an interview with Alice Tait

We caught up with one of our sellers, acclaimed British illustrator Alice Tait, to discuss Roger the Dachshund, Portobello Road and commissions for Vogue magazine.

Alice in her studio with Roger the Dachshund

What is your background?

After graduating from Bath Spa University about ten years ago, I got my first big break doing a book cover for Penguin, and then a series of illustrations for The Times. I spent my first few years running around London with my portfolio by day and working in a busy restaurant by night. Gradually the illustration took over and I found myself drawing full time. I had a good studio space at Great Western Studios, near Ladbroke Grove, where I was surrounded by artists, dogs and mayhem as inspiration, and my career really took shape from then on.

What inspired you to start The Alice Tait Shop?

Around this time I was living the Notting Hill dream, walking along Portobello Road to my studio every morning, and I decided to create a print range I could sell to the locals and visitors. One of these designs was my ‘Map of London’, which was really popular and has led me to create lots more maps. My work was receiving more and more publicity, and increasingly I was getting emails from people who had spotted them and wanted to buy prints, which led me to finally set up The Alice Tait Shop.

What are your inspirations for your prints?

My first print designs were inspired by my Portobello walk into work – hence the popular ‘Alice and Chloe’ and ‘Antiques Shop’ prints. But now I simply enjoy drawing the world directly around me: anything from the different coloured ink pots on my desk to the faces of strangers in the street. My dachshund, Roger, is a constant companion and I’ve put him in nearly all of my pictures, so look out for him too! At the moment I am doing a drawing every day for a year.

Two of Alice’s prints, inspired by Portobello Road

What is your favourite print from you range?

Ooh, that’s a toughie – I love them for different reasons! If I had to choose then probably the ‘Homing Pigeons’; I am always sketching pigeons, and I noticed that much like people, pigeons tend to look like the town they come from. So this print has a posh pigeon from Henley and a not-so-posh one from Ramsgate.

What are your most exciting commission to date?

I was commissioned to produce an illustrated world map for Vogue for their recent December issue, which was great fun to do as I had lots of exotic locations to put on the drawing. Also look out for the new James Corden’s autobiography which has just been released, as I did the handwriting on the cover. And I was thrilled to design the wallpaper for the new Waitrose Cafés, any excuse to draw cakes all day…

Alice’s commissioned illustration for the December 2011 issue of Vogue magazine

See Alice’s full range of prints here.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 23 January 2012
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an interview with Door 77...

Our most recent partner interview comes from new-comers Door 77, who joined us in January. It’s run by sisters Caroline and Samantha, who took the plunge and started their own business last year and specialise in making personalised cards, cushions and gifts by hand. We asked them to answer some questions about themselves, their products and starting out on their own.

What first inspired you to start your own business?
We’ve always loved being creative, coming up with ideas and designing things. We both had office jobs in London, were sick of the tube everyday and just wanted to work at something we have a passion for.

How did you get started?
We had ideas in our head that we desperately wanted to make into a reality, so we bought a load of fabric, got sewing and made our first cushions. We loved it and haven’t stopped since!

Do you remember your first ever order?
Yes, it wasn’t that long ago! Caroline was at work in London and Sam was at home, we saw the message saying we had an order, called each other and screamed! Then we decided it must be notonthehighstreet.com testing our products, but after the 10th order that day we realised it wasn’t and it was amazing!

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?
The idea that people like what we do. That they want one of our cushions to decorate their home or want to give a card with the words we came up with to a loved one. We see it as a big compliment and it’s so rewarding. We constantly have new ideas popping into our heads, so the development of the business just feels like a natural progression and we will move and evolve as outside influences inspire us.

What advice would you give someone hoping to start and/or grow their own business?
Think very carefully about your product range and target market. Don’t try to do too much too soon, focus on your area of expertise and capitalise on that, you can build around that later.

What is your favourite/bestselling product?
At the moment our favourite products are the stamped cushions, they’re great for adults and children and can be personalised so you get a really special and unique product every time. We’ve not seen anything like them anywhere else and we’re especially proud of them! We’re also developing some beautiful Moroccan inspired picnic blankets and we have a feeling they may well take our top spot soon!

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 04 March 2011

an interview with Abigail Bryans

What inspired you to create your business?
I began Abigail Bryans Designs ten years ago. I found myself in the position of being on my own – with my three very small children and needing to earn a living. I looked at various jobs that would possibly work around school hours, but knew deep down I wanted to use my creativity to make gifts. Over the years I had pottered and painted things and sold them to friends, from mini photograph frames to furniture. It was a friend that said ‘don’t be frightened to fail’. Hearing those words spurred me on to make a business work with something I love doing.

