Makerhood Norwood celebration

It’s almost a year since Makerhood Norwood held its first meeting in the Old Library in West Norwood – doesn’t time fly?

And what a fantastic year it’s been, watching a new network of makers come together, collaborating on selling and ideas, getting feedback from experts such as Jay Rayner, Phill Hill and Jane Doxey – and having a lot of fun along the way.

Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner and food entrepreneur Alison Wright

We’ve learned about running workshops, marketing and pricing, and heard the inspirational tale of how one maker, Juliet Carr, took the leap to becoming a full-time maker after making paper poms on her kitchen table.

We’ve seen some makers like Drunken Dairy launch a new business, while others such as 11 O’Clock have discovered the delights of selling locally and not just online.

Jeweller Christin Goodrich of 11 O’Clock teamed up with other Makerhoodies for her first market at Crystal Palace (photo by Kaylene Alder)

And in our survey of Norwood makers, 50% of respondents said that they had benefited from increased business opportunities or sales, 64% felt a greater connection to the local community, and 70% said they had more confidence about their work as a maker.

So come and join us for a celebration at the Portico Gallery on 23 October at 7pm, share what you’ve been doing, and hear about Makerhood plans to expand across the whole of Lambeth.

We’d love you to continue your journey with us as part of the Makerhood community and get your ideas about what we should be doing next as we try to support more makers across the borough.

The party is free, but please book your place on Eventbrite so we don’t run out of fizz!

“Opened my eyes to the possibilities”

More than a dozen makers turned up on Monday at the Portico Gallery in West Norwood to hear Phill Hill of International Visual explain the importance of presentation and visual merchandising, even on a market stall.

Phill outlined the main principles of “tiering”, symmetry, strong signage, and creating atmosphere, with plenty of slides showing great examples.

We then moved on to the interactive part of the evening, where he gave constructive feedback to makers who had brought along their work and set up (almost) real stalls. The work on show varied from textiles and furniture to food and jewellery, so everyone had the chance to pick up ideas and practical tips, whatever they made.

The usefulness and practicality of the advice was reflected in the feedback after the event. Typical comments included:

• “Brilliant ideas to get me started”
• “Opened my eyes to the possibilities of the way to display products”
• “Fantastic, can’t wait for the next workshop”.

Many thanks to Phill for his excellent presentation, and to the makers who participated in setting out their wares. We look forward to seeing some dazzling displays at future markets! 🙂

Making your stall stand out

Aaah, September – back to school and the start of the run-up to Christmas.

With the most important selling period for makers approaching, we’ve decided to have a session on setting up your stall. Presentation is so important when it comes to standing out from the crowd – but what’s the best way to catch the roving eye of a potential customer and lure them in your direction?

Phill Hill of International Visual will be telling you how. International Visual Ltd are retail specialists with specific expertise in visual merchandising. Creative Director Phill started on the shop floor and worked his way through the ranks into senior visual management at House of Fraser, so he has a comprehensive understanding of retail and the importance visual merchandising plays in it. He is constantly searching for new creative ideas to stimulate visual thinkers.

He’ll be sharing his top tips on giving your stall that wow factor without breaking the bank or adding too much weight or bulk, showing you good and bad examples.

But this isn’t just a theoretical session. The best way to learn is to do – so we want you to bring your wares with you and set up a real stall. We’ll provide the tables – you bring your work, your table cover and any accessories you normally use. Then everyone can learn from each other, try out different arrangements on the spot and see what works best.

So come along for an evening of ideas, inspiration and fun – with a chance to learn from experts and each other!

Stand Out Stalls is on Monday 9 September at the Portico Gallery, 23a Knights Hill, West Norwood SE27 0HS, 7-9pm. Doors open from 6.30pm to let you set up your stall.

The event is free, but please book through Eventbrite so we know how many people to expect. Space and tables are limited, so book early to be sure of getting a place!

