Craft Focus - October/November (Issue 75)

69 PROFILE Bags of style Bag Clasps Ltd supplies everything accessories enthusiasts need to get started. Owner Julie Reid tells us what’s in stock How long has the company been in business? I started selling magnetic clasps as a sole trader about 10 years ago. As the business developed the range of products grew to include purse and bag-making supplies. We became a limited company five years ago. Tell us a little about your background. I left college with absolutely no idea of what to do. I tried a number of jobs including veterinary nurse and lab assistant. When I married and started a family the flexibility and security of the civil service proved to be a good choice and one that supported me to qualify as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors. After 30 years in the civil service I left to look after my mum and needed to find something to do that would fit in. I made a bag for a friend, made more and sold them before deciding to concentrate on supplying clasps. Talk us through the range. We have possibly the widest range of bag and purse-making supplies in the UK, and I made a conscious decision not to sell general haberdashery. For bags, we have leather handles and cross body straps, matching leather buckles, feet and bases, sliders, dog clips, D-rings, locks and tubular hinged frames. Purse-making materials include glue- in, screw-in and sew-in frames ranging from 3 inches to 10 inches in brass or silver finish. We also stock chains and a reliable textile glue. In addition, we have a selection of very affordable patterns starting at £1.25. These can be made or used in workshops. What are your bestselling lines? That’s a difficult question to answer! The popularity of a product is completely unpredictable – one week it’s purse frames and the next it is hardware. Who are your typical customers? It ranges from a husband charged with repairing a magnetic clasp right through to manufacturers of leather satchels. However, most of our customers make designs to be sold. We have also taken orders from Shepperton and Pinewood Studios, as well as producers of luxury leather car interiors that offer matching bags. Are there any new launches coming up? We bring out new patterns all the time. Our latest is for a six-inch purse frame that makes an evening bag with shoulder chain that’s perfect for parties and weddings. We also have several flash sales coming up so it’s well worth signing up to our newsletter. How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking your products? Retailers don’t need to keep a huge quantity of stock because we dispatch orders received by 12:30pm on the same day. However, a good range of handles, straps, buckles, fastenings, magnetic clasps and locks may be useful. We’ve tried to ensure that everyone can get some form of discount, whether their business is small, large or somewhere in- between, and there is no requirement to open an account. Most products are sold in different quantities with an increasing amount of discount applied for larger purchases. There’s also free postage and packaging for UK orders over £50. Any order over £100 will also receive a five per cent discount at the checkout. +44 (0)1253 367 634 bag-clasps.co.uk