Introducing... Heyy Cards!

In June I visited PG Live for the 1st time, a tradeshow dedicated to greetings cards.

There I met with Heyy cards, an independent card brand who we now have the pleasure of stocking at Chirpy.

We like to get to know our suppliers a little bit more, so here’s an interview we did with Dan & Yvette. It’s great to learn more about them & what makes their brand tick.

Tell me a little bit about yourselves & Heyyy

Heyyy is our small greeting card business run by husband and wife team Dan & Yvette Clarkson. Basically, we are both hopeless romantics! When we first met a few years ago we used to send a lot of cards to each other (we still have them all in a drawer in our office!). Somehow we fell into the habit of starting each card, each note and each text message we sent to each other with the word ‘Heyyy’, it became our little greeting. One night during lockdown we got talking about an off the wall idea to start our own card company – and so Heyyy Cards was born!

How did you get into doing what you’re doing?

Dan is a graphic designer and Yvette worked in the greeting card and stationery industry for 15 years for another publisher until the pandemic, when things changed for everyone. At a time in our lives when a lot was changing, we decided that there was no better opportunity than to try to see if we could make a business doing something that we were both passionate about.

What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

A normal day for Heyyy (if you can call it normal!) starts with us both heading off to work – we still have 9-5 day jobs! Dan works for a branding agency and Yvette works for a local charity. After arriving home in the evening and walking our dog (and office mascot) Keo, we begin our work on Heyyy! Our evenings and weekends consist of packing orders, invoicing, brainstorming new ranges, designing cards and everything in between! It’s rather hectic but at the moment we absolutely love it, and the fact that we have been able to keep our day jobs gives us the security to be able to invest in the business and grow our collections without having to worry about paying the bills at home.

Biggest achievement to date (personally or business wise)?

Being shortlisted as finalist for the Henries awards (the Oscars of the greeting card world) for our Tiny and Terrific children’s cards in our first year of trading was amazing! We were so pleased to be invited to the award ceremony and see our cards up on display.

Where can we find your cards?

Our cards are stocked in a small but steadily growing list of gorgeous independent retailers, card and gift shops, garden centres, bookstores and fashion boutiques, from as close to home as Chesterfield, to as far away as Chicago!

Favourite card you’ve designed  / most popular card design?

Dan’s favourite card is from our Type Dreams collection which simply says ‘Thanks for Being You’. It was one of the first cards we designed and is a really simple yet elegant design.

Yvette’s favourite card is probably ‘Happy Birthday Handsome’ from our new Dancing in the Rain collection. Men’s cards are so difficult to find, especially for a more contemporary fellow, and this one hits the spot for me!

Our most popular card is probably ‘Old Enough to be a Classic’ which is a letter press style birthday card featuring beautiful classic car illustrations. We loved this design from the start which was inspired by our 11 year old son’s fascination with cars, but it has even surprised us how popular it has been!

Have you seen any changing card trends over the last 12 months?

The card industry is so amazingly diverse and new ideas are constantly coming into the market. This year we have noticed a growing trend for 3D designs, scalloped edges on cards and also more quirky concepts like cards which look like book covers.

Why do you think sending cards is still so important?

Sending greeting cards is SO IMPORTANT! In a world where everything is online, immediate, and digital, it’s so lovely to still be able to send something hand-picked and tactile to a loved one in the post. Greeting cards are perhaps one of the most accessible forms of art and expression. Costing only a few pounds you can buy something unique which has the power to make the person you are sending it to smile, laugh, cry or just feel like you are thinking of them.

Best thing about running your own business?

The freedom to design things and do things our way… of course not everything is a best seller and we have learned some lessons along our journey, but that’s all part of the fun! It’s also incredibly fulfilling to have started something from nothing and to be able to watch it grow. It’s absolutely humbling and still a bit surreal to stand in a shop and see someone pick up a card that you have designed and start smiling!

Advice to someone looking to turn their hobby / talent into a business?

Sponge up as much information and advice as you possibly can before you take the leap! Speak to other small business owners, look at online forums, local business networks. Know your market, look at what’s out there, learn about your customer. In our case we spent a lot of time talking to shops about what they needed, who their end customers were, what sold well for them, how things were packaged etc. Research is key! We are lucky that the greeting card industry is a very friendly one and other publishers and retailers have been very kind in sharing information to help us along our journey.

Plans for the future?

