Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us . . . !

We are approaching our third birthday! On July 13th 2009, Rosie Lomberg opened By Local for the first time, with the help of her mother, Helen, for a period of 6 weeks - just for the summer holidays! This was in the big shop at the top of the escalator at the High Street entrance to the Regency Arcade - yes, the one that has now been demolished, and is now an enormous empty space, a useful reminder that you can never go back! It's a mark of Rosie's good management skills and vision that 3 years later, with several moves of premises and the help of Keziah Kurg and several exhibitors who have volunteered as Supervisors, the shop is going from strength to strength.


Many of the original exhibitors are still with us, having helped with the nitty gritty of dismantling an existing shop and cleaning and setting up a new one many times over the past 3 years! The Regent Arcade management also deserve credit for supporting such an imaginative concept for so long. When By Local started, pop up shops were quite a ground breaking concept, and it took quite a leap of imagination for a big organisation like the Arcade to see their potential, respect to them, not just for giving us a chance in the first place, but for continuing to find us replacement premises each time they found longer term tenants for our existing shop!


In February 2010, we moved from the big premises upstairs to a smaller shop downstairs, under the Fish Clock (part of what is now 'Schuh') and after a few months there, moved next door for another 2 months, before moving down the Arcade to the old 'ART' shop, then as the 4th move in 2010 across the 'street' to what had been The Officers Club menswear shop. 


By Christmas of 2010 (our second Christmas offering unique Christmas gifts & cards!) we were back in our original, enormous shop beside Butler's cafe where we stayed until September of 2011.


In September 2011 we moved to our present shop, on the upper floor, beside TKMaxx - after so long in a big shop, such a neat, open premises was an excellent exercise in self discipline! With so much display space in the large, ex-toy shop, all exhibitors had ample space to display whatever they wanted, however they wanted. In the present shop, not only is there less display space for each exhibitor, but it is beautifully lit, so everything can be clearly seen (good or bad!) so selecting one's items for display can be quite a challenge!


Over 3 years exhibitors have come and gone, each departure offering a new person an opportunity to try their creations in the market - sometimes to be wildly successful, and go on to bigger and more profitable things, not just through By Local, but also through our sister shop in Gloucester, run by Rosie's mother, Helen, with their own team of priceless volunteers & exhibitors! The Gloucester Arts & Crafts Centre, in College Street, has the advantage of larger premises, with a large room downstairs, where they can hold classes and workshops. This facility has enabled exhibitors to expand their potential for earning and the teaching allows them to demonstrate and pass on their skills to others.


                                    http://www.gloucestershireartsandcraftscentre.co.uk/
Each exhibitor signs up for a 6 week stretch, during which they must work the equivalent of 3 full days in the shop.


This commitment to work in the shop is very useful to exhibitors, it gives them a chance to look at a business approach to life (not everyone has had this experience) and the interaction with the public gives a very useful feedback of market research - when you can talk direct to your customer you get a useful insight into why people buy (or don't buy) your work! This invaluable feedback helps crafters with product development, and often gives added inspiration & motivation to artists with constructive comments from customers. 


We will be celebrating our birthday with several opportunities for our customers to benefit from their loyalty, so keep an eye on our Facebook & twitter feeds, not to mention the website and  newsletter, to take advantage!

Spring is sprung! (almost!)

 

The weekend just gone has given us an encouraging taste of coming spring!  It's gone a bit grey again, now, but the shop is full of encouraging reminders of the joys to come - these hares, by Penny Gaj, available as cards or prints, are a timely reminder that March is only a couple of days away, and the 'Mad March hares' will soon be boxing! Did you know, it's actually feisty lady hares telling pushy males where to stick their unwelcome advances?!  I think they should be a feminist icon!

We are already seeing the lambs in the fields, of course, they seem to arrive earlier each year, and their effervescent joy in life is enchantingly infectious!  Not everyone can get out to see them 'in the wool', perhaps you know someone who can't and would enjoy this card by Bev Perry as a tangible taste of spring?

