Publisher looks back over two decades in business thanks to long holiday and a prince
A prince and a year’s holiday are two of the things that have led to two decades of greeting card loveliness from Laura Darrington Design, which will be celebrating its milestone at the imminent Autumn Fair.
For the publisher wouldn’t be in business without a Prince’s Trust loan – and it was her 12 months of travelling that gave Laura time to think about how to turn her university sideline into full-time employment.
Read on to find out from Laura herself how she has grown the Leicestershire business from handmade cards while studying for a degree in textiles into her 20-year and counting career in greeting card design and publishing, which she’ll be celebrating at Autumn Fair from September 1-4 at Birmingham’s NEC, on stand C11 in Hall 6.
“Graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2004, it was clear that finding work in a creative environment was going to be tricky – after what seemed liked endless interviews and knock-backs from creative roles I didn’t exactly want, I did what most bewildered 20-somethings did at the time and decided to go travelling.
“And it was this year away from the UK that forged in me an even greater desire to put my degree to good use.
“On my return I threw myself into cobbling together the best business plan I could and, happily, I was successful in gaining a Prince’s Trust Small Business Loan – thank you Charlie, long live the King!
“The handmade cards I produced to sit alongside the various textile pieces I created for my degree show were seemingly popular, and my style of embroidering directly on to card along with my predominantly floral style inadvertently became my signature look.
“With my Prince’s Trust loan burning a hole in my pocket, my first trade show was booked, new designs were created, and the wooden display stand precariously strapped to the roof-rack of my 1998 Vauxhall Corsa began to be worth its weight in gold.
“A small flurry of orders came in and, with the help of a collection of newly-recruited agents, the realisation of what it took to run, grow and sustain a small business started to really hit home.
“Long days, late nights, limitless cups of cold tea, Spray Mount bulk buys, constantly running out of printer ink, boxes of card taking up various corners of the house and being on first-name terms with every staff member in the local post office was now the norm.
“My stock room was the pallet in the front room, and my creative work-space was my converted loft room that definitely did not meet any necessary building regulations in my first little rented terrace house.
“Modest success among the UK independents meant additional trade shows were able to be afforded, leading to a 2008 Young Designer Of The Year Henries nomination – and surprise win! – which was a wonderful bonus to what was becoming a very busy schedule.
“Happily, what followed was a steep trajectory as both the orders and small independent customers piled up, and the tough decision to outsource my printing and warehousing started to make sound financial sense.
“It also meant the pallet in the lounge could go, seeing the business had moved out of the loft and into my first proper rented office in the next village.
“With the new office space came my first staff members, some of whom who are still with me to this day and, as I gained a solid understanding of the UK greeting card market, international stockists and distributors got in touch seeing Laura Darrington Design go global.
“Google Translate became an invaluable tool in thrashing out overseas business deals, backed up by the very buoyant UK trade shows that existed back then, seeing our name start to resonate further and wider than I could ever imagine.
“Who knew there was an Estonian greeting card market? Not I, reader, not I, until I was asked to supply stores there!
“More Henries awards successes followed – and we were a finalist for Best Christmas Box Or Pack last year and we’re up for Best Male Range for 2024 – seeing us add long-standing key UK accounts to our ever-growing portfolio.
“This exposure enabled us to expand on the signature floral design we were known for, and we started to evolve into a more luxury, contemporary brand that not only offered folded bits of card but stationery and giftware too.
“In 2013 the business took a slight dip as I took delivery of one of my best designs in the form of Luca, my son with my partner Ross Harrison.
“Trade shows, docu plans and the price of envelopes were all replaced in the pecking order with Jump-a-roos, Tommy Tippee cups and Paw Patrol – so much Paw Patrol!
“As with most new parents, the need for more personal space was very apparent. And, very much like an episode of Grand Designs, we left the sanctuary of a newly-refurbished, damp-free house to buy a renovation project out in the countryside that barely had a roof.
“On to 2017, when baby no2 arrived in the shape of our daughter Heidi, and the Jump-er-roo and Tommy Tippee cups were retrieved from the loft, as well as seeing a sharp rise in the share price of Calpol.
“A year later I dragged the long-suffering Ross into the business. After a 15-year career in sports development, the lure of biodegradable cello bags, Kard Klasps and brokerage models was just too much to resist.
“There are many publishers in the industry who take the decision to join forces with their loved one and, while there are always good days and bad days, as long as Ross realises it’s my name on the back of every card we sell and not his, everything is just great.
“Though it was this invaluable emotional support that gave me the platform to really move the business on, 2018 saw us upgrade to a bigger and brighter office alongside the launch of our new website, and more staff were recruited to keep up with demand.
“The hit of Covid19, and the slow demise of the UK High Street found us and everyone in the greeting card industry as well as the wider world, facing unforeseen challenges, but we worked hard to gain a more diverse client database.
“New online trade platforms, as well as a huge surge in licensing saw us able to gain some much-needed stability in an otherwise unpredictable global giftware market.
“The trade show stands strapped to the Vauxhall Corsa roof rack might be distant memory but it was these humble beginnings that makes us feel able to celebrate the successes even more.
“Now in the present day has collaborations with freelance designers allow Laura Darrington Design to offer a far wider collection of designs, bringing with it exciting new customers and brilliant stockists.
“A huge thank you to every supplier, stockist, customer, and client, as well as life-long friends, for the last 20 years.”
Laura x
