I share this Forbes article today, as I am exceptionally proud that Andrew Busby featured our Curated Makers Made Local Pop-Ups late last year, shining a light on Curated Makers, our community and the difference that we make to the future of the high street.
To read the full article, click here.
As quoted in Forbes of Curated Makers, by Andrew Busby
"Think of them as a kind of matchmaker for the high street, bringing established retailers and small local businesses together through the medium of pop-ups.
Of course, the concept of the artisan and arts and crafts is nothing new, what makes it different however is that this is bringing two familiar entities together in an unfamiliar setting: the high street.
When the popular high street narrative paints a very grim picture, it is refreshing to hear of people bringing life and vibrancy to it in imaginative ways. And for that alone, Curated Makers is to be applauded."
Change is happening on our high-streets, we all knew this was happening, but the pandemic has accelerated this change at an unprecedented rate. I cannot escape from commenting on the sadness that store closures bring, mainly because of the job losses occurred due to them, this is hard hitting for so many people and I really do feel for those affected. I've known this was coming, it's likely you did too. This is why I started Curated Makers...to bring vibrancy to our high-streets, to collaborate with our legacy retailers that still have a huge presence and are open-minded to collaborating with indie businesses like Curated Makers and the hundreds of creatives that we represent, to make a difference to people's lives through many ways; makers having an opportunity to sell their wares, customers being able to support small and their local communities by shopping at a time that is convenient to them when already in shopping mode and seeking those unique finds and for retailers to host a genuine and authentic local offering of small batch products to customers. The shops that remain, will be better. Those retailers that pull through, will provide an experience valid of customers making the effort to visit and to shop. This is an opportunity for our high-streets to thrive, with more indies than we've seen before in such spaces. I'm not ignorant to online, it exists and will continue to excel, yes, my background is in digital marketing and I really am bucking the trend here by championing the high-street so obviously!! I am passionate and proudly put my neck on the line to say that high-street retail is not dead...it's a chance for those that deserve to shine, to shine brighter! Speak soon, Megan x