Describe your product range and what makes it unique?
Distressed wooden signs with warm and quirky sayings. The signs are painted in a vintage cream, distressed and waxed and hung with a piece of twine. Each one is unique and can also be personalised. I also make necklace hooks and key rings that can be personalised and painted in the same style.

What is your best selling product?
The ‘Champagne is the answer’ and ‘I must remember to put my wife before the football’ are my most popular signs. I have also had so many fantastic requests of personalisation from customers. They always make me smile!

What is your home like?
I live in a four bed roomed terrace house in south London with my three children and a lovely lodger. It is a busy and compact work place, juggling homework and sign painting around the kitchen table. It is a place of laughter and life.

What impact has notonthehighstreet.com had on your business?
notonthehighstreet.com has totally transformed my business. It has taken the onus off me for marketing and has reached a much, much bigger audience that I would never have been able to do. I have felt so supported by them and encouraged. They have been amazing. It has been totally one of the best decisions I have made regarding my business! As the recession was hitting other places, by sales through notonthehighstreet.com kept on coming in, which was so encouraging.

What are you lusting after on notonthehighstreet.com?
Such a good question – what am I lusting after on notonthehighstreet.com; many many things! Everything! But definitely the Union Jack Chair by Foxbat Boutique. I can just see it sitting nicely in front of my desk!

What are your ambitions for the future?
What are my ambitions – I would just love for my designs, which originated from something so small to be sold around the world – and to be enjoyed everywhere, from here to Australia! And for me to still be able to make them all! I would love a gorgeous little workplace where all my dust could settle away from my kitchen! Sadly my garden isn’t big enough to build something – but maybe one day – watch this space!!

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 01 September 2010

an interview with Susiemaroon

The award-winning, Edinburgh based, independent eco-label Susiemaroon is the brainchild of artist and designer Susie Brown. We asked her a few questions about her life, and how Susiemaroon was born.

1. What inspired you to create Susiemaroon?
As a small girl I always wanted to be a sculptor, and up until graduating from art school I intended to pursue a career in this area. I had always enthused about design and over the early years of my professional career I realised that I was much more comfortable and inspired by creating homeware and fashion accessories. Fine art and design have so many connections – especially sculpture, the area in which I studied. I think Susiemaroon and it’s products are just a natural progression in my creative expedition.

2. Describe your product range
Design-led home and fashion accessories created using responsibly sourced materials produced in Scotland, and leather from a family run Scottish tannery that specialises in tanning Wild deerskin. The skins are sourced from Scottish game-dealers who are closely monitored by the Deer Commission Scotland. These hides would otherwise be discarded as a by-product of the venison industry and sent to landfill.

3. What is your best selling range / product?
The Biro Bookmark seems to be the darling this month!

4. Where did you start your company and where do you work now?
Susiemaroon began life in the corner of our living room in our then one bedroom flat on the South side of Edinburgh. In around 2008 I moved Susiemaroon HQ to a studio on the other side of the City. I didn’t really ever settle properly there and so in 2009 we moved again and I now have a great little studio on the lower level of my house and my partner, a musician, has his studio on the upper level, surrounded by all of our inspiring junk… we love it!

5. What kind of support have you received along the way?
My family are amazing and completely supportive of every move I make. They have helped me financially and offered words of wisdom when they are most needed. I have also been backed by the Princes Trust and NESTA, both fantastic support networks for young creative businesses.

7. Describe where you live / the style of your home
I live in an upper colony house in the east end of Edinburgh city. The houses were built between 1850 and 1910 for artisans and skilled working class families. The house is a little rickety which fits our (what I like to call) junk-chic approach to interior design.

8. What are the benefits of being a designer-maker?
You are never, ever bored…

10. What impact has notonthehighstreet.com had on your business?
notonthehighstreet.com has been great for Susiemaroon. When you find an online business that has a high profile, but still takes the time to correspond with independent designers, giving tips on how to improve online presence, you know you have come across something special.

11. What are you lusting after on notonthehighstreet.com this month?
The Dollybird Mugs by Big Tomato Company are so playful. My cup of tea exactly (pardon the pun!).

12. What are your ambitions for your company in the future?
I would love to build on the success that Susiemaroon has already achieved. I am keen to collaborate with interior designers to create pieces for specific spaces and have always wanted to design a stage set for dancers. Here’s to the next busy five years…

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 12 July 2010

an interview with Nation Pottery

Designer and fashion illustrator Cheryl Denby started creating unique ceramic gifts for special occasions in her own family and friends’ lives when she found mass produced, anonymous gifts simply weren’t enough. Demand for her bespoke hand-painted treasures grew, and Nation Pottery was born. We talked to Cheryl and asked her about her business, and the pros and cons of being a small independent seller of unique, handmade products.

