Launched in July, Retro Roost brings the craft fair online. It offers British designers the chance to sell their work – from jewellery to photography to home deco – and connect with like-minded customers and fellow arts and crafts practitioners. I spoke to founder Ollie Kerr about what inspired him to set up the site and what sets it apart from the competition.
What compelled you to set up Retro Roost?
It was prompted by my own personal interests. I come from quite an arty background and I’ve always had an interest in design – I’m a photographer myself. What I wanted to do was create a hub for other artists and designers in similar situations. I saw a lot of people trying to sell their stuff online and wanted to help create a place for this to happen. The goal is to give designers from across the UK exposure and the chance to sell their work. We also promote our designers’ work at craft fairs and exhibitions and on other websites; it’s about supporting them through the process and sharing the excitement of each sale they make. You find that a lot of designers already know each other from working on the circuit, so we’re also creating an online community for those of us with similar interests.
How did you set up the business?
I’ve been working on the concept since January including designing and building the website, which launched in July. So far it’s all been self-funded, but we’re receiving support from the Princes Trust. It has provided me with a personal business mentor with whom I meet and discuss issues and ideas every couple of weeks. It’s a really great programme that gives young entrepreneurs the skills to develop their ideas into successful businesses.
How does Retro Roost differ from other online arts and craft-selling organisations, like Etsy?
Etsy is great but the problem is that anyone can apply to sell on the site, so it can become a bit like a jumble sale in that people’s work can get lost in a sea of products. The difference with us is we’re more exclusive; we will never feature more than 99 designers’ work on the website at any one time, even as applications grow. We’re smaller-scale in that respect. I’d say we’re a bit similar to www.notonthehightstreet.com, which does a similar thing for fashion products. We’re also about promoting British design – our designers are all based in the UK with a lot of them coming from London, so buyers are getting a relatively local experience whenever they order something.
How do you choose which designers to feature on the site?
We have an application process, so designers who want to be featured contact us with samples of their work and if it’s a good fit, I send them a welcome pack and show them how to start listing. We’re relatively selective and focus on emerging talent and current trends so we can provide a varied range of products for customers. We don’t charge our designers anything until they start selling items, so there are no joining fees and listing items is completely free. Once they’re up and running we charge 20% on sales plus a 50p transaction fee.
We had 50 applications from designers in the first month we launched and now we sell quite a range of products – everything from furniture to gift cards. Most of our designers are female. I think since the recession a lot of people are trying to use these kinds of skills to make some extra money on the side, so a lot of our designers do this in addition to their usual jobs. It’s the same in my own case – at the moment I’m doing this in addition to working in London.
What’s the next step for Retro Roost?
Developing the website and getting it out there, locally as well as nationally. We’re focusing on marketing the site and integrating our social media channels to reach customers and promote our designers’ work to the people that will love it the most. We’ve also committed to donating a percentage of our profits every month to the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts, a national charity that aims to get children inspired by the arts.
