An independent bespoke furniture and homeware business based in Acaster Malbis, near York, has been named among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday, the campaign that culminates in the UK’s dedicated day for small businesses on 3rd December.
Homeward Creative makes one-off bespoke pieces. The wood used is hundreds of years old, all reclaimed and recycled, and often from Yorkshire. Each piece the company makes is unique, and its rustic farmhouse style designs are heavily inspired by the traditional art of woodworking. The business, which is only two years old, will now be among the select number of businesses to be featured by the campaign one per day for the 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday itself.
Homeward Creative was born when founder Emma Bailey and her partner, Dave Parker, were living in London. Both were unhappy in their jobs and wanted a complete change of career. Woodworking was something that Dave had always had a passion for and the couple decided to bite the bullet and move back to York, their home, to launch the business. Since then, Homeward Creative has gone from strength to strength. Last year they moved into a large workshop and currently sell their furniture and homeware online and at markets.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Small Biz 100 this year,” says Emma. “Our business is only two years old but we have already seen that demand for our furniture is high. We're determined to grow from strength to strength so that one day we can realise our dream of opening a furniture showroom.”
Small Business Saturday is one of the UK's most successful small business campaigns. This is the fourth year of the campaign, which last year saw £623m spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, an increase of £119m or 24 per cent on the previous year. The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter on the day with more than 100,000 campaign-related tweets being sent. Over 75% of local councils supported the campaign, giving considerable national reach into local communities.
The campaign is a great nationwide promotional and marketing tool for small businesses. It is free to participate and any small businesses can get involved - from one-man-bands, through to a high growth office, and from tradesmen to social media gurus. In addition to the big day, the campaign also delivers help and advice alongside opportunities to connect with other small businesses. In short, Small Business Saturday exists to support, inspire and promote small businesses.
“The British public has a great affection for small businesses and we continue to see that grow year on year. Small Business Saturday is an exceptional example of collaboration and co-operation with small businesses teaming up in communities around the UK,” explains campaign director Michelle Ovens.
“Although the campaign focuses on one day, the goal is to have a lasting impact on small businesses by changing mind-sets, so that people make it their mission to support small businesses all year round. Most people in this country own a small business, work for a small business or know somebody who does, so supporting a small business on Small Business Saturday is absolutely personal.”
Small Business Saturday, which is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010 and it remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small. The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation. The campaign is also supported by PRS For Music, TalkTalk Business, Vistaprint, Post Office and Clear Channel.
