10 Years in La Creuse
An entire decade in La Creuse already! What a journey it has been so far. I am very thankful to all my clients, event organisers, and fellow artisans who have helped me and continue to support my business.
I have been reflecting on all the changes my business has experienced since I relocated to France from the UK, and how my creativity has been sparked by living in the French countryside.
Milestones
While I was reviewing the business data for the last decade, I discovered some surprising facts and milestones about my time here.
450 Customers served
700 Products sold
140 Events
20 Locations visited
3,224 Km travelled
Locations and Events Served
I have travelled over 3,000 km with my pop-up boutique, which covered twenty of the main towns and villages in the La Creuse, but there are still a few I have yet to visit, which are on my wishlist for the future.
I especially enjoy taking my products to smaller communities, where some inhabitants rely on these events to buy gifts, as they may not have the means to travel outside of the commune. Public transport is quite limited in some rural areas, so it’s always a pleasure to give an exclusive shopping opportunity to those who may be isolated.
Ahun Bussiere Dunoise Pionnat Ajain Chambon sur Voueize Saint Dizier les Domaines Aubusson Chenerailles Saint Domet Benevent L’Abbaye Cressat Saint Feyre Bourganeuf Gouzon Saint Sulpice le Gueretois Boussac Gueret Soumans Boussac Bourg Jarnages
Map of locations
Events attended
My little gazebo has seen all types of weather, from super hot heatwaves of 39 degrees to snow and hail, but it’s my home-from-home when I’m attending all manner of events, including specialist artisan markets and Christmas markets.
I was also an exhibitor in the creators’ boutique in La Chatre in 2019.
Popular products
My bestselling products are, of course, jewellery. I have sold approximately 400 pieces in total, with earrings and bracelets being the most popular, followed by necklaces.
The knitted accessories collection is also a top category, featuring some practical items such as scarves and gloves, as well as products such as my new collection of knitted scrunchies, which have been well received by customers so far this summer. (These will be coming to the online shop soon, so if you haven’t already signed up for the newsletter , I highly recommend that you do, so that you find out when these are available as soon as they go live.)
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges to my business was the Covid-19 pandemic, which restricted movement to only essential travel and closed markets. Many Christmas markets in 2020 were cancelled, especially indoor events that had limited space. In 2022, after three lockdowns, homeschooling, and curfews, we finally began to return to normal life.
Product development
I thrive on perfecting and combining techniques to create new collections, the knitted jewellery collection being the most recent.
I have combined pyrography with jewellery, created a fun earring collection in Polymer Clay and introduced some zero-waste products.
I have some exciting new ideas which are currently under wraps, although it’s so hard to keep these things a secret.
What do you think?
Is there something missing from my collections that you would like to see more of? Did I discontinue something which you particularly liked and would like to have reinstated?
Let me know, I’m open to your ideas, join in the conversation in the comments below.
à bientôt
Natalie
Related
English