Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2011 | Page 143
island business
Island Life - April/May 2011
More suppliers
adding to the
Made on the
Isle of Wight
talent show
When the Made on the Isle of Wight
shop opened its doors last November
it was carrying stock from 90 local
suppliers; six months on, the number
has grown to 140. “We knew there
was a lot of talent on the Island,” says
the founder of the company, Robin
Courage. “But I must admit we have
been surprised by just how much
industry and creativity we have tapped
into. The majority of the products now
being offered to us are of a very high
standard.”
The shop, on Bullen Road just outside
Ryde, continues to showcase the
spectrum of Island talent, selling fresh
food, including vegetables, meat,
dairy and bakery products, pickles
and preserves and a wide variety
of hand-made items among them
cosmetics, candles, wood-work, textiles,
ceramics, jewellery and paintings. It
is a point of principle that the shop
will accept well-made pieces by people
just starting out as well as the work of
established professionals such as Mark
Konig and the IOW Natural Candle
Company. ”You could say that we are
a cross between a farm shop and a gift
shop but the important thing is that
absolutely everything is Island grown or
made – nothing has travelled more than
21.5 miles to reach us,” says Courage.
“In terms of our customers, we have
found we appeal both to local people
looking for an individual, original
present, and to visitors who want a
souvenir from their holiday here,” he
continues. “And our stock is so varied
that, whether your budget is £5 or
£500, you should find something you
like and can afford.”
Three months after the real shop
opened its doors, the online shop
was launched carrying around 500
different items. “Our aim has always
been to promote goods made on
the Island further afield, and this is
just the start of it,” says Courage,
who ran an international marketing
company until his retirement last year.
“I firmly believe that there is strength
in numbers and that by collecting all
the top quality producers under one
banner or brand you can promote them
more effectively. Logic dictates that
Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com
by benefiting as a group our suppliers
will benefit as individuals too. I hope
during this gloomy economic period,
that by promoting the Made on the
Isle of Wight brand we will be able
to spread some good news about
manufacturing on the Island.”
Later this year, Courage intends to
launch the Made on the Isle of Wight
‘road-show’ taking products to a
variety of shows on the mainland. In
the meantime, development continues
at the Bullen Road site. The shop sits
within the greenhouse formerly owned
by Bullen Mead retail nursery and using
wood recycled from that venture, an
extension has been built selling plants
grown on site by the Quirk family.
Utilizing the outside space further,
there are plans for a barbecue area
– selling local meat and salads – and
a play area which will also serve to
display bigger sculptural pieces.
“The number of positive comments
we receive about the work on show in
the shop makes me proud to live on the
Island,” says Courage.
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