INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTH
from nothing? “I’m just brave,” she laughs. “There have been so many times when I’ve felt my furniture isn’t good enough, that other people are more talented than I am and I don’t deserve to be trying to sell my things in a shop. But I’ve never let being scared stop me from doing anything. If I set my mind to something, I will achieve it.” Luckily, the shop was ready to move straight into for Sally and her colleagues. The building is a Grade II listed barn with an upstairs and a downstairs and, to begin with, she just took over the downstairs part, while the previous shopkeeper continued selling second hand children’s clothes and toys above. “That definitely helped,” explains Sally, “as she had been running the shop since 1986, and had an established business. People came in to see her, and I would make sure I spoke to everyone who came through the door and persuade them to look at my products, too. I also held a grand opening, and did lots of marketing to get things going.” Sally has now taken over the entire building for Homemade @ the Barn, and although some of the sellers that she started out with have moved on, she is now in the fortunate position of having a waiting list of people who want to sell their products in her shop. “If someone decides that selling in the shop is not for them, then I just call the next person on the list, so there’s never any panic about not having enough products for sale.” The barn currently has more than 40 unique sellers, offering a huge range of upcycled, vintage, retro and handmade goods, including furniture, jewellery, clothing and pressed- glass items. Sally also held a Christmas shopping evening last November, which was a huge
“For lots of our customers, it’s their happy place”
it’s their happy place; people just love to come and potter, looking at all the lovely things. It’s just a lovely place to be.” So, what does Sally think now, when she looks back at the impulsive decision to take on her own shop? “I’m just so glad I took a chance!” she laughs. “I know that Homemade @ the Barn is only a year young, but it has taken determination to get this far, and I did it. There’s no doubt in my mind now that it’s going to continue to be a huge success for me and all the people who sell their work here.” Homemade @ the Barn, Old North Road Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire SG8 5JL 07730 496225, homemadeatthebarn.co.uk
success. “In the end, I had to persuade someone to act as a car park attendant because it was so popular, there wasn’t enough parking for everyone,” she says. “I’d planned for about 50 people, but we got more than 200 visitors. It was just unbelievable, and we are going to do it again on 9 November – watch this space!” The great thing about Homemade @ the Barn is that it’s as much a community as a workplace. “Everyone who sells here is so supportive,” says Sally. “We have a WhatsApp group, and I know that if something comes up, I can always ask the others and someone will help me out. And I’ve noticed that, for lots of our customers,
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