Independent Retailer Month: Q&A with owner of Tower Crafts family business

Name: Helen Ryles-Owen

Business: Tower Crafts, Holywell

Location: 11 Tower Gardens, Holywell

Telephone: 01352 712500

Opening hours: 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, 9am-3pm Saturday

When did you open and why?

We opened on September 3, 2016, which was the Well Inn Music Festival, with the main stage in Tower Gardens - the atmosphere was amazing.

Tower Crafts is a family-run business trying to establish a high street presence after several years trading online. We actually completed the purchase of the shop June 24, 2016 (the day after Brexit vote).

My children were all growing up and I wanted to return to work, but with the flexibility to fit around my family.

I opened in Holywell as it is my home town and it was the obvious choice, having lived and worked in various locations in the UK, this is the place we always return to.

My husband’s family had run shops in Holywell for many years, so it felt right to continue building our bricks and mortar business here.

We initially went to view the property to rent and ended up buying the building!

Tell us about your business/what do you sell?

We sell Welsh cultural gifts, Lovespoons ,Welsh clothing, slate crafts, wooden crafts, right and left handed stationery, office supplies, Stylecraft wool and yarn, English and Welsh greeting cards, Cardiau Cymraeg, cake boards and boxes, cake accessories, Gwynedd confectionary, cross stitch, buttons, ribbons, crochet and knitting accessories handmade bath bombs, handmade soap, party bag fillers, birthday candles and badges.

We stock the following crafters who are all based within 10 miles of Holywell - Beau Belles Hairbows, Sarah Towle Art, DVA Crafts, Little Red Hen, Eden Dye and Design, Ivy Bank Honey Bees, PCB Papercraft, Trelawynd Male Voice Choir, CTC, Cerynicrafts, Karen Hurst, Julie Ann Designs, Cardiau Ti a Fi.

We offer the following services too - photocopying, lamination, faxing, and have just added dry cleaning, having taken it over from Peter Hughes Shoe Shop who has recently retired.

We support the following charities throughout the year - British Legion Poppy Appeal, Down Syndrome Association and Ysgol Maes Hyfryd. We also support other charity events during the year and will always publicise and advertise any event within the Holywell locality.

What’s your most memorable/proudest moment in business?

One of our most memorable occasions was when Tower Crafts won a digital bursary from Square and we had the opportunity of attending Westminster as part of the presentation with our fellow bursary winners Roughcuts and River and Sea Sense.

It was an amazing day working with Square and fellow Holywell Businesses.

It was an amazing experience to be working not only as an individual independent business but as a part of the larger community.

In fairness we have had an amazing time setting the business up, with local support from our customers whom we now call friends, and fellow local independent retailers.

We have been fortunate that we have been recognised in the Wales in Bloom Best Town Planter, St David’s Day Window Dressing Competition, British Poppy Appeal Appreciation and Britain’s Best Shop Window Display.

Have you had any strange requests, quirky suggestions or stories from customers?

One of our most memorable customers have been a coach party from Patagonia who, I have to admit, I stood and listened in total awe of hearing fluent Welsh being spoke with a Spanish accent.