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Retail Guru Speaks to Craft Shop Owners
Listed under: News
Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010
A petition launched by two of the country's leading craft sites has attracted attention from well-known TV personality Mary Portas, seeing her respond to the campaign's recent plea for help with a no-nonsense letter on her website.
Organised by the people behind websites UK Handmade and Handmade and Fabulous, the scheme was created to generate more interest in man-made goods and bring handmade fashion to the high street.
Fans of the two sites, who include retailers, designers and hobbyists, were asked to contact Ms Portas directly via her website, Facebook page and Twitter account to alert her to an open letter written on behalf of the industry by the founders of the two sites.
Within days, individuals from all over the world expressed their support for the campaign, leading to the lady herself issuing a response. Speaking to craft shop owners directly through a letter on her site, Ms Portas offers independent retailers her top tips for success.
Suggesting that businesses focus more heavily on their pricing, websites, merchandising and PR, she says she believes handmade crafts “have a real place in the future of retail” but need to be marketed in a more “modern environment.”
Commenting on the phenomenal response to the campaign, Susan Morrow of Handmade and Fabulous, says, “There are so many fantastic projects being produced in this country, but crafts never seem to make their way into the mainstream and are often viewed in quite a poor light.
“The aim of the petition was to change this and make people aware of the huge amount of talent we have in this country,” she continues. “The letter to Mary was just the first step for us and although we are very pleased she responded to our plea, a lot of the advice she gave was quite general. However, that's not to say independent retailers shouldn't take note of what she said.”
She concludes, “The next step is for us all to come together as an industry and rethink the way we market what we do. At the moment, interest in crafts has never been so strong and that is something I think we really need to use to our advantage.”
To read Ms Portas' letter to the industry, please visit http://www.maryportas.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=77:an-open-letter-to-the-uk-handmade-industry
Organised by the people behind websites UK Handmade and Handmade and Fabulous, the scheme was created to generate more interest in man-made goods and bring handmade fashion to the high street.
Fans of the two sites, who include retailers, designers and hobbyists, were asked to contact Ms Portas directly via her website, Facebook page and Twitter account to alert her to an open letter written on behalf of the industry by the founders of the two sites.
Within days, individuals from all over the world expressed their support for the campaign, leading to the lady herself issuing a response. Speaking to craft shop owners directly through a letter on her site, Ms Portas offers independent retailers her top tips for success.
Suggesting that businesses focus more heavily on their pricing, websites, merchandising and PR, she says she believes handmade crafts “have a real place in the future of retail” but need to be marketed in a more “modern environment.”
Commenting on the phenomenal response to the campaign, Susan Morrow of Handmade and Fabulous, says, “There are so many fantastic projects being produced in this country, but crafts never seem to make their way into the mainstream and are often viewed in quite a poor light.
“The aim of the petition was to change this and make people aware of the huge amount of talent we have in this country,” she continues. “The letter to Mary was just the first step for us and although we are very pleased she responded to our plea, a lot of the advice she gave was quite general. However, that's not to say independent retailers shouldn't take note of what she said.”
She concludes, “The next step is for us all to come together as an industry and rethink the way we market what we do. At the moment, interest in crafts has never been so strong and that is something I think we really need to use to our advantage.”
To read Ms Portas' letter to the industry, please visit http://www.maryportas.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=77:an-open-letter-to-the-uk-handmade-industry
