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Holiday Heaven
Listed under: One Voice
Published: Friday, November 27, 2009
Launched in 2008, Wild Rose Escapes is set to take crafting holidays to a new level next year. Owner Rosie Hazleton discusses the importance of tapping into this market
Where did the idea for the holidays come from?
I have always been a keen crafter and come from a very artistic family as my mother is a painter and my sister a successful sculptor. Over the years, I had become particularly interested in the provenance of the materials I was using, and wanted to learn more about how they had been made. Combining my passion for the environment with a love of all things craft-related, I decided to pass on the skills, knowledge and expertise I had acquired to other enthusiasts, and set about organising a number of craft-related holidays over the course of the year. Covering everything from where the wool has come from and how it has been sheared, to the picking of the plant-dyes and the method by which the yarn is then dyed, the classes teach the students everything they could possibly need to know about the materials they use in their everyday projects.
What do they entail?
The holidays take place over the course of a week, usually running from one Saturday to the next, however, we also offer a number of tailor-made sessions for groups of friends, which we adjust according to their specifications. The classes take place in a converted school house in the Highlands, and give our customers the opportunity to visit local farms, where the actual shearing of the wool takes place. Crafters are also encouraged to go on long walks around the local area, where they are able to collect different types of plants – such as nettles – which they are then taught how to use to dye their wool. Students are then shown how to wash the fleece and dye it, before embarking on their final projects, which usually take place over the last two days of the trip.
How has the response been?
We set up the company in October 2008 and have been running one-day workshops for the duration of this year. Our first week-long holiday will take place in May 2010 and, thus far, the interest from crafters and the general public has been greater than we could have hoped.
However, as with most things, our biggest challenge has been getting the word out there, and we're currently embarking on a number of different marketing strategies to ensure we expose the holidays to as large and diverse a customer-base as we possibly can. We've already contacted several knitting groups around our area, and have even had some coverage in the local press, which has definitely generated more interest.
Who do they appeal to?
We generally like to keep the holidays quite small and restrict the number of people to around five or six at the very most, so we are able to devote as much time to each of our customers as we can. The classes tend to appeal to quite a broad demographic and, while we get a lot of interest from older ladies and the recently-retired, we also attract a lot of business from younger crafters too. Generally-speaking, I'd say the breaks appeal to women between 25 and 40, who have reasonable incomes and enjoy socialising with others.
How has business been for you this year?
Considering the fact that we're still a relatively new company, I think we've done really well this year, and the recession doesn't seem to have affected us so far, which is definitely something to be proud of. However, we're still not as well-known as we'd like to be and, despite appearing in a number of local papers and a children's TV programme over the past year, we're still looking for new ways of getting our name out there.
Have you noticed more people moving into crafts?
Definitely and, surprisingly, most of the interest seems to be coming from people you wouldn't traditionally associate with these pastimes, such as the younger generation and ladies with full-time careers. People generally seem to be gravitating towards hobbies and activities synonymous with the days of their grandparents and, while their own parents might not know how to knit, sew or felt, they are keen to learn – and this is inevitably generating further interest in the sector.
How do you think the craft market has changed?
It is definitely far more accessible than it's ever been, and the internet has undeniably had a lot to do with this, exposing the market to a much wider and more varied customer-base than ever before. Nowadays, it can be incredibly hard to find truly authentic materials from local haberdashery outlets and, although they will always have their place in the craft world and need to be supported as much as possible, the importance of the web must not be under-estimated either. Not only has it exposed consumers to a greater number of materials than ever before, but it has made it possible for those with limited time or travel-access – such as those living out-of-town, the elderly and people working long hours – to purchase the crafting supplies they need from the comfort of their own homes.
What do you think will be the next big thing?
I think anything that is practical and serves a purpose will be very much in vogue next year, so anything related to home décor – such as curtain-making, upholstery and sewing – will be incredibly popular. Nowadays, people are looking for new and unique ways of making their homes their own, and adorning their own furnishings allows them to do this at very little cost.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
For now, we are focusing on organising our holidays for the year ahead and generating as much excitement and interest in them as we can. We're very excited about 2010, and truly believe it will be a great and prosperous year for us all.
