Chirpy Loyalty Programme LAUNCHES TOMORROW!

JUBILEE LAUNCH!🚀👑

It's finally here - we couldn't wait to reward our loyal Chirpy customers!

Tomorrow sees the launch of our CHIRPY LOYALTY SCHEME available IN STORE

Just shop with us in Chirpy and collect points with ever £ your spend to get money off!

It's that simple!

And what's more - this Jubilee Weekend (starting today) we're giving you ...

👑DOUBLE POINTS!👑

So just pop down to Chirpy to sign up and watch those points build up as you spend

What better way to say THANK YOU to all our fabulous Chirpy customers!

Chirpy Workshops on Tour!

Are you a business looking to run a team building event?

Are you looking to reward your staff with a bit of downtime in a creative environment?

Did you know that we can offer private workshops at your premises?

In May 2022 we ran Jesmonite Coaster Workshops as part of Leeds College of Building Staff Wellbeing day - running 6 one hour sessions, each for 20 people, so 120 in total throughout the day.

Each person made their own unique Jesmonite coaster which they took away with them at the end of the session.

So if you’re looking for something a little bit different for your team, businesss or organisation then just get in touch here to. discuss

Download our Colouring Competition Sheet

We know how much our younger customers love colouring is so we’re having a lively Colouring competition with The North Kind.

Why not download our Wellbeing Colouring In Sheet  here  and return it to Chirpy to be in with a chance of winning some The North Kind and Chirpy goodies. Don’t worry if you’re not local, you can always scan it and send it to us, or take a picture and post it on social media tagging @chirpystore and @thenorthkind. Or pick up a copy from Chirpy from the beginning of May, return it to us for us to display as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Join us for some special events for Mental Health Awareness Week 9th - 15th May

May 9th – 15th is Mental Health Awareness Week so we’re joining forces with Stacey from The North Kind, specialising in Mindful Training and Products to help create Confident & Happy kids.

So here’s what we’ve got in store for this exciting collaboration ..

Wednesday 11th – Saturday 14th May : The North Kind POPS UP at Chirpy

Stacey will be upstairs at Chirpy with a host of great mindfulness products for kids (& adults) of all ages. From Sensory Toys to Aromatherapy Room Sprays, Mindful Journals to Positive Message Gifts, The North Kind prides itself on bringing you great affordable products.

Wednesday 11th May 4:30pm – 5:15pm

FREE after school Mindfulness Moments For Minis. A time for children to reconnect and calm their minds for age 5 - 10 years

Booking essential via this link

Thursday 12th May 4:30pm – 5:15pm

FREE after school Mindfulness Moments For Minis. A time for children to reconnect and calm their minds for ages 5 - 10 years

Booking essential via this link

 By teaching mindfulness to children they learn the skills they need to build self-awareness, confidence and cope with stress. Mindfulness can help children deal with tough emotions and help them learn ways to relax and calm the mind and the body.

Friday 13th May 10am -10:30am

FREE pre school Mindfulness Moments For Minis. Children of all ages can benefit from mindfulness so come along and see what it's all about. For children ages 2-5 years

Booking essential via this link

Anyone attending the events will be able to get 10% off in Chirpy on the day.

Why not download our Wellbeing Colouring In Sheet  here  and return it to Chirpy to be in with a chance of winning some The North Kind and Chirpy goodies. Don’t worry if you’re not local, you can always scan it and send it to us, or take a picture and post it on social media tagging @chirpystore and @thenorthkind. Or pick up a copy from Chirpy from the beginning of May, return it to us for us to display as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

At Chirpy we love working with other local indie entrepreneurs and we’re really looking forward to this being a creative, inspiring and fun week!

Father's Day Bundles Launched

Just launched!

We’ve added a little Father’s Day bundle to our Gift Bundles - a quick and easy present, perfect for dads, uncles, grandads or the special man in your life this June

Containing a chunky mug, perfect for a big cuppa, Yorkshire chocolate and a great father’s Day card, it’s the perfect gift.

Check out our other Father’s Day gift ideas

Father’s Day this year is Sunday June 19th

A little mention ...

This week we we’re interviewed by The Yorkshire Evening Post about how the cost of living increases are effecting us.

Here’s a link to the article

We really do appreciate all of our customers who shop in store and online so a huge THANK YOU!

We're getting ready to reward you!

We love how many loyal regular customers we have at Chirpy. We also appreciate how difficult things are with the rise in the cost of living.

We’re trying really hard to keep our prices low and to pass n as few increases as we can to our customers, despite our costs going up, our electricity bill quadrupling and some of our suppliers putting their prices up.

