Thu, 26/10/2023 - 11:04
Abbie Rose Prints was established during the Covid 19 lockdown with only £100 which was a gift from my nan. It was launched whilst completing my final year of my degree in education. I always had a passion for art, and spent all of my free time in the art rooms when I was at school. I had undertaken a placement during my final year and realised I didn’t want to go into the field of work my degree was going to push me towards. I panicked slightly about what I was going to do. I gifted my Mum a print I had designed for Christmas, which was when a few people had told me they would buy a similar product as a gift. I used the £100 my Nan had given me for Christmas that year to go out and buy a printer and some high quality materials. Since the start of the business, it has grown dramatically achieving sales of 10,000 items in the first year through the selling website Etsy. I now have over 20,000 sales.
My business now revolves around creating personalised gifts for all occasions. I design, produce and supply personalised gifts to people all over the world. When purchasing from Abbie Rose Prints, customers receive a beautifully designed product that is unique to them or the person they are purchasing the gift for. Every order is made and packaged with meticulous care. My work is created using processes such as sublimation, high quality printing and a lot of careful attention to detail! It honestly depends what I am creating as to how long it would take me. Some pieces take 5 minutes, but others (including custom requests) take longer.
During school I worked at a local Chinese take away which gave me skills in customer service and cash handling. I had to deal with some challenging situations in person and over the telephone. In addition, I completed The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award and also took part in the National Citizen Scheme where I project managed the fund raising task. Our team raised money to make up 100 boxes for homeless people in the city of Derby. In my final year of university, I volunteered for 6 weeks at a school in Thailand, teaching Thai and Burmese children English. I also spent some time at the Thai Navy Base which rescues injured sea turtles. This charity work has helped me within my business, as I now have a platform to be able to give back. I always do something each year for a charity with my business. Last year I created personalised Christmas boxes for 100 elderly patients at the Royal Derby Hospital.
At the moment, I am getting settled in my new work studio. It's certainly different from working from a bedroom! Christmas is always manic for me, so making sure I am prepared for that is the main priority for me in the upcoming months. Banks Mill also offers the kind of support that will help me grow my business. The main thing which I am really looking forward to is being part of the Banks Mill Community. Working from a bedroom for the past 2 and a half years really does get lonely, so I am excited to meet other creatives, and have a space to work from so that I am more motivated to get going each day!
My plan now is to bring out new products but most importantly use the services and advice Banks Mill offers to get a website up and running so I can sell independently as well as selling via Etsy. I am really excited to begin this new chapter in my business journey. Thank you to Banks Mill for this opportunity.
visit Abbie Rose's shop on etsy to view her full range of products.