BUSINESS
inDEPENDENT BUSINESSES
HAVE A SEASONAL READ INTO THE INSPIRING STORIES OF THE KENTISH BUSINESSES WHO ARE BUSY SETTING UP FOR THE JOYOUS GIFTING SEASON .
M . ELIZABETH JEWELLERY melizabeth . co . uk melizabethjewellery
Talented founder Kerry Clayton started her jewellery career in 2019 from a hospital bed and now proudly runs two multi-award-winning jewellery brands , M . Elizabeth Jewellery and Trend Tonic Ltd . “ M . Elizabeth Jewellery is named after my grandma ,” Kerry says . “ She was dainty but strong as an ox and M . Elizabeth Jewellery takes these qualities and creates beautiful timeless pieces from high quality metals .” With Trend Tonic specialising in statement jewellery , M . Elizabeth instead focuses on creating classic and sentimental jewellery that will remain timelessly stylish . From initial necklaces and birthstone pieces to permanent bracelets , Kerry uses her skills to create replicas of vintage pieces owned by family to create modern equivalents made from waterproof and hard-wearing metals such as stainless steel , each coming with a lifetime guarantee against colour fading . When asked what advice she would give to any budding small businesses , Kerry shared her invaluable insight : “ Familiarise yourself with your ideal customer first ; it ’ s easy to make a product , but to sell it is the hard part ! Find out what your customer needs and what you can do to help , and that ’ s your superpower !”
CHAOS CARDS chaoscards . co . uk chaoscards
A family business at its core , Chaos Cards was set up by Tony and his brother , Tim Skinner , ( later joined by partner Liz Flynn ) out of Tony ’ s frustration at not being able to find single collectors ’ cards online . Fast-forward 13 years and Chaos Cards has grown to become one of the UK ’ s leading independent retailers for board games , trading cards and hobby items . Now joined by a passionate team and stretching across various venues across Folkestone for online orders , content creation and the biggest gaming shop in Kent within the town centre , it is clear that the hardwork has paid off . Chaos Cards sells a wide range of stock including board games , hobby games , fun collectables and accessories , and additionally , they proudly showcase their retail space as a welcoming hotspot for the local community for events , hiring and gaming sessions . “ We work hard to make the space as accessible and inclusive as possible so we have a really amazing community that spends time there on a regular basis ,” says Liz . “ We also run Pokemon craft workshops during the school holidays , which are always a sellout , and we try to be active in our local community by getting involved in events like the Folkestone Living Advent Calendar .”
BOX PAPER SCISSORS boxpaperscissors . co . uk box . paper . scissors
In June of 2019 , Emily Wood passionately set up Box Paper Scissors , a beautiful stationery and gift-wrapping business , with her first ever stall at a local farmers ’ market at King John ’ s Nursery in Etchingham . Since then , Emily has grown leaps and bounds , and has joined a whole wealth of incredible events across Kent and East Sussex to showcase her carefully-curated collection inspired by vintage creations and stylish sustainability . “ I grew up in a household where gift wrapping was a huge part of Christmas . Every year , my mum would pick a theme , presents would be beautifully wrapped with sweets or little treats as present toppers and everything would be saved to be reused ,” says Emily . “ We all have drawers full of gift wrapping in our family . To me how a gift is wrapped is as important as what the gift is .” Looking forward to the future , Emily is passionate about starting to print her own creations , build a subscription box , hold more wrapping classes and even introduce a mobile shop - watch this space ! www . insidekent . co . uk • 211