Ivy & Gold
My latest Local Natives blog featuring Ivy & Gold, a local handmade jewellery business based in Broughshane.
Ivy & Gold is a local jewellery business based in Broughshane. Erinn, the face behind the business started making bracelets just before the pandemic hit. In the two years since, she has grown Ivy & Gold into a thriving business with over 24k followers on Instagram and a feature in Heat Magazine.
After capturing Erinn at her shop in Broughshane, I was able to ask a few questions about her business and how her Bracelet making journey all began.
Hi Erinn, tell me a little bit about yourself and your journey to starting Ivy & Gold.
I was on maternity leave from my job as a journalist at the BBC when I first spotted these lovely personalised bracelets on Instagram. I couldn’t find any UK or European sellers so I decided to make them for myself.
Before long my friends and family were asking me to make bracelets for them too. This was in February 2020, just before the pandemic.
When the first lockdown came along I was really afraid. My baby daughter was just five months old and had received a cystic fibrosis diagnosis shortly after her birth.
Because she was clinically vulnerable we were told to shield.
I was extremely fearful of what would happen if she were to come into contact with Covid and my anxiety about her condition sky rocketed.
I turned to Ivy & Gold, making bracelets and running the Instagram page as a way to cope and something to focus on that wasn’t terrifying.
I used the time in lockdown while my baby was sleeping to grow the business into a full-time job.
So when it came time to go back to work at the BBC I had the choice to stay at home and keep her safe, do her daily treatments and be there 24/7 for her, which was what I was used to by then.
I took the chance on my business and haven’t looked back since.
What are the joys and challenges of being an independent maker?
The joy for me is really the flexibility that it gives me in my life. I have the freedom to work around my daughter and to enjoy as much time with her as possible as well as being there for her as a medical mama in a way I don’t think would have been possible with a ‘proper’ job.
The challenge I suppose is just managing a business when I really had no business experience. It’s been such a steep learning curve for me and things have taken off at a rate I never could have imagined.
I now have four employees who work in the business with me and I have to manage large quantity ordering of supplies, cash flow, staff holidays and sickness, a shop etc.
What does a typical work day look like for you?
So I come into the office after dropping ivy off to her granny’s house at 9.30 in the morning, turn on the lights and make sure everything is sitting nicely in the shop should anyone pop in.
I then open all the post which can include new stock, bills and bracelets which are sent in for repair, before looking at our emails and answering them (usually about 20 each morning when I log on).
After that part of the admin I would print off the labels for any ready to ship items and get those posted out.
I would then look to see if there were any priority orders or problems I had to deal with and make and ship any bracelets that needed to be done that day.
Then it would be on to some planning task - at the minute it is planning for the Ted Berry market and our Christmas photoshoot.
I would serve any customers that came into the shop, helping them to decide on how to add to or start their bracelet stack.
I close the shop and head home at 5pm.
Can you tell us a little bit about the process used to create your products?
I knew I wanted our bracelets to be made with the best possible quality beads. I am a gold jewellery wearer and I had been burned so many times buying gold plated or gold vermeil jewellery which tarnished with wear and eventually just had to go in the bin.
I favoured ‘real’ gold jewellery but obviously couldn’t afford much of it.
When I discovered gold filled beads I was so excited - they wear just like gold and are more expensive and better quality than most jewellery on the fashion market.
I did a lot of research into both gold filled and sterling silver jewellery and settled on using the beads for our bracelets.
I then had to watch hours of youtube videos and try a lot of different stringing materials and knots to make sure our bracelets would last (as stretch bracelets notoriously do not).
Do you have a most popular product? If so why do you think that is?
YES! Our personalised bracelets are our best-selling products and it’s because of the meaning that we can all attach to a piece that is fully customised by us. Wearing what matters to us on our wrist.
I think so much of what Ivy & Gold is about is that connection between family, friends and other special relationships.
Because I created the brand out of love for my daughter and everyone knows the story.
Do you have a favourite product?
