66 that makes us go ‘huh?’ Having said that, our business is showing steady growth and we feel that this is, in part, related to developing strong links to our community. Our courses are proving popular, as are our one-to-one sessions. As for specific products, we’re certainly seeing increasing interest in our British wools, and overseas visitors love our Cambrian wool. Sales of mending supplies continue to grow too, indicating a resurgence in interest in maintaining items that we own and a move away from the throw-away society. Have you seen a boom in the craft industry recently or a new type of customer? We haven’t seen anything that we’d describe as a ‘boom’, but we’re growing. We pride ourselves in our friendly, inclusive atmosphere and we welcome anyone who has an interest in making and mending. Our experience is that it’s people who don’t craft who have a narrow view of who does. Our customers range from little kids who are crafting with their mum or dad right up to elderly people, and everyone between. Crafts certainly become more or less popular – we’ve seen a major decline in card making and quite an up-swing in crochet – but there’s someone for every craft and the creativity of our customers often surprises and delights us. Tell us about your recent accomplishments Over the past couple of years we’ve been shortlisted twice in the High Street Hero category of Small Business Britain’s Small Awards; twice for the Green Growth Awards sponsored by BT; once for Enterprise Nation’s Realising the Remarkable; and once for our local Caru Ceredigion Retail Award. We contributed to The Willow Review, a study by Small Business Britain and the Government into the economic benefits to small businesses of sustainable practices. In summer 2025; Jan was invited to 11 Downing Street to talk with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, giving us the opportunity to highlight to her some of the issues associated with running a small business in rural mid-Wales. And, most recently, Jan has been included in the 2026 f:Entrepreneur top 100 inspirational business women in the UK. For a little craft shop in a little Welsh town, we feel we’re punching well above our weight! What stationery/craft items do you currently stock? Are you looking for any new products or styles? We sell lots of natural fibre yarns (no acrylics or other plastic yarns, apart from sock yarns where some nylon is required for longevity), along with a wide range of haberdashery and mending supplies, plus knitting needles and crochet hooks, deadstock fabric, sashiko supplies and our pre-loved range. We’re always on the lookout for products that have sound ethical credentials, from suppliers and manufacturers who show a real commitment to sustainability, rather than simply greenwashing for marketing purposes. We’re always delighted to see reductions in plastic packaging and actively pursue products that don’t use plastics, where possible. Do you visit any trade shows? We always try to attend The Knit Show in Harrogate, run by the UKHKA. This is a brilliant small event targeted at small, independent retailers. We’ve got to know staff at companies that attend each year far better than we would simply by being visited by the reps. Where else to you get to have dinner with the production
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