The historic market town of Skipton in North Yorkshire is blessed with a wide range of wonderful independent shops, owned by hard-working, friendly locals. One such independent shop, is the fabulous Out of The ORDinary in the town’s Victorian shopping arcade. Owned and run by Jane and Toria Ord, the shop stocks a vast and diverse catalogue of unique products made by local crafters.
As an experienced crafter herself, Jane Ord is all too familiar with the challenges faced by crafters when trying to make a living from their creative talents. Crafters often struggle to make a realistic profit from the goods that they have spent vast amounts of time and money creating. Overheads can be high and the final value of the product rarely takes into account the hours they spent perfecting their talent and ensuring the final piece meets initial creative idea. Many crafters rely on craft fairs to sell their products, but as Jane found after attending hundreds of the events with her own products, Little Boxes of Happiness, much of the stock is often taken home at the end of the day. Determined to create a way for local crafters to display their products long term, and not just intermittently at craft fairs, Jane and her team opened Out of the ORDinary in 2017.
At Out of the ORDinary, Yorkshire crafters are able to sell their products alongside those of other local crafters for a small fee monthly fee and a low percentage of the sales. The shop is open 7 days a week and this covers everything including bags, credit card sales, and advertising. This unique and generous co-operative model has been welcomed by over 50 Yorkshire crafters and the shop is now one of the most loved in Skipton.
Jane and Toria work closely with all their crafters to ensure maximum sales success and their priority is, and always has been, to aid crafters in making a living. Taking just enough to cover the cost of running their beloved treasure trove of goods, their ethos behind the business is clear. If a product isn’t selling in a particular part of the shop then they will move it elsewhere so that it is visible to the customers most likely to make a sale. Friendly and down to earth, Jane and Toria are always happy to educate their customers about the materials used and the ethos behind all the products they stock. Just ask them about the stunning selection of jewellery made from old mobile phone parts or enquire about the handmade goats’ milk soaps and shampoos made on a local farm. Heartwarmingly enthusiastic about each and every item, they work tirelessly to make sure that each crafter’s goods are displayed beautifully and have an equal chance of being purchased.
The diversity of beautifully crafted products in this pretty little shop is breathtaking. You’ll find everything from greetings cards and handmade jewellery to natural bath products, homemade jams and truly unique artwork and homewares. Stocked from floor to ceiling with a delightful array of treasures and adorned with quirky decorations and colouful displays, it’s an absolute dream for those with a creative flair and a wacky imagination. The most talked about, and by far their most vibrant feature is their Queen of Hearts model which has its top half displayed in the centre of their “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” top floor and its legs dangling from the ceiling below. On their quirky Alice in Wonderland inspired top floor, you’ll also find the famous White Rabbit and The Mad Hatter himself, both of whom inject a unique element of fun into the shopping experience. Mark your visit by trying on the Mad Hatter’s top hat and snapping a selfie for their Facebook page! Wacky, wonderful and incredibly inviting, Out of the ORDinary is a wonderful place to showcase your unique products and find something a little different for that Wedding, Birthday, Christening or Christmas gift.
With so much to see and so many interesting stories to discover, one can easily spend a good hour or more perusing the two floors of Yorkshire crafts. Next time you’re in Skipton, pop into Craven Court and head into this delightful little shop that has, and will continue, to help Yorkshire crafters turn their passion into a profitable business.
If you are a Yorkshire crafter and would like to discuss stocking your products at Out of the ORDinary, please email outoftheordinary@gmail.com
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