FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £35.
␡
Making Local our First port of Call
There is something special about living in a community where you can walk down the street and find independent shops, cafés and businesses run by people you know.
They bring character to our villages and towns. They create jobs, support local events, champion other small businesses and give our high streets an identity that simply cannot be replicated online or by large national chains.
But if we want independent businesses to remain part of our communities, there is a simple truth: we have to use them.
And, equally, independent businesses like ours have a responsibility to keep evolving, listening and giving local people more reasons to make us their first port of call.
Shopping Local Is About More Than Where You Spend Your Money
Supporting a local business doesn't necessarily mean spending more.
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do costs absolutely nothing.
Recommend a favourite independent shop to a friend. Follow them on social media. Share one of their posts. Leave a Google review. Sign up for their newsletter. Tell someone where you found that unusual birthday present.
Every recommendation helps introduce a small business to another potential customer.
And when you do need to buy something, consider looking locally before automatically heading to one of the large online marketplaces.
Could your next birthday present come from a local shop?
Could you find a beautiful new vase, candle or piece of artwork locally before searching online?
Could you buy a gift voucher from an independent business rather than a national chain?
Those individual decisions may feel small, but collectively they make an enormous difference.
Local Doesn't Have to Mean Limited
One of the biggest changes in independent retail has been the relationship between the physical shop and online shopping.
For Feather & Twigs, our website allows us to reach customers throughout the UK while our shop remains at the heart of who we are.
We don't see those as two separate businesses.
You might discover something in our window, look at it online later and then come back to buy it. Or you might discover us online and decide to visit Croston when you're nearby.
Increasingly, the best independent retailers need to make shopping work whichever way their customers prefer.
But Local Businesses Have to Play Their Part Too
We can't simply ask people to shop locally and expect loyalty because we happen to be independent.
We have to earn that loyalty.
That means offering something customers value: excellent service, interesting products, knowledgeable advice and an experience that makes shopping locally worthwhile.
It also means listening.
What would make your local shop more useful to you?
What products are difficult to find locally? What services would save you time? What would make you visit more frequently?
These are questions we are thinking about as we prepare for the next chapter of Feather & Twigs.
Creating More Than a Shop
Our move to our new premises gives us the opportunity to rethink what a local independent lifestyle store can offer.
Our vision for Feather & Twigs is:
Beautiful Homes. Thoughtful Gifts. Seasonal Living.
Of course, there will still be plenty to browse: distinctive homeware, gifts, ceramics, textiles, lighting, artwork, jewellery, accessories and seasonal collections from British artisans, independent makers and carefully selected brands.
But we'd also like the new shop to become somewhere you come for ideas, inspiration and advice.
One area we're particularly excited about developing is interiors.
Helping You Create a Home You Love
Interior design can sometimes feel intimidating.
You don't necessarily want someone to redesign your entire house. You might simply need help pulling a room together.
Which lamp would work on that console table?
What colours could bring a room to life?
How do you combine cushions, throws and accessories without everything looking too coordinated?
What size artwork should you choose?
Would a different lampshade completely change a room?
Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is all that's needed.
From the New Year, we'd like to start developing interior styling and design ideas through Feather & Twigs, using the products, makers and collections we already love.
This could include helping customers create mood boards, suggesting colour palettes, putting together combinations of lighting, soft furnishings and accessories, or helping style a particular room or corner of the home.
And rather than feeling like a formal interior-design consultation, we'd like it to retain what we believe makes independent retail special: personal, friendly and practical advice.
Bring us photographs of the room. Bring measurements, fabric samples or paint colours. Tell us what you love, what you don't love and what isn't quite working.
Then let's see what ideas we can come up with together.
Giving You More Reasons to Visit
The larger shop also gives us an opportunity to think beyond simply selling products.
Over time, we'd like Feather & Twigs to become somewhere people visit for inspiration throughout the seasons – discovering new makers, finding unusual gifts, getting ideas for their homes and perhaps attending events, demonstrations or creative workshops.
Christmas should feel different from spring. Summer should bring new ideas for outdoor living and entertaining. Autumn should introduce texture, warmth and those little changes that make home feel inviting again.
We want there always to be something new to discover.
Perhaps the future of the high street isn't about trying to compete with huge online retailers.
Perhaps it's about offering what they can't.
Knowledge. Personality. Conversation. Inspiration. Community.
As customers, we can help by remembering to look locally.
As independent businesses, we have to make sure that when you do, we're worth finding.
That's the relationship that keeps independent businesses alive.
So next time you need a gift, something beautiful for your home, advice on refreshing a room or simply a little inspiration, we'd love Feather & Twigs to be one of the first places you think of.
And as we prepare to open the doors to our new shop, we'd also love to hear from you.
What would you like your local lifestyle store to offer?
Because if independent businesses are going to remain at the heart of their communities, the best way forward is to build them together.
Feather & Twigs
Beautiful Homes. Thoughtful Gifts. Seasonal Living.
There are times when running an independent business feels busy, and then there are times when everything seems to happen at once.
At Feather & Twigs, we are currently very much in the latter.
On any normal day, there is already plenty happening behind the scenes. We have our existing shop to run, customers to look after, deliveries arriving, stock to unpack and displays to refresh. Alongside that ...
At Feather & Twigs, we’ve always believed that a good gift should feel as lovely to give as it does to receive.
Over recent years, we’ve noticed a change in the way people choose gifts. It’s becoming less about simply finding something and more about finding the right thing.
We want to know who made it. Where it came from. What it’s made from. Whether it will be used and enjoyed. And increasingly, whether buying it supports the s...
At Feather & Twigs, we believe there is something very special about knowing who made the things we bring into our homes.
Behind a handmade bag, piece of artwork, candle, ceramic mug or bar of soap is a person. Someone has had the idea, developed the design, sourced the materials and spent time learning and perfecting the skills needed to make it.
That is why supporting British makers, artists, designers and small independent businesses i...
