TOTALLY LOCALLY CASE STUDY.

Trinkette, Wharf Street, Sowerby Bridge

Trinkette is a beautiful shop based on Sowerby Bridge’s main shopping street. Its owner, Andrea, has been selling an eclectic collection of gifts, homewares, accessories and fashion items for men and women since Trinkette first opened its doors in 2008. She is passionate about stocking products made by local designers and artists. Just like her mum, who was also an independent shopkeeper based in the same shop that Trinkette now occupies for 35 years, Andrea sees herself as part of the community rather than just a local businesswoman.

Totally Locally appealed to Andrea as a way of both supporting other local shops and bringing the community closer together. In her view, it has achieved both:

“Totally Locally made perfect sense to me financially and emotionally. I remember when my mum was based in the shop she knew her customers and many of them used to do most of their shopping locally. Sowerby Bridge was one of those places where everyone knew each other and felt part of something. In my opinion Totally Locally has had a huge effect not just on people’s shopping habits but also on how they feel about where they live. It’s made them more likely to spend their money in shops in their area and I think it’s also re-igniting some of that community spirit towns used to have.

“The initiative’s had a positive impact on Trinkette as a business. I have lots of regular customers who initially came in for a look round after finding out about the shop through Totally Locally’s marketing activity. A lot of my customers consciously do most of their shopping in Sowerby Bridge nowadays, and as a result of this I’ve gotten to know more people that live in the area a lot better. These days it’s not unusual for me to go out for a drink with one of my regular customers – we have more of a personal relationship now rather than me just being someone who sells them things.”