So we’re looking art a way of saying THANK YOU for being loyal and shopping local in Chapel Allerton with our NEW LOYALTY PROGRAMME!

It’ll be a way of you collecting points with every £1 you spend which will then turn into discount vouchers to spend in store.

It’s not quite ready, we’ve got a few trusty customers trialing it for us to iron out any niggles and give us their feedback. But we aim to get it up and running really soon so watch this space …

If you have any feedback and suggestions then please get in touch - just drop us an email to hello@chirpystore.co.uk or via our contact form on our wesite

Thanks again for your support and we can’t wait for the launch!

Focus On ... Sophie Greenwood of Ink & Bear

The smile behind the brand

As we launch our first workshop with Ink & Bear, here’s a little interview I did with her a few months ago …

Why not join Sophie’s Intro to Lino Printing workshop on Sunday 18th September - click here to find out more and book

This month we’re focusing on another local maker, Sophie, of Ink & Bear, a local screen printer whose gorgeous plant storage bags are proving popular in Chirpy

Here’s a little interview we did with Sophie.

CH: Tell me a little bit about yourself / your company

Sophie: I'm Sophie from Ink & Bear and I'm a screenprinter from Leeds. I'm from Hull originally and moved over to Leeds to go to University 16 years ago and I have never looked back! I design and print screenprints, t-shirts and fabric goods inspired by nature, travelling and the sky at night. I've always printed on paper but recently I have started to print on fabric too (which I love!). I screenprint in my studio at home (aka the spare bedroom!) and love the freedom this gives me to try out new things. 

I set up my company, Ink & Bear, 3 years ago and in the last year I've really enjoyed being able to invest more time in the business (one of tiny silver linings of the pandemic!).

CH: How did the business start?

Sophie: I dipped by toe in the printmaking waters whilst at University studying an optional module. I studied Business at University but have always had a love for art - the printmaking module was the only practical art course on offer at the time for 'non-art' students so I jumped at the chance! I later developed my love for screen printing specifically through night classes at Leeds College of Art. 

Three years ago I realised I had way too many prints piling up so set up a small business, initially just selling at local craft fairs. I discovered I absolutely love the buzz of selling online and in person and the rest is history!

 I love being open and sharing tips about the screen printing process because whilst it does take a while to set up, I really feel like anyone can do it. I still find the process magical all these years later. Before the pandemic hit I was planning creative workshops and retreats around printmaking and creativity and it's something I would really like to pick up again when everything feels more normal!  

CH: What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

Sophie: I work for a social enterprise 4 days a week, so I squeeze all my Ink & Bear work in on a Monday (and often on weekends too!). Each Monday starts with tackling some admin to help wake me up (I'm not really a morning person!), followed by a trip to the post office and lunch. In the afternoon I tend to focus on creative work; this could be printing a new batch of fabrics to send off to my Mum (who I collaborate with on my plant bags and pouches), designing new work, exposing new screens or screen printing a new batch of prints or cards. The afternoon is my favourite part of my day as I get to try out new ideas (well, apart from all the cleaning up afterwards!). 

CH: What’s been your biggest achievement to date?

Sophie : Alongside screen printing, I also run a bi-annual event called Super Seconds Saturday - developing and running this during lockdown has definitely been my biggest achievement to date! Super Seconds Saturday is an online event that offers people an opportunity to buy discounted goods from 250 independent makers. A lot of indie makers have seconds/misprints/end of line stock that just didn't go quite right (or is from a few years back!) - and normally a lot of these are sold off at fairs at bargain prices but with few (or no!) fairs due to Coronavirus it means that these bargains aren't on offer. I was so happy with how the creative community of makers came together to support this event and I can't wait for the next one in October!

 CH: What’s been the favourite thing you’ve designed?

I have only recently (in the last year) started printing onto fabric and I'm really enjoying the process. My Mum is an incredible seamstress so I was really happy when we cooked up the idea of working together on fabric goods (like plant bags and pouches). I love seeing the fabric I've printed by hand turned into fabric goods by my Mum- it still feels magical seeing them fully made, packaged and ready for sale.

CH : What’s the best thing about running your own business?

Sophie: I love the freedom to try out new ideas and interact with customers and other creative businesses online too. Everyone is super supportive and it's so lovely to meet like minded people. 

 CH: What advice would you give to anyone looking to set up their own business?

Sophie: Just go for it! Sometimes setting up your own creative business can feel really daunting, but building a creative community around you (either online or in real life!) can make a huge difference to your confidence. I spent years telling myself I didn't have the time to set up a business and there never seemed to be a 'right time' so I just started small and ran Ink & Bear alongside my full time job for the first couple of years. After I'd built it up a bit I took the leap to go down to 4 days a week in my full time job and now I'm hoping to turn it into my full time career! Small steps can make a HUGE difference and getting started is the best thing you can do. 

