96 100 years of buttons Deborah Richardson, Owner of Duttons for Buttons talks to Craft Focus about their three shops and 100-year history Tell us a bit about Duttons for Buttons, when did the first shop open and by who? We’re a fourth generation haberdashers – my great grandfather started the business in Leeds in 1906, supplying trimmings to the vibrant tailoring trade. My grandfather opened the first Duttons for Buttons in Harrogate in 1956. He took over a lingerie shop in a Victorian arcade owned by a Mrs Dutton which sparked his idea of Duttons for Buttons – far more appealing for the home dressmakers he wanted to attract than R Goodman & Sons Ltd! There are now three shops, tell us about this journey. Expansion was mainly down to my mother who took over when my grandfather passed away. She was in her thirties and had a busy career as an orthoptist. She stepped in as a temporary measure to help my grandmother and ended up running the business for nearly 50 years. She was still working at 86. By then she had added York and Ilkley and moved the original shops in Harrogate to their current location near the theatre after a fire burnt down the arcade. What’s special about your locations! People talk about the Harrogate shop as being an Aladdin’s cave – it’s tiny but every nook and cranny is filled with buttons, ribbons, wool and every kind of textile crafting material and kit you could imagine. York is in a stunning beamed medieval building near the town centre, built in 1422. We love its heritage - my mother discovered and restored a one-ofa-kind beamed roof hidden behind some old ceiling tiles on the top floor and we now run textile crafting workshops there. Very atmospheric! Ilkley is now entirely dedicated to crafting workshops and is doing its bit to support the town’s recent accolade as The Sunday Times’ Best Place to Live in the UK. How has business been since the Covid restrictions lifted? In York we’ve benefitted from the city’s success as a destination for staycations. The city is full of small independents like us so has lots to offer tourists as well as locals. The council and our voluntary trade organisation, Indy York, have been amazing, supporting retailers with imaginative initiatives like their treasure hunts and city voucher system; these have been a huge draw. The Ilkley workshops started post lockdown, August 2021, and locals and visitors to the town seem to really appreciate our idea of somewhere vibrant to ‘learn, make and meet’. Just as the restrictions were eased, our Harrogate shop ‘disappeared’ behind scaffolding while the council repaired the theatre roof above us. It’s taken them nearly a year but the scaffolding came down two weeks ago so our customers and visitors can now find us again at last. Have you seen a boom in the craft industry recently or a new type of customer? For sure, there was a surge in crafting during lockdown as people looked for new hobbies and distractions. As our shops were closed, we created an online shop and click and collect service so new crafters could get what they needed at home. Covid also brought an awareness that crafting is good for your mental health and wellbeing which continues to grow. We’ve seen this translate into bookings in our York and Ilkley workshops and in the purchase of supplies. We’ve added new crafts to our repertoire, like macramé and mohair bear making classes and kits, but traditional crafts like crochet, knitting and embroidery are still hugely popular. Tell us a bit about what you stock? As our shops are small, we try to stock kits by small makers, especially those in Yorkshire. Amazing textile artists supply us with their kits and teach classes too. We also produce kits and souvenirs under our own brand name, including an adorable Steiff-like mohair bear kit designed exclusively for us by Jacqueline Schultz, cross stitch kits, cards and our everpopular button bags. What brands do you currently stock? Are you looking for any new products or styles?
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