The Value of Choosing Local
Reading Less has made me pay closer attention to what I buy, what I welcome into my home, and the small decisions behind those choices. It has also made me look at the business differently, noticing the habits and details that guide the way we work
Morning view by the workshop
Reading it while settling into the new workshop felt strangely grounding. It made me stop and look properly at what we are building here, not just the physical space, but the kind of business we want to be. And the answer, for me, keeps coming back to making things well, making them locally, and knowing exactly where everything comes from.
I have been paying closer attention to provenance, and it is reassuring that many of our materials and components come from small British businesses like our own. There is something very steadying about knowing the people behind them are working much as we do.
It has also made me think more deeply about why supporting small British businesses matters. When you choose to buy from a workshop, a foundry, a timber yard or a fabricator here in the United Kingdom, you are not just buying a product. You are helping keep skills alive, supporting jobs in local communities and contributing to an economy built on real craft rather than mass production. And it is not only about makers. Something as simple as choosing to buy from a shop on your high street supports real jobs in a way many large online retailers simply do not. The number of people employed in those systems is shrinking quickly, and it is easy to forget how much difference our everyday choices make.
All of this has nudged me into making a few practical changes as well. We will be updating our SIC code so it properly reflects what we do - designing, making and finishing kitchens and furniture in house, and we will be joining Made in Britain. Both feel like small but important steps towards being clearer and more intentional about who we are.
If you are interested in where things come from and want to support British or local companies, the links below may be helpful:
Make it British. A resource for finding products and makers that are made in the United Kingdom.
Just a Card. A movement that highlights independent shops and small creative businesses.