When we covered the launch of a new sewing café on our website earlier this year, we had no idea how great the response would be; within days, our inboxes were overflowing with emails from retailers telling us about their plans to do the same. Kate Smith was one such lady. Having opened her own sewing café, The Makery, in May 2009, she couldn't wait to tell Craft Business about her business.

Can you tell us a bit about The Makery?
When we first opened the store, sewing cafés were literally unheard of in the UK and definitely not as much of a talking point as they are now. Originally a bookshop, the store is certainly not your everyday retail outlet and boasts two floors. The downstairs is where we have our huge workbench and keep all our jars of supplies (beads, buttons, tape measures, ribbons and so forth), while the upper floor is used for parties.

As well as selling haberdashery materials, we offer workshops and allow customers to rent our sewing machines for £5 an hour. This includes the use of any tools or additional materials they might need, as well as endless cups of tea and coffee, and a slice of cake!

Who does it appeal to?
Everyone from people who love sewing but find it hard to motivate themselves at home, to those with limited space who want to experiment with larger projects (curtains, for example). Many also relish the opportunity to escape their daily lives and indulge in their favourite pastimes for an hour or two without any distractions.

It really does attract such a varied group of people; in fact, just the other week we had a pole dancer who was sewing a pair of shorts sat next to an elderly lady working on a quilt! Students also account for a great deal of our business, as do tourists from across the UK – we have even had customers from Sheffield and Southampton making the trip to shop with us.

What has the response been like?
Incredibly positive and we now have a core group of regulars that come to us every week without fail, as well as a number of others who only visit us when their children or partners are away or if they need help with a particular project.

Workshops can be quite expensive these days and while spending £30 or £40 on a one hour class might seem a little too much for some people, renting a machine for £5 is generally seen to be more justifiable, hence the growing popularity of cafés like ours.

Do you have any advice for any retailers hoping to do the same?
Don't give up! In today's increasingly competitive climate, success is all about raising awareness about who you are and what you do. You can't just expect people to walk through your doors; you have to get out there and make it happen.

What are your plans for the future?
For now, we are very happy with the way the business is going; we have continued to see our sales rise year-on-year and will be expanding the retail side of the store considerably in 2011. At the moment, we are focusing on perfecting the model we have and ensuring we promote ourselves to as many people as we possibly can.