YOUR ONLINE RETAILER
Name: Alison Sharpe. Name of business: Cup + Cloth. What do you do?: Cup + Cloth is a Macclesfieldbased homeware and lifestyle on-line store bringing together a select collection of designers and makers and their products. Items we sell have been carefully chosen for their honest qualities, craftsmanship and cohesive aesthetics. We stand at Treacle Market and other Designer Maker markets in the region providing a constant evolving range of goods as an antidote to the mass produced. Wherever possible we support Northern home-grown talent and bring you the finest of products, from handthrown ceramics to handmade leather bags and accessories. Treacle Market has been a great experience. I also stand at the Made Here markets in Manchester and took part in the Winter Gathering event in December at the London Road fire station. What prompted you to start your own business?: I recognised a serious gap in the interiors market, after Manchester lost Habitat and Heals a few years ago, we lost the ‘go to’ shops that offered interior accessories and interesting gifts. I didn’t want to risk opening a bricks and mortar shop with the struggling high street situation so launching an online store with a local element was a perfect solution. What did you do before this?: I had a clothes design business in Manchester, in the Royal Exchange. Unfortunately the shop was a victim of the IRA bomb and the business closed. Shortly after I studied at Manchester School of Art for a Textile degree, I now also work as a designer at Adamley Textiles in Langley. What do you think sets your products apart from the rest?: We have grouped our goods into three categories with emphasis on where our goods originate from. Made: UK designed and manufactured products by independents close to home, including a short bio of each creator so customers can meet the makers. Sourced: Products found globally by designers and makers, these craftsmen make great things, unique, honest and all handmade. Found: Objects have been collected over time, eclectic items from a past life. They all share great qualities, be it beauty, practicality or collectability, all worthy of a second chance. What do you enjoy the most about doing this?: Interiors have been my passion forever so visiting craft events such as New Designers in London and The Great Northern Contemporary Craft show in Manchester is a joy. How long have you been in the business?: We launched the store in May this year. What’s the best thing about Macclesfield?: The great countryside surrounding us, perfect for walking our dog Sonny Jim. Macclesfield’s creative arts scene is going from strength-tostrength, we have some wonderful people who have initiated this movement, including Barnaby, Treacle and the recent Jimmy Caulty’s ADP Riot container. These events make me proud to be from Macc. Where is your favourite place in Macclesfield?: Cinemac and the Treacle market. If you could choose anyone, who would be your dream client/ customer and why?: Michelle Ogundehin, editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration, a women passionate about designers and protecting their work from the fake makers. She set up the Equal Rights for Design campaign and took it through Parliament. She champions new designers and up-and-coming stores. Cup + Cloth was featured in the magazine’s ‘The Best 23 Online Homeware Stores’ feature last month, so I’d like to meet her face-to-face to say a big thanks for the credit!