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There is something particularly special about buying an object that has been made by hand. You can see the maker’s choices in it, feel the materials and, quite often, discover a story that simply doesn’t exist with something mass-produced.
At Feather & Twigs in Croston, Lancashire, supporting independent makers has always been an important part of what we do. Increasingly, however, we believe independent shops have another role to play: helping talented artists and craftspeople find an audience when marketing and selling may not be where their talents – or their time – are best spent.
Running a creative business today can require an extraordinary range of skills.
A maker may spend years learning how to work with wool, clay, textiles, paint, glass or wood. Yet turning that skill into a viable business can suddenly mean becoming a photographer, copywriter, social media manager, website designer, packer, salesperson and digital advertising expert too.
For some, that is part of the enjoyment. For many others, it takes them away from the very thing they love doing.
And we think that matters.
If a talented artist has five hours available, would we rather they spent those hours trying to understand an algorithm or creating something beautiful?
This is where independent retailers can make a genuine difference.
Rather than simply buying and selling products, a good independent shop can act as a bridge between the maker and the customer.
We can discover the work, understand how it is made and then tell that story to people who might otherwise never encounter it.
We can photograph pieces, display them properly, introduce them through our website and social channels and, importantly, talk about them with customers in the shop.
The maker can concentrate on making.
It is a wonderfully traditional relationship, but one that perhaps has even greater relevance in today's digital world.
One of the artists whose work we are delighted to showcase is Lancashire-based felt maker Susan Wilkinson of Susie Blue Felts.
Susan only discovered felting in 2020, but was immediately captivated by its tactile and meditative qualities.
Inspired by landscapes, wildlife and the natural world, she works with wool, fibres, yarns and fabrics to create wonderfully textured pieces. Traditional wet felting can be combined with needle felting and embroidery, building layer upon layer of colour, movement and detail.
Some of Susan's work uses locally produced wool, adding another connection between the finished artwork and the landscape that inspires it.
Even the name of her creative business has a story. Susie Blue was Susan's childhood nickname, given to her by her dad, who affectionately called her “Our Susie Blue” or simply “Our Blue”.
Those are the details we love being able to share with customers.
When somebody buys one of Susan's pictures, they aren't simply choosing something to fill a space on a wall. They are buying an original piece created by a Lancashire maker, inspired by the natural world and produced through a slow, highly tactile craft.
We see the same individuality in the work of makers such as Mrs Bee Felts, whose cheerful felt creations demonstrate another side of this wonderfully versatile material.
Colourful bees, flowers, garlands and decorative pieces have an unmistakably handmade quality. They aren't designed to look as though they have come off an anonymous production line – and that is precisely their charm.
Slight variations, individual details and the character of the materials remind us that somebody actually made them.
Across Britain there are thousands of people producing work in this way: artists, ceramicists, illustrators, textile designers, candle makers, jewellers, printmakers and craftspeople keeping both traditional and contemporary skills alive.
Finding routes to market for that work isn't always easy.
There is an important distinction between filling shelves and curating a collection.
At Feather & Twigs, we want customers to discover things they may not see everywhere else. That means looking beyond large-scale suppliers and finding makers whose work has character, craftsmanship and a story behind it.
It also means accepting that handmade doesn't always behave like mass retail.
A maker may only be able to produce a small number of pieces. Colours and materials can vary. An artwork may be completely unique and, once sold, cannot simply be reordered from a warehouse.
We believe those differences should be celebrated rather than engineered out.
They make shopping interesting again.
When customers choose an independently made product through an independent retailer, their purchase can support a surprisingly long chain of small businesses.
It supports the artist or maker.
It supports the independent shop giving that maker a platform.
It may support local suppliers providing wool, materials, printing, framing, packaging or other services.
And ultimately it helps maintain communities where creativity and independent enterprise can continue to flourish.
For villages such as Croston, independent businesses also contribute something that is difficult to measure purely through sales figures: identity.
They give people reasons to visit, browse, talk and discover.
There is considerable pressure on small creative businesses to become bigger, faster and more digital.
But perhaps success doesn't always have to mean producing thousands of identical products or building an enormous online following.
For some makers, success might simply mean having enough customers who value their work to allow them to continue creating it.
Independent retailers can help make that possible.
Our role is to find the pieces we believe deserve to be seen, present them beautifully and introduce the people behind them to a wider audience.
Their role is to keep creating.
And our customers complete the circle by choosing something made with skill, imagination and a human hand.
In a world where almost anything can be produced quickly and delivered tomorrow, there is something rather wonderful about slowing things down and knowing exactly why – and sometimes even who – made the piece you have chosen.
At Feather & Twigs, that is something we want to continue championing: beautiful homes, thoughtful gifts and the independent makers who make both possible.
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