Design 44 at Trentham Shopping Village is one of the best pop-up shops around. Pop-up shops supporting small businesses and showcasing their hand-made products are becoming increasingly popular. The ability to find new and unique products carefully handmade and created by independent and local makers is now more accessible than ever, with makers now taking part in displaying their products in these stores, giving them the opportunity for visibility and promotion within mainstream retailers.
With a range of makers and their products based at Design 44, the Pedddle team made a visit to the store located within the Trentham Gardens Shopping Village in Staffordshire. The store’s speciality is the very best in handmade gifts, with the running themes of Scandinavian and Eco lifestyles. Pedddle was created to support artisans, creative businesses and the independent brands that make up the backbone of the British economy, so we love the ethos of the pop-up shop, bring together lots of local stallholders and businesses in a beautiful setting.
Read on to learn all about our visit and hear from some of the talented small business owners that are stocked there!
The History of Design 44
Design 44 first opened in 2013 by Jade Devall and has become one of the best lifestyle and gift shops of its kind in the area, striving to support small businesses with a retail platform to expand and sell their products alongside a range of local makers and British brands.
Design 44 has a strong focus on being eco-friendly and supporting small businesses and independent designers. The Store also holds an Eco station with a zero waste refill area. Jade sources in-demand design-led gifts and interiors from British, Danish and Dutch inspired designers.
What kind of stallholders can I find there?
Pedddle stallholders including Precious Clay Studio, Nicola Briggs Ceramics & Rhubarb Tree are just some of the many fabulous makers who stock their creations at Design 44.
We had a chat to the makers who’s products are stocked at Design 44 to find out about their experiences of being a part of Design 44.
“It’s fantastic to be a part of Design 44. As a small business, being given the opportunity to sell my jewellery in a large retail environment mean everything. The Trentham Shopping Village store is beautifully stocked with an amazing array of home and gift items from independent businesses. It is a great community of like minded people to be involved in. Customers are still very much conscious of shopping small and shopping local, the Design 44 stores are a perfect place to do this” says Claire of Precious Clay Studio.
The Pedddle team recently spent time wandering the store, taking in all the amazing products, gifts, home-ware, beauty and so much more. It was a great experience seeing all of the hand-made creations that we had usually seen online, on Instagram and at market-stalls all beautifully displayed in-store – it was pretty evident that a lot of time, effort and detail had gone into the displays and arranging the products in such a way that just about everything caught our eye! It’s difficult not to spend hours in there browsing what’s on offer and appreciating the fact that each product in the shop was lovingly hand-made by dedicated and talented individuals.
“I’m delighted to be a part of the Design 44 store in Trentham Shopping Village. Jade and her team work tirelessly to promote and support the small businesses, featuring stockist of the week and showcasing new products from the makers creating valuable brand awareness and a wider audience for each business. Everything from the shop fittings and displays right through to their marketing and website, are beautiful and thoughtfully designed. I’m also stocked in their two other stores in Derby and Stratford-upon-Avon. I’m proud that my pieces sit alongside such a wide variation of work from so many selected talented makers in a beautiful curated setting” said Nicola of Nicola Briggs Ceramics.
There are so many local stallholders to discover at the Trentham shopping village, we highly recommend that you take a visit! Trentham Gardens itself is a beautiful place to visit, and with lots of varied shops, food outlets and activities, it’s easy for anyone to spend a full day out there.
You can enjoy gift shopping whilst supporting local, independent businesses and maybe even find some unique and beautiful treats for yourself – what’s not to love?!