally forget?!

This year we are all for choosing a special card that shows you've thought about them. Because in our busy and hectic lives, the best thing is getting five minutes together to hand over a lovely card that is just perfect for your someone special...

And what if you have more than one someone special? (Don't worry I'm talking about your best girl friends) We've all got enough love for more than just a special someONE, right? Let's make this day about everyone we love, especially the friends that have stopped us from sending a Valentine's day card to that someone we really shouldn't have. 
This year we designed a card for your single friend- send one of these her way to ensure she gets a smile when Valentine's rolls around.
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This notion of 'gal-entines' has been around for a few years and I love it. Lots of people celebrate it on 13th February as a precursor to the main big day. So let's get on board and show our friends (and lovers) some love.

And I suppose we better show you our other Valentine's cards for that lover who makes you weak at the knees. Just click on the image to see more.
What are your thoughts on Valentine's? Love it?

​Lauren x
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