Goodbye to 2024!

2024 has been a busy year for TheCluttery. From gaining stockists, to trying different markets and launching lots of new designs, I feel like I’ve barely stopped. Read on for a rundown of my top developments this year.

1. I gained 5 new stockists!

I started the year with five stockists under my belt - two in Birmingham, two in Worcestershire and one in Wales. One of my goals for 2024 was to increase this number and in fact, I doubled it! My first new addition was Crafty Happenings back in March. It’s a small but well-stocked craft gallery in Wolverhampton showcasing around 45 UK makers. During the summer I added Nook in Birmingham (shop, studios and workshop space highlighting the region’s best artists and makers) and Abbey Galleries in Tewkesbury (a more traditional gallery stocking paintings, ceramics and jewellery, but with an eye for colour and interesting techniques). Well, by this point I was very happy with my 8 stockists spread across five counties, but then in November I saw that Nerdy Shrewsbury (a gaming cafe) were looking for geek-themed products for their new shop space. I sent them a message and a week later I set up my little shelf space with lots of retro earrings and pins. I’m particularly pleased with this location as I was sad to lose the fabulous Bad Kitty in 2023, and Nerdy’s customer base is very similar. Around the same time a customer recommended I reach out to Dot in Hereford, another amazing craft gallery focusing on UK makers, bringing my total to ten stockists in seven counties. Goal achieved!

My First Gazebo

AITP was a plunge for me - the largest space I’ve had to myself yet.

2. I had a gazebo at Art in the Park festival.

I try to challenge myself with at least one multi-day event each year. Over recent years I’ve had a pop-up in John Lewis, a stand at an NEC craft-con, and two huts at Birmingham’s Cathedral Market, all of which were winter events. This year my big event was Art In The Park in Leamington Spa. This free outdoor arts festival takes place each August, with music, theatre, dance, arts workshops and a huge arts market all set in the town’s beautiful parks. I have been as a visitor a few times, but only this year did I feel experienced enough to apply. I decided to rent one of their gazebos, rather than a table in one of the artists’ marquees, and I’m glad I did since I had three times the space to display my full range. It was a decent weekend for sales, despite the patchy wifi and general downturn in spending this year, and I learned a lot. If I apply again next year I will most likely buy my own gazebo and take a more comfortable chair with me though!

3. I launched lots of new designs.

This year I produced 15 new designs (eight of these in one 3-day period) plus lots of new colour options for various designs like the Gingko, Princess and Hippie drops. I’m pleased with all the new pieces I launched this year - they include some styles, themes and techniques I’ve been wanting to try for a while, like the mid-century florals in hand painted wood. You should know by now that I send my designs for cutting by another sole trader. Well, in the spring my cutter, Abbie, announced she would be on maternity leave for the foreseeable future from August. This meant not only ordering plenty of stock to cover the rest of the year (and possibly into 2025), but also finalising any new designs I’d been considering. Over the course of a few months I placed various orders for extra stock and new work, before having a sudden flash of focus in June. I spent three solid days hand-drawing eight new designs and sent them to Abbie. I was a woman possessed! My design process is a funny one - I can go weeks, months even, without a new idea and then suddenly I’ll have a surge of productivity like I did in June.

4. I led some workshops.

Early in the year I led some jewellery making workshops in Stirchley, Birmingham. Two workshops were relatively straightforward lessons in putting together a Rosa bib necklace, helping the students to create their own statement pieces (and probably demonstrating that it’s not as easy as it may look). The third workshop was my favourite however, because it was about exploring materials to make unique jewellery from found objects and everyday craft materials. We used paper, printed cardboard, feathers, metal strips, beads, faux leather, paint, buttons and laser cut shapes in acrylic and wood to create ‘collaged jewellery’ and it was so much fun! Ultimately though the timing and location weren’t right for me, but I enjoyed the experience of teaching and am looking for a suitable space to run more workshops in the future.

5. I chose my markets carefully.

In the eight years I’ve been trading I have been to a lot of markets in a lot of locations. The worst were badly promoted, or coincided with freak weather, or were just in odd locations with no footfall. The best were promoted widely, in a high-traffic location, with an engaged audience willing to spend money. Unfortunately the only way for a maker to determine which markets work for them is to try lots of markets! This year I thought hard about which markets to attend as I only have so many free weekends and they take a lot of preparation, energy and time. I chose markets I had attended before and with success as this meant my type of customer was more likely to also be in attendance. All the markets were in Birmingham, apart from Art In The Park at Leamington Spa. I was at Harborne Handmade and JQ Artisan once each, Midland Arts Centre twice, Kings Heath Artisan four times, and Bournville Artisan five times. Two outdoor events In December were cancelled for Storm Darragh, which meant I missed out on a good chunk of income that simply wasn’t made up with online sales, but obviously for the best given how windy it was. In total I managed 15 days of arts markets in 2024, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but certainly felt like it! I don’t know what my market calendar for next year will be yet. I would like to do a few more indoor markets and I may try to leave Birmingham a few more times!

Goodbye 2024! I don’t know what next year has in store for TheCluttery, but if I’m able to gain another stockist, try a new market and challenge myself as a designer, I’ll count it as a success.