Cool launch of Drunken Dairy

With the sizzling sunshine set fair to last a bit longer, it looks as if Angela Wilkins of Drunken Dairy has chosen the perfect time to set up her business selling booze-infused ice creams and sorbets.

We first met Angela back in February when she took part in our tasting workshop for budding food entrepreneurs. So we’re delighted that she has finally taken the plunge and launched her business (not least because it means we get to taste more of her wares!).

Despite her whirlwind activity, Angela was kind enough to spare the time to answer some questions about how she made the decision to go ahead.

Tell us a bit about what you make.
At Drunken Dairy we are launching a new, high-quality, innovative product. We make traditionally hand-made ice creams and sorbets, using only the best natural ingredients, and then we give them a ‘kick’ by adding one of life’s greatest treats – booze. We have fun inventing, creating and selling our ices, and our branding is designed to reflect just that.

We sell at events and street markets, and to restaurants and gastro-pubs, and we also cater for local private parties and functions. For weddings, we offer a customised “Bride & Groom’s favourite cocktail” service where we will develop a unique ice cream or sorbet recipe, with personalised labels on the tubs.

We change our menus seasonally (because we have so much fun creating new recipes); our current range includes:

• The OMG: cookies & cream with vodka 4.03% abv
• The Pina Colada: 3.58% abv
• The Dark Destroyer: chocolate & Grand Marnier 3.15% abv
• The GLT : gin, lime & tonic sorbet 5.1% abv
• The Sex Bomb: orange & Amaretto sorbet
• The Caffeinator: real coffee & Kahlua 1.65% abv

 How did you get involved with Makerhood?
We got to know Makerhood through the Food Entrepreneurs Workshop organised by Lambeth Council, and also through West Norwood Feast. It’s a great idea for local businesses to support each other – setting up on your own can be quite scary, so it’s great to have other like-minded people to share experiences with.

How did the food entrepreneurs’ workshop go for you, and what impact did it have?
The workshops are, quite simply, responsible for us being here now.  I’d been thinking and talking about setting this business up for over a year, but I was nervous:  would people like the ice creams as much as me, my family and my friends? Would they be prepared to pay for them?

The judges’ and other participants’ comments at the final tasting session were literally the thing that gave me the final confidence and determination to go ahead. I’d probably still be thinking and dreaming about it had I not gone along.

What have you done since the workshop?
Ooohhh …loads! Sourcing professional equipment, getting through the bureaucracy of Environmental Health, licensing, weights & measures, trading standards, VAT registration, bank accounts, labelling requirements and so on. And the logistical stuff (much more fun!) like branding, presentation and packaging, refrigerated transport, storage, signage…… the list goes on!

Most importantly, we started selling ice creams and sorbets at the Crystal Palace Overground Festival, and also at Feast, and have just picked up a big order for an event for a major company in the West End.

What advice would you give to other budding food entrepreneurs?
The demand for locally produced, artisan made food is growing, and people are moving away from the big supermarkets where the focus is on volume sales and profit. So, if you have an idea or a speciality, give it a try. Ask yourself what is different and special about your product and just how are you going to communicate that to people?

Think carefully though about the costs and your profit margin – it’s great to see people enjoy your food, but you need to cover overheads as well as ingredient costs if you want to earn money from your enterprise. And whilst most of us don’t want to be a multi-national, we do still have to earn a living.

So, go slowly and steadily and think ahead: how will you grow the business over the next 12-24 months? I nearly bought a small van, but someone said “What about next year?” And they were right – I bought a Transit instead, and even now there’s not much spare room in it at times. I’m still petrified of reversing it, but I’ll learn I’m sure.

It’s hard work, it’s uncertain, and yes, there are times when you question your own sanity. But, as a friend said watching us on our first day of trading: “It must feel good to sell someone something that makes them so happy”.

Crystal Palace success for first-timer

Makerhood had a stall at the Crystal Palace Overground Festival in Westow Park on 29 June. 

Along with experienced Makerhoodies Ray Stanbrook, Kaylene Alder and Kim Winter of Flextiles was first-timer Christine Goodrich of 11 O’Clock Jewellery.