1. What inspired you to create Nation Pottery?
When I got to my mid-twenties, landmark celebrations started happening all around me. Friends getting married and babies being born, big family anniversaries and birthdays… and I simply could not find gifts that were personal, ethical, and as unique as the occasion. I started illustrating and hand-painting pottery in my spare time for special gifts and as the pottery spread, so did the demand!

2. Describe your product range and what makes it unique?
Personalised pottery with personality sums it up! Hand-painted to order earthenware plates, signs, dishes, mugs, and money boxes all painted, dip glazed and fired by me in my small scale studio. Each piece is unique as the design incorporates your special names and dates, so it is a true original. I also offer a wide range of glaze colours so you can tailor your gift to suit wedding themes or nursery colour schemes. I also do pieces for the home such as room names and, most recently, personalised pet bowls.

3. What is your best selling range / product?
My Personalised Mr & Mrs Coasters are my most popular product at the moment with it being the wedding season.

4. Where did you start your company and where you work now?
I started the company in my old house in the city centre of Plymouth. It was a tiny cottage and I actually painted in an old closet with no windows! We built a kiln room outside in the 8ft square courtyard. I now paint in a studio in the Tamar Valley, with a stunning backdrop of Kit Hill in Cornwall and share the view with my neighbour’s seven alpacas!

5. Describe where you live / the style of your home?
I live in a Victorian terraced miner’s cottage in the Tamar Valley. Luckily it retains a lot of its original features and being a bit of a magpie myself it’s full of interesting new and vintage finds.

6. What are the benefits / disadvantages of being a designer-maker?
As an artist and sole trader, getting that immediate feedback and endorsement when you get return custom is fantastic, as you know it’s all down to your hard work.

Knowing my supply chain is another benefit. I think as consumers we should all be more interested in where things come from. Even down to my packing tape which is made of recycled paper, I want to be as nice to the planet and the people on it as possible.

Disadvantages are aplenty too though. Mainly fighting your corner as a small scale operation with a conscience, when people are used to ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’ imported goods on the high street. It can be really demoralising. That’s why notonthehighstreet.com is a great marketplace for Nation Pottery.

7. What are your ambitions for your company in the future?
That the business can grow with us as a family and the pottery named Nation (my 91 year old Nan’s family name) has the longevity and vibrancy of its namesake.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 15 June 2010

an interview with Fingerprints

Fingerprints make a stunning range of contemporary jewellery and keepsakes with a classic but quirky twist. Designer Tabitha runs a friendly family business, working with a small team of designers in her London studios. We asked her to reflect on her business and her partnership with notonthehighstreet.com

1. What inspired you to create Fingerprints?
I started Fingerprints in April 2002. Whilst at home with my youngest child, Mia, I began making jewellery as a hobby. I absolutely loved it and found myself spending more and more time making beads and designing new pieces of jewellery that I gave to friends as presents. The response was very positive so I kept going and started to feel a real sense of destiny – that this was something I was called to do. The name came about when a friend pointed out that my fingerprints were all over the hand-crafted clay beads I had made! I loved the concept and the name reflects that each piece is made by hand, unique and reflects something of me as the maker!

2. Describe your product range and what makes it unique
Fingerprints specialises in one-of-a-kind designs, made by hand. We make both classic and quirky jewellery and accessories in a broad range of vibrant colours using sterling silver, semi-precious stones and polymer clay. Each piece of jewellery has at least one component within it that we have made by hand using this clay so it has become a signature for Fingerprints designs.

3. What is your best selling range or product?
My jewellery range – Personalised Petite Puff Heart Pendant, and the Personalised Favours.

4. Do you have a good work / life balance?
As a mum, I really value being able to choose when and how I work so that I can put my family’s needs first. Selling online through notonthehighstreet.com has been one of the ways that I have been able to have more choice regarding my working schedule.

5. Has notonthehighstreet.com had a positive impact on your business?
Joining notonthehighstreet.com has proved to be one of the best decisions I have ever made concerning my business. The sales it has generated have transformed the way that Fingerprints operates. During a tough few years of trading due to the recession, our sales through notonthehighstreet.com have continued to soar and have become our most consistent source of sales throughout the year. I am very grateful to notonthehighstreet.com for their hard work and continued efforts to boost sales.

6. What are your ambitions for your company in the future?
The success we have experienced has meant that we are expanding our Purity Collection – a range of accessories designed with Christenings, Baptisms and Weddings in mind. The Purity Hoop Earrings are already available on the site. We are also developing our personalised jewellery ranges to allow customers more options to choose from so they can ‘design’ their own pieces of jewellery and make one of a kind pieces completely unique to them. We recently launched new range of personalised gifts such as colourful key rings and decorations.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 17 May 2010