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Yorkshire Biz August 15 - Elinor Perry - Biddy and Bear
Want to get your baby some comfy custom made clothes?
In August, we are featuring many amazing female Yorkshire entrepreneurs by showcasing their business (#yorkshirebizaugust) and a bit of personal life on our shop blog.
Make sure you enter our big Yorkshire Biz August Giveaway (#ybagiveaway) to win one of our prizes given out by these superwomen! No need to be in Yorkshire to enjoy our prizes. (read the bottom of this post to find out how to enter)
Today we are featuring Elinor and her baby and children’s clothing business - Biddy and Bear which aims to custom make comfy and unisex children's clothes.
Business Name
Business Related Questions
Which part of Yorkshire is your business based?
My business is based in Horsforth, not far from the airport, and less than half a mile from the primary school I attended - it's fair to say I haven't moved far!
Tell us a little bit about your business - What makes your business a little different from others?
Biddy and Bear is home to comfy and unisex children's clothes, all made to order, which means I can make them a bit longer or with a small waistband if your child needs it. I handpick fabulous prints and don't limit what you can choose based on your child's gender - in my view they're just clothes, so florals, diggers, rainbows, they're all for everyone, and all my clothing styles are perfectly cut for boys and girls, with plenty of room for a cloth nappy! I want them to have good hand-me-down potential to siblings and cousins too!
What’s your favourite ever product or service that you currently sell or have sold?
My favourite product by far is the harem pants. They're perfect on scrunched up new babies, and loose and stretchy enough for scootering and tree climbing. And the loose fit means they start off as a baggy harem style, but as your child grows, they become a legging - so they're great value and good for the planet too.
Why did you choose this business to run or establish?
I started this business making for my own children after such disappointment shopping for clothes for them on the high street. I hated that the unisex baby clothes were so boring - we didn't find out what we were having in any of my four pregnancies, so being able to offer unisex baby clothing is a particular pleasure. And I had a boy and then 3 girls, and the sea of pink in the girls' department, the tiny short shorts, the skin tight leggings -they're just not for me! I found it all just as boring as the sludgy dull shades I'd seen in the boys' department with my first.
How are you pivoting or adapting your business during this crazy Covid virus time?
My business has always been online really, but during lockdown I pivoted to finally launch my website, which had been in the planning stage for months and months. With the high streets closed, I saw the opportunity to reach more people, and help out by sending gifts directly, and I've loved writing every single "happy birthday" or "welcome to the world" note, and I've especially loved the emails from grannies and aunties who've been sent to me to buy a gift for their toddler relatives.
What is your one product or service you would recommend for either a pregnant woman, newborn mom, or for babies, toddlers, or young children?
It's so hard to choose just one product or service! I think I'll have to go with a combo of a Baby Led Weaning workshop and a First Aid Course, because I loved being able to go straight to real solid food with my younger girls (the guidelines were very different when my eldest was little) and being able to sit and watch eating their first solids foods, knowing the difference between gagging and choking, and that you've got the skills to step in if needed, is just brilliant. It made the whole messy experience much more relaxed for us!
Personally Related
Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by other people’s stories - both normal life and achievements through adversity. I love podcasts like How To Fail with Elizabeth Day and small business stuff like Conversations of Inspiration and the Indie Roller podcast, which are especially useful when you work alone!
What TV shows can make you binge on all day long?
We’re huge fans of Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild - he is the nicest chap, and he visits all sorts of people who live all sorts of weird and wonderful lives in the wild for all sorts of different reasons. The formula is the same every episode but they’re all so different. It’s fascinating.
What is your favourite ‘me-time’ or ‘self-care’ activity?
I don’t have a lot of me time to be honest - I’ve got three small children and an online business ... but if I need to get away I love meeting my friends for some rhubarb gin, or going for a good mooch around the shops on my own.
What is one thing you love about living in Yorkshire?
I’ve always lived in Yorkshire, in fact, within a mile or so of where I live now, but I love that we’re right on the edge of the countryside, despite having a big thriving city. We love escaping up to the Chevin or out to Grassington, and we’re yet to introduce the children to the 2p machines at the seaside. There’s just so much variety to explore. I wouldn't be anywhere else.
Final Words
So there you go. I really hope you have enjoyed learning more about Elinor and her fabulous business, if you'd like to find out more, here are her contact details:
Contact details:
Website: http://www.biddyandbear.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/biddybear
Instagram: http:www.instagram.com/biddyandbear
Email: hello@biddyandbear.com
Yorkshire Biz August Giveaway
What are Elinor’s gifts for the giveaway?
Elinor is giving out 2 x one pair of harems, up to age 6y, any in-stock print available on the website.
One winner is drawn from Facebook entries and the other for Instagram's.
Enter the Giveaways
If you want to enter our August Giveaway (entries close on 30 Aug 2020), click on the links below to take part.
Please make sure you read the description to understand how to enter the giveaway contests as the two giveaways have different requirements.
By reading this interview article, we hope it will encourage you to support more small local UK businesses. It will be even better if it inspires you to create your own business! There are many other Yorkshire Biz August businesses we have to introduce you.
Click here to find out more about the campaign and links to other interview blog posts.
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