 CH: Is there an activity you haven’t tried but would like to?

Sophie: I would really like to try working with glass! I love watching glass blowers (Blown Away on Netflix was fascinating to watch!) and would love to try it one day. I also have a real soft spot for ceramics and would like to learn to throw on a wheel.

 CH: Why should people shop / support local?

Sophie: think it's so important to support small local shops and makers - as a buyer you can buy really unique, high quality items that you can't get elsewhere and you're also supporting makers, for who the sale makes a huge difference to. I think shops like Chirpy are so important to introduce people to a wide range of makers - and the shopping experience in an independent shop is unrivalled for creativity and inspiration. 

 Thanks Sophie for such detailed answers - it’s great to get advice from a local maker mixing 9-5 with being creative.

Easter Opening Hours & a little discount!

Our Easter Opening Hours are ..

Friday 15th : 10am - 5pm

Saturday 16th : 10am - 5pm

Easter Sunday : CLOSED

Easter Monday : CLOSED

Use the code EASTER10 to get 10% off EVERYTHING online over the Easter weekend and FREE SHIPPING on all orders

Happy Easter from all the Chirpy team!

Focus On ... Dave Draws

This month we’re focusing on Dave Draws, a doodle artist whose workshops are always popular at Chirpy and whose work can be seen upstairs on the walll in Chirpy as well as for sale in the form of Leeds mugs, prints and coasters

Here’s a little interview we did with Dave.

Tell me a little bit about yourself

I'm Dave Gee better known as Dave Draws, I'm a 31 year old artist based in Manchester where I run Dave Draws from. Dave Draws is my business, where I suppose I am best known for doing doodle maps of different towns and cities. I sell these on various products such as prints, mugs and coasters and I also create them as murals for schools, bars, offices, restaurants etc.

How did you start doing what you’re doing?

I've always drawn and enjoyed doodling but it was never something I seriously thought I could do until after university. I started creating a few prints and did a couple of small murals in Sheffield (I'm originally from Chesterfield). But then I moved to Berlin where I worked in an art gallery and it was whilst I was out there that I started taking art a lot more seriously. I started exhibiting and the doodle map idea was born there. When I moved to Manchester after Berlin I started creating the maps and the business took off from there.

What does a normal day look like?

My routine varies every week depending on where I am working but I usually get up around 7/7:30 then head to work for between 8:30/9. Before I start drawing for the day I go through my emails and catch up on any admin as well as doing a social media post. I then start drawing either on site on a mural or at my studio. I have my lunch around 12 where I catch up on emails and social media again before drawing again in the afternoon until around 5/half 5 when I catch up on emails again. After that I try to switch off for the day though so work doesn't creep into my evenings.

What’s the favourite thing you’ve designed?

I can think of 3, my Lancashire map packaging for Lancashire Tea (sorry Yorkshire!), my Salford docks design for Salford Rums bottles and finally my New York map that is printed on the inside of all the lifts at Innside New York Nomad hotel.

What’s the best thing about working for yourself?

My favourite thing about running my own business is being in control of everything myself, that can be a burden as well at times but generally

it just feels liberating to be in control of your own destiny. I think I can be a bit stubborn as well and don't love being told what to do so being my own boss definitely works for me in that respect.

What’s your biggest achievement?

Business wise travelling abroad to create murals in New York, Hong Kong and across Europe. But also just surviving the pandemic and my business being in an even stronger place at the end of it. Personally in that time I managed to buy a house with my girlfriend as well which felt like an achievement all things considered.

Is there a craft you’d like to try which you never have?

Loads, I've never really used spray paints, I would like to get good at that. Tattooing would be cool as well. Also I'd love to be able to DJ but I don't know where I am going to find the time to learn all these things!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to try something new?

Just throw yourself in to it. It takes a lot of dedication and time particularly at the start but the rewards are so worth it. I would also say don't wait for opportunities and work to come to you, actively go out and seek clients and work opportunities. I messaged a lot of brands/people I wanted to work with at the start, the worst they can say is no but if they say yes it can open so many doors for you.

Why should people shop local?

People should shop local because they are the shops/businesses that need and appreciate it most. I've seen loads of bits online about how when you order from an independent or local business the person you are buying from does a little dance and that is definitely true. If I have a good sales day it can make my day and most creatives I know would think the same.

You can join Dave on his next Doodle map workshop at Chirpy on Thursday 24th March - click here to book or find out more