Oh Sew Sweet
Lorrayne and John Hall set up Oh Sew Sweet Shop in Barnsley with the aim of teaching people traditional material and craft skills and to help preserve sewing and craft hobbies.
Oh Sew Sweet has 2 branches within Barnsley, one with a café for the general public. Lorrayne and John have also launched an ecommerce store, which sells crafting related products all over the world. Lorrayne highlights, “My business idea crystalised when I went to see my mother-in-law in France and she was going to a craft class so I went along with her. There were all these ladies quilting and my mother-in-law showed me how to do it. I’ve made five quilts since then!”
Oh Sew Sweet aims to bring together all members of the community to encourage them to learn or improve their craft making skills. This includes craft workshops that teach traditional hobbies such as papier-mache, patchwork and braiding rags.
Lorrayne approached Enterprising Barnsley looking for support with the set up of their new venture as they were keen to learn the required skills for setting up and running a successful business. Support included mentoring and workshops covering marketing, stock flow and cash management. Enterprising Barnsley also helped to identify suitable funding options that could be used to help finance Oh Sew Sweet. Finally, Enterprising Barnsley helped Lorrayne and John launch their ecommerce website which now has a global customer base.
With the support of Enterprising Barnsley, Oh Sew Sweet has become a successful business that employs local people and has significant expansion plans for the years ahead.
Sarah Valentine-Bull from Enterprising Barnsley said: “Lorrayne is just the type of would-be entrepreneur we can help; someone who wants to be their own boss and whose business may well expand in the future to create more jobs.”