I have always been a keen crafter and come from a very artistic family as my mother is a painter and my sister a successful sculptor. Over the years, I had become particularly interested in the provenance of the materials I was using, and wanted to learn more about how they had been made. Combining my passion for the environment with a love of all things craft-related, I decided to pass on the skills, knowledge and expertise I had acquired to other enthusiasts, and set about organising a number of craft-related holidays over the course of the year. Covering everything from where the wool has come from and how it has been sheared, to the picking of the plant-dyes and the method by which the yarn is then dyed, the classes teach the students everything they could possibly need to know about the materials they use in their everyday projects.
What do they entail?
The holidays take place over the course of a week, usually running from one Saturday to the next, however, we also offer a number of tailor-made sessions for groups of friends, which we adjust according to their specifications. The classes take place in a converted school house in the Highlands, and give our customers the opportunity to visit local farms, where the actual shearing of the wool takes place. Crafters are also encouraged to go on long walks around the local area, where they are able to collect different types of plants – such as nettles – which they are then taught how to use to dye their wool. Students are then shown how to wash the fleece and dye it, before embarking on their final projects, which usually take place over the last two days of the trip.
How has the response been?
We set up the company in October 2008 and have been running one-day workshops for the duration of this year. Our first week-long holiday will take place in May 2010 and, thus far, the interest from crafters and the general public has been greater than we could have hoped.
However, as with most things, our biggest challenge has been getting the word out there, and we're currently embarking on a number of different marketing strategies to ensure we expose the holidays to as large and diverse a customer-base as we possibly can. We've already contacted several knitting groups around our area, and have even had some coverage in the local press, which has definitely generated more interest.
Who do they appeal to?
We generally like to keep the holidays quite small and restrict the number of people to around five or six at the very most, so we are able to devote as much time to each of our customers as we can. The classes tend to appeal to quite a broad demographic and, while we get a lot of interest from older ladies and the recently-retired, we also attract a lot of business from younger crafters too. Generally-speaking, I'd say the breaks appeal to women between 25 and 40, who have reasonable incomes and enjoy socialising with others.
How has business been for you this year?
Considering the fact that we're still a relatively new company, I think we've done really well this year, and the recession doesn't seem to have affected us so far, which is definitely something to be proud of. However, we're still not as well-known as we'd like to be and, despite appearing in a number of local papers and a children's TV programme over the past year, we're still looking for new ways of getting our name out there.
Have you noticed more people moving into crafts?
Definitely and, surprisingly, most of the interest seems to be coming from people you wouldn't traditionally associate with these pastimes, such as the younger generation and ladies with full-time careers. People generally seem to be gravitating towards hobbies and activities synonymous with the days of their grandparents and, while their own parents might not know how to knit, sew or felt, they are keen to learn – and this is inevitably generating further interest in the sector.
How do you think the craft market has changed?
It is definitely far more accessible than it's ever been, and the internet has undeniably had a lot to do with this, exposing the market to a much wider and more varied customer-base than ever before. Nowadays, it can be incredibly hard to find truly authentic materials from local haberdashery outlets and, although they will always have their place in the craft world and need to be supported as much as possible, the importance of the web must not be under-estimated either. Not only has it exposed consumers to a greater number of materials than ever before, but it has made it possible for those with limited time or travel-access – such as those living out-of-town, the elderly and people working long hours – to purchase the crafting supplies they need from the comfort of their own homes.
What do you think will be the next big thing?
I think anything that is practical and serves a purpose will be very much in vogue next year, so anything related to home décor – such as curtain-making, upholstery and sewing – will be incredibly popular. Nowadays, people are looking for new and unique ways of making their homes their own, and adorning their own furnishings allows them to do this at very little cost.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
For now, we are focusing on organising our holidays for the year ahead and generating as much excitement and interest in them as we can. We're very excited about 2010, and truly believe it will be a great and prosperous year for us all.