World domination!! Only kidding. Hopefully we would like to grow slowly but surely, working on new designs and building a range that keeps us relevant to both shops and consumers. In time we would both like to do this full time… if we can both eventually make a humble living doing this, that would be the dream!

Watch this space to find out what we’ve got planned with Heyy later this year to celebrate ‘Thinking of You Week’ and why not give them a follow on INSTAGRAM

Our first visit to PG Live

This week we had our first visit to PG Live - the specialist greetings card tradeshow.

Loving cards as much as I do I’m not sure why I’d never visited before. Last year I was shortlisted and was a finalist for their RETA Awards, the Oscars of the card world, for our Chirpy Card Monthly Subscription. Unfortunately I didn’t win, however I was awarded a voucher to spend at PG Live.

The tradeshow didn't disappoint, in fact with a champagne reception and a free lunch it was a wonderful day out.

I met with some lovey existing suppliers and met lots of great new ones too, placing lots of orders.

Having been asked lots of times from our Chirpy customers, I was on the look out for lovely packs of cards which is exactly what I found. Blank and Thanks you cards are starting to arrive in Chirpy, so we’re sure you won’t be disappointed

We didn’t apply for the awards this year, life got in the way, but will be applying again in 2024 and hopefully visiting PG Live too.

Check out or cards and notecards HERE

As featured in Gifts Today!

This month we’ve been featured in Gifts Today

Read all about Chirpy, how Jo became the owner of this gorgeous shop, what we sell, how we source our products and lots more besides.

Read the article HERE

Don't forget Father's Day on Sunday 18th June!

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday 18th June & we’ve got a great range of cards & gifts for all budgets.

If you’re looking for a gift for a stylish dad, grandad, uncle, carer or stepdad then check out what we’ve got in store and online HERE

We're Open on Sunday 4th June 11am - 4pm

Have you heard?

Chapel Allerton has now got it’s own Sunday Market!

To help celebrate Chirpy will be Open while the market is on - that’s the 1st Sunday of every month from 11am - 4pm

So why not pop in when you’re visiting the market for a browse, grab a gift or pick up your Click & Collect orders.

Let’s hope the sun shines again for the market on 4th June and don’t forget to pop in to Chirpy too!

Introducing... My New Wardrobe!

We’re delighted to welcome Rebecca of MY NEW WARDROBE as she pops up at Chirpy on Friday 5th May

Rebecca will be bringing her gorgeous selection of new season affordable womenswear for ONE DAY ONLY so why not pop along from 12:30pm on Friday 5th May

Here’s a little interview we did with Rebecca to find out a little more about her.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

My name’s Rebecca, mum to 3 boys and lover of fashion, interiors and the sunshine.

How did you get into doing what you’re doing?

I’ve always loved fashion from being little and watching “The Clothes Show”!  I My first job was in retail and after I started my degree in I knew I wanted to be a buyer.  I followed my heart and headed for London, where I worked as a buyers assistant for Debenhams.  Since then, I’ve travelled all over the world with my job!

What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

Lots of cleaning!  A double school run and some taxi-ing kids to sports clubs!  Some days I squeeze in a buying trip.

Biggest achievement to date, personally or business wise?

Keeping three off spring alive!

Best style / fashion advice?

Stripes are a neutral, they literally go with anything and make everything look polished!

Best thing about running your own business?

Its flexible and I get to do what I really love!

Advice to someone looking to turn their hobby / talent into a business?

Be brave and learn from your mistakes.

Why should people shop local and support their local indie businesses?

Little independents are the life of your local commumity and the business innovators.  They are the future of keeping your High Street alive! A strong high street increases house prices, brings investment and encourages people to shop local, reducing their carbon footprint.

Check out Rebecca’s Instagram HERE

Chirpy Colouring Competition

Looking for a little activity to do over the Easter Holidays?

Why not download and colour in this gorgeous drawing of Chirpy by The Paper Creative

Once you’ve coloured it in then why not bring it into Chirpy and there’ll be a little prize for everyone who does, of any age!

Download the picture HERE

Or if you can’t pop in, just send us a picture or post a picture online of your creation so we can share it!

Happy Easter

Jo

CARA discount ONLINE!

Do you use your CARA Card when you shop at Chirpy to get 10% off?

Well from now on you can also use it ONLINE to get the same great discount!

To start claiming your discount then just pop into Chirpy with your card and we’ll register it so you can get your 10% off online too.

