VISIT OUR COLOURFUL SHOP in Sunny Bank Mills

Find our colourful jewellery as well as other bold, vibrant and silly homewares, art, cards and gifts at 3 Sandsgate, Sunny Bank Mills, LS28 5UJ. We're open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am until 4pm. Bring your doggos too as we are dog friendly and your furry pal might even get lucky and have some of Hugo's treats!
We are working on our accessibility with the landlords - we have a ramp, but it's not ideal for wheelchair users. We will do whatever we can to assist you until we find a better solution. Find more information on accessibility here.

So here's the story of how we accidentally decided to open a shop! My lease on my studio space was ongoing and money was getting really tight. As everyone knows it's been a super tough few years, especially for small businesses; sales were dwindling and costs were rising and it sort of became a choice between getting a part time job and keeping my workspace or potentially moving back home to work from there (ughhhhhh).

I absolutely loved my space at Sunny Bank Mills and due to a series of things completely out of my control (and everyone else's) I'd decided that working on my own was the only way forward. Covid caused some friends to close their businesses, plus house moves and new babies left me alone needing workspace. I moved into this tiny unit in the mill where I only needed to rely on myself and the chaos that was thrown at just my own life. I loved being able to close the blinds and work completely uninterrupted.

I'd been dreaming with a friend about opening a shop, but the idea never really worked out in the real world. We couldn't choose a location that worked for both of us and ultimately the plans fell through. Then I started thinking... what if I made my workspace into a shop? People often just wandered in anyway while I was working - maybe it could be a fun little way to make some extra income and it was sort of the same as getting a part time job elsewhere.



So during Christmas 2024, we rearranged our workspace into the tiniest shop you could imagine with zero budget and very little time. I asked a few close friends if they would lend me some stock to fill out the place and I would take a commission for any sales made. At the busiest time of year my best pals came through and sent me some stock!! And amazingly... people loved it!! During the biggest event of Sunny Bank Mills' calendar we hit our dream target of sales in one single day.

Working in the space as well became impossible; my laser cutter takes up a lot of room and I spent a couple of weeks tripping over all my work equipment and losing my mind! So I took the plunge that I thought I'd never go back to... working in a communal space.
I joined the Spinning Mill Studios, above Scrap at Sunny Bank Mills and moved all my making equipment up there. The idea was that come the end of my lease, I could always move my equipment back into my original space if I really couldn't adjust back to working alongside other people - or I could give up my lease for what was going to become the shop and save money by remaining in the communal studios.



Thus, the pop-up shop was born! We originally intended to reopen as soon as the new year kicked in, with an expanded and refitted shop space. Of course the universe had other plans as it does and I was blessed with a flare up of my chronic back pain!!
Fully immobilised and thinking there was no way I could get anything done at all, a friend stepped in and helped me and Stu get all our equipment moved and fitted in the new space and just a month over deadline (LOL) we reopened as a fully thought out pop-up shop.

I always dreamed of having a shop in the future, but honestly this was almost an accident. As it turns out it's really easy to open a shop - I'm not saying it's not hard work at all, but it's not hard in a way that might put you off trying. If you've dreamed of opening a shop, I would say go for it. It doesn't have to be perfect - your customers will love following your journey and growing from their feedback really makes them feel part of the brand!