A little chat about the shop

Hi Everyone, 

Nikki here, I need to have a bit of a chat with you if that's ok? 

It's no secret that the world of retail is a challenging place to be, especially at the moment, and I need to be honest and say that over the last 6 months, we have found it very difficult to keep things going. 

I want to stop here and say we are NOT giving up, this is NOT a pity 'woe is me' post, this is me talking to you as a business owner, a passionate crafter, a wool enthusiast and a friend, wanting to tell you about all the exciting things that we have planned. We just need a bit of help and support to get there. 

The Situation

I'm not going to beat around the bush - we are struggling. We were finding things so difficult over the winter that we took out some additional finance to tide us through, but it's ended up being a Very Bad Thing and we're struggling to keep up with repayments on top of existing bills. 

As a bid to combat this, we put everything into doing a big show last month, but unfortunately with the fuel crisis, and the fact that it was our first show in 6 years and we're out of practice, we only took about half the amount that we were hoping for. This means that we are not only further down on funds from having to get stock for the show, but also pretty full of stock on some lines that we can't return. 


The Solution?

As well as speaking to business and financial advisors to work out the best way forward, we do have a plan that we are starting as of now: 

We're going to double down and make the shop, our community and our online offering even better.

So what have we got planned and how are we moving forwards?

  • We're discounting the leftover stock from the show. We have a huge surplus in some shades of West Yorkshire Spinners Morris DK left from the show, so we've discounted the whole range to only £5/ball (down from £6.50).
  • We're putting on more events - we'll also be running 'drop in' sessions over half term and the school holidays where you can come and have a go at different crafts or projects. We're going to be running SquishFest again this year, and we're also looking into whether we can run a nationwide competition for fibre crafts (watch this space!). It's also been suggested that we do a 'wine and wool' evening, where you 'byob' and we work on something fun, so stay tuned for dates!
  • We're growing the Knitting Membership offering - I'm adding new courses and videos in there all the time to compliment the existing offering of 2 Zoom craft and chatter groups a week, all of my patterns, how to videos, individual support, an app with group chat, and a lot more.
  • We're developing new products. We're ALWAYS innovating and designing. I'm currently working on 2 brioche shawl designs, and we are almost ready to launch our Dorset Button kits, where you will have a choice of making buttons, earrings or a keyring. 
  • We're keeping our 10% off Ashford wheels and looms offer going for a little longer too! 
  • We're slowly creating a spinning wheel museum too! We've been lucky enough to secure over 20 different pieces so far from all over the world. We are researching each so that we can put up information on them and create a fun and informative experience for anyone interested in the history of fibre. 


So how can you help?

Assuming you want to help us keep going (I very much hope you do!) there are absolutely some things that you can do which will help make all the difference!

  • First up, like and share our social media posts. This helps us to grow our audience, keep the algorithms happy, and makes a big difference to the reach of our posts. It's also free!
  • Consider taking advantage of an offer or buying the yarn for that project you've been thinking of starting.  I know you've been thinking about that particular ball, why not go for it?
  • Attend a group or workshop if you're local. We run craft and chatter groups twice a week, spin sunday on the first sunday of every month and have a number of fun workshops running over the next few months. 
  • Consider joining the Knitting Membership - this is only £15 per month and gives you access to all sorts of community and goodies, and isn't location dependent. 
  • Keep us in your thoughts when you're considering ordering your yarn, fibre or equipment. We aim to post out within 24h and there's free postage on all orders over £30. We're also happy to order items in if we don't have enough in stock - just reach out. 
  • Maybe try one of our in-house braiding or weaving kits? These are inexpensive and fun, as well as making great presents or calming activities during the exam season. We've also got offers on them at the moment. 
  • Or anything else you fancy! If you want to talk to us about a retreat for your group - we're absolutely in! If you're thinking of buying a gift card for someone for their birthday, that helps too! 
  • The 'just a card' campaign works with all independent artists and shops - we all do a little dance for joy when anyone makes a purchase or shares a post. It doesn't have to be a big extravagant gesture. Every little helps, as the saying goes. 
  • Tell us your suggestions! This is a big one - if you've got a fabulous idea that you'd love to see happen, maybe a product that you think is missing from the market, or a workshop you would love to attend, then please just drop us a message. 
  • If you can't think what to do but want to help support us anyway, then you can also choose to 'buy us a coffee' on Ko-Fi. 

 

We are absolutely still here. We plan to still be here in the months and years to come, but we need your support to make that happen. 

Thank you so much. 

Nikki and the Felty Team. 

 

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