Or drop us any email here with your card number and expiry date and we’ll do the rest.

Head here to find out more about CARA and what they offer to the residents of Chapel Allerton

Introducing... Black Violet!

We’re delighted to welcome Rebecca Lori of Black Violet as our first MAKER IN RESIDENCE in April.

Rebecca will be joining us on Friday 28th & Saturday 29th April upstairs in Chirpy with her eclectic selection of ceramics, terrariums and jewellery.

Here’s a little interview we did with Rebecca to find out a little more about her and how. We’ll also be chatting to her LIVE on INSTAGRAM on Thursday 27th April at 7:30pm before she pops up in Chirpy.

Rebecca will also be running her Concrete Jewellery Workshop on Friday 28th April - tickets available HERE Booking essential

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Hi – my name is Rebecca and I am the owner of Black Violet. If you’re not familiar with my work I make concrete and moss homeware and jewellery inspired by abandoned beauty, magical forests and goddess energy! Nature always inspires me and I am kind of obsessed with the idea of nature taking over manmade structures. I like to create a sense of fantasy and magic through my terrariums and classic statues.

How did you get into doing what you’re doing?

I have a creative background and have studied fashion and photography. I’ve always been into art and everyone that knows me will say that I am a bit of a dreamer! I am a huge fan of concrete structures and brutalist architecture and one day I realised I could use this material to make jewellery and planters and it kind of evolved from there. My dream as a child was to own a shop and sell things that I make – so I guess it just happened naturally.

 What does a ‘normal’ day look like?

I don’t really have a normal day! Everyday looks different, but if I am preparing for a market or making stock for a shop I will set up a creative space in my flat, put on some inspiring music and get lost in making. Sometimes this might be a messy concrete pour, playing with pigments and moss and other times it might be more intensely focused work making terrariums or necklaces. I also have to make sure I keep my Instagram updated so people can see what I’ve made.

Biggest achievement to date?

 That’s a difficult one! I think my biggest and most proudest moment was being the first person in my family to get a degree – a 2:1 in Photographic Arts, I was over the moon! Then I guess it’s been following my own unconventional path to build my own business.

Favourite things you’ve designed  / made?

 My terrariums! Each piece is unique and like little magical worlds. I recently made a massive piece for an alternative wedding show which I absolutely love too.

 Best thing about running your own business?

 I get to choose my own hours, don’t have to answer to anyone and get to do what I absolutely love!

Advice to someone looking to turn their hobby / talent into a business?

Have patience, it’s really hard! But stick with it, if you have confidence in what you do then you’re likely to make it. Don’t do it my way and quit your job without any savings! Start doing it along with your job and see how it goes. I am a risk taker so had to go all in but I definitely don’t advise that approach though it did work for me and took my business to a totally different level. Think of the whole package and get help if you need to – there’s loads of great free resources out there for indie businesses on marketing, packaging, advertising etc

Is there a craft you’ve not tried but would love to?

So many! I recently practised using a tattoo gun and was pretty hooked! I would also love to make candles for my business, I bought all the materials but as usual I’ve not found time to do it! There’s loads more but too many to list!

Why should people shop local and support their local indie businesses?

 Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we all bought cheaply made mass-produced products? We need to support the arts and crafts as it’s what makes life so beautiful, people expressing themselves creatively and owning art that’s so personal and emotive. Even small purchases make a difference to supporting indie businesses – you are enabling an artist or maker to do what they love and keeping the creative process going. And it’s so much better to buy handmade!

Check out Rebecca’s Instagram HERE

FIVER FEST IS BACK!

Image : Sarah Thornton Art

From 11th - 25th March we’re delighted to be taking part again in FIVER FEST.

So what’s it all about?

The campaign, started locally in West Yorkshire, aims to encourage people to shop locally and support their high streets.

Did you know that if every adult spent just £5 a week with their local businesses that would bring £4.6 MILLION into Chapel Allerton!

So how does it work?

The year 10 local small indie businesses are taking part and they'll each be bringing you great £5 deals. From coffees and cake, to gift, toys and clothing, it’s a chance for you to pick up a great deal and support your local businesses.

So why not pop into one of the participating businessses from 11th - 25th March and shop you high street?

Other participating businesses are:

Armadillo Toys, Rebel and Rose, Katie & May, The Perfumed Garden, House of Koko, George & Joseph, Hopscotch Shoes, The Little Bookshop, Wayward Wines