From left: Christine, Kim and Ray on the Makerhood stall (photo by Kaylene Alder)

We asked Christine to tell us why she decided to join Makerhood and how the day went for her.

Christine says:

“I had plucked up the courage to open up an Etsy shop but nothing much happened.  I didn’t know what to do next. I had no idea how to get myself out there, and I didn’t really know any other creative people who could give me some advice.

“That’s until my friend Kaylene, who is an amazing illustrator, told me about Makerhood. I felt that I wasn’t alone any more. I could connect with other creative people, and get pointed in the right direction. I signed up to share my first stall at the Crystal Palace Overground Festival and it was a success!

“I was excited but to be honest I was also a little nervous. I didn’t really know what to expect.  Would people like my jewellery? Would they buy anything at all? Would I know what to say to them? Would I come across as pushy if I talked to them, and put them off?”

“But I think that the fact that I was sharing a stall with Kim, Kaylene and Ray really helped as they’d done it all before and were very relaxed and fun to be around. So it made it very easy for me to get into the right mood and go for it.

“The day was absolutely fantastic! I loved it!  One thing about having a physical stall is that it gives you invaluable insight into what people actually like. You see their reactions to your products you can listen to their comments and take notes, you can see what they tend to pick up and try, you can chat and have fun with them. I thought I would probably not sell anything but I did! It was great!

“I was over the moon, and I felt quite proud of myself.  I’ve been a stay at home mum for eight-odd years and felt a bit deflated in the self-esteem department. But having people liking and buying stuff that I made was just amazing. I even had a customer leaving some lovely comments on my Facebook page. That surely ‘re-inflates’ one’s self-esteem!

“But the best part was seeing how my kids were proud of me!  Now I am really looking forward to the next event!”

Makerhood is all about making connections with other makers, buyers and local businesses – so we’re delighted that Christine enjoyed the day and has started to gain more confidence about selling her work, and we look forward to hearing about her future success!

Getting to grips with costing and marketing

Pricing and promotion are two of the most important challenges that all makers face, so no wonder there was an eager turnout for the meeting on 9 July at the Portico Gallery in West Norwood.

Heads down to work out how much we should be charging!

Jane Doxey of Creative Retail Services first took us all through a step-by-step guide to working out our overhead costs, hourly wage, production costs and material costs to discover how much we should be charging. She then explained the difference between selling direct to consumers, to wholesalers and to retailers, and the margins for each, as well as additional factors, such as the importance of knowing what your competitors charge.

Then Wendy Jackson of Bite Sized Marketing emphasised the importance of  going out to find new customers rather than waiting at your market stall for them to come to you. A group exercise got everyone thinking about different ways of promoting themselves, resulting in plenty of food for thought. Anyone fancy decorating a show house?

Coming up with ideas for new promotions

With lots of questions and discussion we didn’t have time to cover stall presentation, so we’ll organise a future session on this.

Many thanks to Jane and Wendy, and to all the Makerhoodies who participated in an interesting session!

Pricing, presentation and promotion

Pricing, presentation and promotion are three of the main things you need to know about as a maker. And handily for you, they will all be covered in our next makers’ meeting on Tuesday 9 July, 7-9pm, in the Portico Gallery at West Norwood.

How do you make your market stall look attractive?

Our expert panel will include:

• Jane Doxey of Creative and Retail Services, a product development and retail expert, former buyer for Liberty’s and product development director for Marks & Spencer
• Wendy Jackson of Bite Sized Marketing, who specialises in giving “real help for realistic people” – no hype, smoke and mirrors, tricks or gimmicks!

You’ll also have the chance to ask questions, and to network with other makers afterwards. So don’t miss this opportunity to get advice on the things that really matter to your creative business.

The event is free, but please book your ticket on Eventbrite so that we know how many people to expect.

Exclusive offer for Makerhoodies at Portico Gallery Bazaar

We’re very pleased to tell you that the Portico Gallery in West Norwood is offering Makerhoodies an excellent deal on stalls and workshops for its next Bazaar on Sunday 2 June.