I think the plain gold filled 3mm bracelet is my favourite - really for the same reason as I’ve explained above. It’s a really great quality and simple bracelet which wears like solid gold at an excellent price (£37).
If you were to share any encouraging words to others looking to start a creative business what would you say?
Believe in yourself!
It sounds so simple, but you do have to believe in yourself to take the chances / risks required to have success.
I was scared to hire people, to move into a space outside my house, to sign up to markets and to invest in growing the business, but I had to do all those things to get to where we are now.
Quarry Hill Church
Take a look inside this historic Church building in Strangford, Co.Down that has been converted into a beautiful holiday rental.
In February I had the opportunity to capture the beautiful Quarry Hill Church in Strangford.
Marty & Melanie came across a worse for wear looking Strangford Presbyterian Church when they bought the house right next door. Built in 1845, the Church had been lying derelict for many years. Being natives of Strangford, Marty & Melanie were familiar with it and in 2017 decided to take on the job of restoring, conserving and converting it themselves. The couple worked together to complete the incredible task of turning it into the stunning holiday rental that can be found there today. Deciding to keep so many of the original features, they have made this Presbyterian Church turned totally unique guest house shine once more!
Tell us a little bit about yourselves and the story behind Quarry Hill Church
We are a local couple with a young family. My wife Melanie was born in Strangford and I grew up on a farm in the countryside nearby, we both went to school in the village hardly 50m from the church. We had noticed the church slowly falling into disrepair over the years but it was when we moved next door in 2016 we saw close up what a bad state it was in. It had been for sale for years but perhaps the listed status and the scale of the challenge had deterred anyone from taking it on. Whether brave or stupid we decided to try and buy it! There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears but thankfully we didn't regret it.
The style of your Holiday Rental is amazing! Did you take inspiration from other places you had stayed or seen when designing it?
There are not many examples of churches in Ireland that have been converted into homes or accommodation. Melanie is an Architect and specialises in conservation, so she gets all the credit for the design. Really the inspiration came from the church itself, it is such a graceful building with beautiful classical original features and a rich history. Our approach was very much conservation led, every original feature that could be retained and restored was kept in place, the new aspects of the conversion are modern in style but we endeavored to maintain the volume and light such that the spaces still feel very much like a church.
Do you have a favourite room or detail?
It is so hard to choose. It might be the fantastic 2m diameter ceiling rose, the original organ restored to working order by Melanie's dad Tom, perhaps the huge original Georgian arched windows. I can't forget the pulpit which forms the staircase to the mezzanine level, our guests particularly enjoy a go at literally preaching from the pulpit. The Session House is our favourite room, previously used as a meeting place for the Church Elders, it is fully paneled and converted as the master bedroom. Sorry we couldn't choose just one thing!
Have you any advice for those wanting to create or design something similar?
Restoration of a listed building is hugely rewarding but go in with your eyes open, get a good understanding of the state of the building, the necessary repair work and any special restrictions that may apply. It will be very frustrating and slow at times and there will be unwelcome surprises but don't get discouraged! Don't be afraid to mix modern with the original features but allow the heritage to lead the way.
For guests coming to stay at Quarry Hill Church, where would you recommend as good places to visit nearby?
We are so lucky in Strangford, you can park your car and not get back into it for the rest of your stay. It has become a real foodie destination in recent years with 3 high quality restaurants to choose from. There are beautiful walks on our doorstep, our favourite being "The Avenue" which is directly opposite the church, it goes in the loop around the peninsula the village sits on through woods and along the shore of the lough. It's normal to see seals, otters, all manner of birds and other wildlife. Castleward National Trust Estate sits next to the village, you can spend a day there exploring 30+ miles of trails, castles, the main house and farm yard (Game of Thrones "Winterfell"). The ferry departs Strangford every 30 minutes and is worth it for the journey alone, on the other side of the lough in Portaferry the Aquarium is definitely worth a visit and a walk up Windmill Hill will reward you with stunning views of Strangford Lough.