 Bev also has this delightful card of ducklings, and the water ways will soon be full of these little balls of fluff, too.  A very British sign of Spring, much missed by many expats I know, are the bluebells in the woods.

This picture of Trudi's seems to me to completely capture the essence of Spring, as we know it in Britain. Our climate gives us a Spring like no other, and we should be grateful for its delicate beauty, it's a unique national treasure!  One of our new exhibitors, Nicolas Waters, is also an artist with a perceptive eye for the natural world.

This picture by Nicolas makes me think of spring in the Orkney Isles, where I lived for a time, and the spring air is filled with the bubbling calls of curlews and the 'tee-auch' of lapwings.

Finally, 1st March is St David's Day, which, as a Welsh girl, always feels like the start of Spring to me! So, this is the perfect flower to be wearing on Thursday!  Happy Spring, everyone!

New Year, new ideas!

Well, no one has told us we can't have the shop anymore, so we're still here!  Like many in the Arcade, a new year has prompted a reassessment of stocks for our exhibitors, and resulted in Sales - which means it's bargain time for our patrons!

As you can see from this picture, there are some serious bargains to be had from Eunice Makes, and Trudi Hayden has some delightful early work reduced drastically, an opportunity to grab an original at print prices!  However, for those who like to be ahead of the game, thoughts are turning to Valentine's Day!  The true romantic will be planning to give their loved one something very special and personal, so our exhibitors have prepared some delights for them, too!

These hearts from Jackie Hawkins are a classic given a modern twist, and last alot longer than roses - after all, you don't want to give the impression that your affections are transitory, do you?!

If champagne is your Valentine's tipple, perhaps a pair of these hand etched champagne flutes would make her heart beat a little faster?

Or maybe you Light o' Love is a practical sort, and would like something to be used every day, and get a daily reminder of your love? Kath Cooper has many variations on the heart theme, at prices to suit all pockets.

Or pehaps a lavender filled, traditional American style heart from Simply Bee Crafts will soothe your loved one? Toni does several variations on this theme.

Of course, the really traditional gift is jewellery, so what could be more romantic than your heart to wear on a sleeve?!!! Kate Michelle Jewellery Makes a range of beautiful, knitted silver wire hearts, as brooches, pendants and earrings (my beloved gave me a pair of these, which make me go weak at the knees every time I wear them!)

 We also have lots of quite alternative valentine cards, as well as presents, including these slightly less romantic ones from Ali Corder! Let's face it, the reality of love is not always romantic!

Finally, perhaps you just want to be your loved one's Teddy bear? Then you could give them one of my miniatures, to carry in a pocket and hug whenever they miss you!
Happy & prosperous 2012 to you all, and I hope your Valentine comes through with whatever speaks to your heart!

Seasonal selection!

There's a theme to much of the new stock arriving at By Local at the moment, a happy one - Christmas!  If you want something by way of a card or decoration that isn't the same as all those mass produced ones in the High Street, come and peruse our offerings!  This is just a taster, more coming in all the time ;o)

We have some decidedly different cards for you . . .

And some very different ornaments for your tree . . . . .

This is just the beginning, as the next few weeks pass, there'll be plenty more variety - and all unique!

Happy Christmas, make it a hand made, locally made, one!

Art for all occasions by Ali Corder

I'm a recent graduate from a fine art degree at Spike Island in Bristol.
My style is eclectic with a touch of vintage and usually a smidgen of dark humour.
My work is mainly illustrative, but I like to illustrate an idea, so it always holds a story.

Having said this, in the last few years I have constructed a modern day freak show and a modern day
Punch and Judy show. I love mixing the past and present, it gives a real reflection as to how the world has changed.
I also take inspiration from parlour games, old wives tales and the proverbial wisdom of the superstition.
A lot can be learned from the stories we pass from generation to generation.

I have had many exhibitions over my time as a student, particularly around Stroud and Bristol but have recently started selling prints and cards and novelty gifts. I sell online at notonthehighstreet and Brighton Pod and at M.A.D.E (makers and designers emporium) in Cirencester and now the lovely Bylocal in my home town of Cheltenham!

I have a blog at http://alicorder.blogspot.com