What a wonderful Spring weekend we had at Deepdale's Spring market, full of lots other Norfolk companies. It was fantastic to catch up with other stall holders and meet lots of customers too!  Deepdale market always handpicks local companies and designers from Norfolk- it is a fantastic fair for local producers and the support is always great.  We had brilliant weather too, much better than the storms we had last year, so all in all it was a wonderful weekend. Our next event is the East Anglian Game and Country at Euston Park on April the 22nd and 23rd, so please pop along to that if you can...we will be launching a very exciting NEW collection- watch this space! 

We are really excited to introduce Sheila who owns the gorgeous gift shop The Hairy Coo in Newtonmoore in Scotland, which has just started stocking IzziRainey products. 

Please tell us a bit about The Hairy Coo..
The Hairy Coo Shop is a small gift shop based in the Scottish Highlands. Although its small I think its perfectly formed!!!  We have a lot of international visitors stopping so I try to have a mix of products to suit everyone - and in a small shop that is quite a challenge!

Where did the idea come from to start The Hairy Coo? As you can tell we love Highland cows, so we just LOVE the name. 
I also own a craft company called Hairy Coo which makes a range of keyrings, magnets and brooches which are all hand-wrapped by my “Coo Girls” in specially dyed wool.  So when I decided to open a shop as well the name ws obvious!

It is just fantastic! Had you always dreamt of opening your own shop?
No never! and sometimes I wonder why!!!!

You seem to stock a lot of products that have Highland cows on- do you have anything which isn't Highland themed? 
Not all my stock is highland cow themed although I seem to have gone a bit crazy this year!  I have experimented over the last 5 years in bringing in other animals to the fold but the Highland Cow outsells everything else - even the Stag which I was surprised about.  People just love them!

We find our Highland print is so popular so not surprised it sells so well for you! As you know all of our products are designed by Izzi and manufactured in the UK, is this something you feel passionate about? Do you stock a lot of other British and Scottish designer makers?
I do feel its really important to buy British - and I try as much as possible to buy Scottish as well but that can prove difficult sometimes.  Although i do get disheartened when people don’t want to pay a premium for goods make in the UK and compare them to the bulk mass produced in China.

We agree!! If it possible to, do you like to stock local artists in your shop?
I would love to but simply don’t have the room.

You have lots of fantastic products, where do you tend to source the majority of your products from?
I source most of my products from the Scottish Trade Show and from local craft makers etc contacting me direct.

What first drew your attention to IzziRainey products? 
I saw your products at Top Drawer and as you had a Highland Cow in your range it was a no-brainer.

Makes sense really! Thank you so much Sheila for joining us. Everyone take a look at The Hairy Coo's website or pop in if your ever nearby. 
http://www.thehairycooshop.com

We are so excited to launch our new collection, the 'IzziRainey Loves Kali Yoga' mat bag. We have worked closely with Norfolk based yoga guru Emily Moll, who owns Kali Yoga to create  3 eye catching mat bags to represent her fun and innovative yoga company. Kali Yoga has been running for just over a year. Emily runs a variety of different classes on the North Norfolk coast; including her innovative outdoor events held in historical Norfolk ruins at the turn of seasons and in the Summer months. Emily has her Spring Equinox coming up where she will be officially launching the mat bags. 

Izzi has designed prints that have been influenced by three popular motifs associated with Yoga; the Moon, Lotus and the goddess Kali. Izzi has designed three contemporary and bold prints with the characteristic hand stamped quality that just look fantastic on our handmade mat bags. 

It has been brilliant working on a project that is so different to anything we have done before, but we have still been able to put our stamp on it. Working and championing Norfolk business’ is something we feel really passionate about so it has been fantastic working with Kali Yoga, to create a stylish and versatile bag that we all love. 

Emily has also just started a new blog called 'Kali Kitchen' where she posts lots of delicious recipes, which are healthy too- it is fantastic! Take a look...https://kaliyoga.org.uk/blog/

Our bags are now available to buy...http://www.izzirainey.com/store/c62/Yoga_Mat_Bags_.html and don't forget to check out Emily's website too for lots of Yoga fun; https://kaliyoga.org.uk

We are really looking forward to the wonderful Deepdale Spring Market next weekend, from Friday the 24th of March until Sunday the 26th. We took part in this event last year, but it is going to be a bit different this year as the market is part of Deepdale's Hygge. There is going to be live music, story telling, walks, star gazing and a group BBQ, we think it sounds fantastic. 

As well as all this, there is over 50 Norfolk artisan makers and designers who will be there for the entire weekend. We are really looking forward to going back and taking part.  We can't wait to see some old friends like, Candis Chutneys with her delicious range of handmade chutneys made from local and seasonal produce and So Sweet with their handmade chocolate and fudge, plus lots of other amazing local companies. We will be there with all of our products, including our fantastic new range of oil cloth wash bags! We will also be there with our new and exciting collaboration, watch this space! Make sure you pop along to this wonderful event between the 24th and 26th of March, we would love to see you! 
​http://www.dalegatemarket.co.uk/spring-market/

We are really excited to introduce Alison who owns the gorgeous Osozoki Gallery in Holt, Norfolk where we have been stocking our IzziRainey greetings cards for nearly a year now. 

Please tell us a bit about Osokozi...
At The Osokozi Gallery we sell quality greetings cards, silver and ethnic jewellery alongside scarves, pottery, glass and gifts.
 
Where did the idea come from to start Osokozi?
We started the shop 25 years ago, having run a tea room on the same premises for two years. We moved from Hertfordshire into “Osokozi” (the property has been called this since the 1930’s) but in 1992 decided to change to The Osokozi Gallery and start up the card and jewellery shop.
 
 WOW, Osokozi has been open for over 25 years now, that is amazing.  What’s the secret? 
Our aim was to stock the best cards and source beautiful but affordable jewellery for a wide range of different customers. We always aim to please our customers and have a shop full of gorgeous products, so I suppose that is our secret. 
 
As you know all of our products are designed by Izzi and manufactured in the UK, is this something you feel passionate about? Do you stock a lot of other British designer makers?
Nearly all of our card companies are British and print in the UK. Our jewellery companies are mostly British, with some making in the UK and others having production abroad. We do also have an interest in ethnic jewellery and artefacts.
 
That is great to hear that so many of your producers are UK based. If it possible to, do you like to stock local artists in your shop?
We do like to stock local artists and to encourage and give new producers a chance to get retail exposure.
 
We agree, it is great to promote local designers. You have lots of wonderful fantastic cards and jewellery in store, where do you tend to source your products from?
Many producers come to us to show their designs but we also attend trade fairs to get new ideas.
We are always looking for new designs and can rely on many of our longstanding suppliers to come up with these regularly.
 
What first drew your attention to IzziRainey cards? 
We first stocked Izzi Rainey after they came to our shop to show us their card designs. We are pleased to be able to retail and promote a young, local talented company.

Thank you so much for joining us. If you are ever near Holt you should definitely pop into The Osokozi Gallery and see their gorgeous range of products. ​http://osokozi.co.uk.