Sisters-in-law are now ‘doing it for themselves’

THREE relatives have taken the brave step of going it alone – after giving up their respective jobs to start their own business.

Abbie, Emily and Alison Hancock – who are all sisters-in-law – have launched handmade home and giftware company Timber Things, based in Trentham.

Using a laser cutter and engraving tools, the trio have created a range of unique and personalised wooden gifts for all occasions.

And they officially launched the company at The National Wedding Show in Manchester last weekend.

Thirty one-year-old Alison, of Leek, said: “I have some experience with laser cutting and CAD design because of the job I used to do, but it wasn’t until I created the place names for my own wedding that I got the idea that this is something we could do as a business.

“I spoke to Abbie and Emily about it and we decided to go for it.”

Former social worker Emily said: “It was a big step for me because I’d never done anything like this before, but I wanted a career change and thought it would be a good opportunity.”

Thirty-year-old Abbie, who used to work for National Grid, added: “It was the same for me, this is very different to anything I’ve ever done, so I had to start from scratch and learn how to use the laser cutter.”

Timber Things offers a range of handmade and vintage items for weddings, birthdays, christenings and other special occasions.

Products range from bespoke signs or gift and storage boxes, to cards, wedding stationery and coasters.

Every item can be personalised and adapted to any occasion – including Mother’s Day, Back to School and Christmas.

At the moment, Timber Things is available online at Etsy, but plans are in place to launch a dedicated website complete with a shop.

Alison said: “Everything we do is custom-made to order. We mainly use timber to but we sometimes use other materials such as perspex and slate.

“A lot of what we create is aimed at weddings, but we can pretty much do anything.”

Thirty one-year-old Emily, of Thorncliffe, said: “We went to The National Wedding Show at the weekend and one of the main things we were trying to push was our wedding packages.

“At the moment, people come to us for the odd thing, but we want to encourage them to buy a package from us which will include everything from menu boards to place names and stationery.”

Abbie, who lives in Leek, added: “When we first set up we started selling just to friends and family and it has taken a while to get to this point, but Etsy has given us a great platform to showcase our products.

“Eventually we want to get a dedicated Timber Things website set up where people can place orders, but we will also be looking at other sites.

“We have been concentrating on social media a lot too, which is helping to get our name out there and raise awareness of our brand.”