The Portico Gallery is a great community arts space and hub of local activities in West Norwood. Its monthly bazaar of arts and crafts stalls coincides with West Norwood Feast, a very popular event with hundreds of visitors every month.

For its bazaar on 2 June, the Portico is offering Makerhood members a stall for £25 (plus a voluntary commission of 5% on sales that will go to the Southside Rehabilitation Association).

The stalls are indoors – so no need to worry about the weather! – and tables, hanging screens and chairs are provided. All you have to do is bring your own table covering, publicity material and stock (of course!).

There’s also an opportunity to do demonstrations of your work in the window of the gallery that opens out onto the street – where you can engage passing visitors and show what you can do! And if you’d like to run a workshop, you can do that too.

If you’re interested, please email john@porticogallery.org.uk with the link to your Makerhood listing. There is a variety of screens for hanging and tables available so please indicate what you will be displaying, and they will allocate the best space for you.

Deadline for payment is midday on 29 May.

How to run workshops

We’re delighted that Gillian Elam of Crafty Pint and Carol Grantham of Carol’s Creative Workshops will be joining us at our next makers’ meeting on 22 May to talk about how to run workshops.

We know that running workshops can be an important source of income for many makers – but what do you need to consider? Do you need a teaching qualification? What about insurance? How do you handle demanding or disruptive participants?

As a founding member of the Crafty Pint collective, Gillian has extensive experience of running crafty social workshops in pubs, cafés and bars and at large events and festivals (Jubilee, Thames Festival, Vintage Hemingway), as well as with community groups like youth clubs and in public spaces like museums. She has worked with designers who make jewellery, textile accessories, upcycled vintage fabric homewares, artist’s books, fused glass, mosaics, crochet, knitting, felting, clothes design and pattern cutting, hand painted ceramics, prints and cards and many more.

Carol is a textile artist who runs her own workshops on wet felting and embroidery, as well as Crafty Pint sessions. She says: “Much like the tradition of quilting bees in the 19^th century, my workshops provide a space for people to gather, chat and laugh whilst exploring our creative abilities.”

So do come along if you want to find out what’s involved in organising workshops. Or if you have experience of running classes yourself, tell us how you did it and what you learnt.

And of course, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet other makers, share information and ideas, and make new contacts and friends. Many people say that one of the most valuable benefits of Makerhood is getting together with like-minded people who understand the highs (and lows) of running a creative business.

The makers’ meeting is on Wednesday 22 May, 6.30-8.30pm, at Parkhall Business Centre,  40 Martell Road, London SE21 8EN. The event is free, but please book your place through Eventbrite so we know how many people to expect.

Makerhoodie wins Brixton Bake Off

Congratulations to Dumisani Nyathi of The Vegan Tart for winning the Best Savoury category as well as Best in Show at the recent Brixton Bake Off, organised by Brixton Market.

Dumisani (centre) with judges Levi Roots of Reggae Reggae Sauce (left) and Stacey Raymond of Morleys department store (right)

Dumisani, who took part in our food entrepreneurs’ workshop in February,  says: “I really enjoyed the day, the weather was great and there was a great atmosphere at the market.  We didn’t get to move around much as it was super busy, but we did get to see some swing dancers and also heard some acoustic music, which gave the market a different vibe and a great community vibe!”

“Winning was an honour.  I really didn’t think that I would win Savoury category, let alone Best in Show, going by the standards of the other bakers. It also felt really good to stand up thanking everyone and making a mention that vegan food isn’t just bland rice and peas but can be on par with non-vegan products.

“I was also shocked – I couldn’t believe that I was picked.  I worked really hard preparing  for the market and I’m glad to say that all of that hard work paid off.  I’m still in awe and every once in a while I look at the winnings and have a double take that I won the competition!”

Well done to The Vegan Tart and all the other bakers who entered the bake off – it was an excellent contest!