Solo Craft Fair, who host a number of makers’ markets around London and has two shops, contacted me in February and let me know I had been selected to trade in their shop, I was over the moon. This will be the first time I have sold my products in an actual brick-and-mortar shop, rather than just online or at markets. As a product maker, naturally, I want to get my products into as many shops as possible and this is my first step towards that.
Ever since I started focusing on designing, illustrating and making products, I have had many customers and followers on social media asking me “Do you sell your products in any shops?”. I always tell them I would love for this to happen but in Edinburgh, where I lived before, there was no opportunity for this and in London, it’s just learning where the shops are, who’s reliable and where will sell well.
I lived in Edinburgh for 14 years and sadly every single shop ghosted me and all of the galleries told me they had a 2 year waiting. There are numerous factors as to why I wasn’t selected for the shops (mainly racism and snobbery) and this was frustrating. I couldn’t even get feedback as to why I wasn’t selected.
But, ever since I moved to London and started selling my products in markets, things have changed! I often get asked by shops, at the markets, if I’m interested in doing wholesale deals with them and this is something I’m seriously investigating now. So if you’re interested in doing wholesale with me, please contact me here.
But back to Solo Craft Fair, they have two shops in London, one shop in Brixton, which I haven’t investigated yet, and the other in Elephant and Castle, which is an awesome location. Tons of visitors go through Elephant and Castle for numerous reasons. It’s just 5 minutes from the London city centre, it has great sites like the Imperial War Museum and in contrast, it has venues like the Ministry of Sound. How cool you can have two such contrasting venues in such a small space.
The Solo Craft Fair Elephant and Castle shop is lovely and has an amazing space. They are attached to a cafe which has great footfall and they host regular workshops and events in their shop. Personally, I think it’s a stroke of genius attaching a makers/gift shop to a cafe in such a central location and honestly, if I was to open a permanent shop in the future, I would love to do something like this. Who doesn’t enjoy having a coffee/tea/hot choccy then buying a postcard or ten?
As their shop space is limited as there are so many amazing makers also selling their wonderful creations in the shop I will only be able to sell a small amount of my products in this shop. You can purchase my Elephant and Castle map jigsaw puzzles, prints (A4 and A3) and postcards. I also have London, England and Ireland prints, London postcards, pop tarts, marmite and baked beans postcards in their shop too!
I will trade with them from 1st March to the end of August and will see if the business is as in our plan and maybe extend our business with them but I have to say so far, it has been great! I just finished the first week of March, and I already went in to top up multiple products as they have already sold out! Yay!
Below is a short video to show you the day I dropped off my stocks in their shop so you can see this wonderful little shop.
14 Ash Ave, London SE17 1GQ
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