It’s widely acknowledged that small business owners across the county have faced big challenges in recent times.
It’s what makes Anne Hyde and Paul McGeevy’s story of riding out the tsunami of obstacles to growth caused by a global pandemic - followed by an economic crisis - all the more impressive.
What’s more, following their latest relocation and refocus, Delightful Living in Eyam has now been crowned regional winner of the Best Lifestyle Store category in the 2024 Muddy Stiletto Awards.
For this entrepreneurial couple, it’s 16 years since they first dipped a tentative toe into becoming their own bosses, and partners both in life and business.
Inspiration then came from Anne’s creative talent in upcycling reclaimed wood into handmade signs, while her graphic design skills were soon also being applied to personalised printed giftware.
With production overseen by Paul, this successful partnership saw kitchen-table projects at home in Brassington converted into sales across the UK and worldwide via online marketplaces; the scale of which demanded expansion into commercial premises within Mackworth Village.
Almost 18 months into renting first one, and then two retail units within Eyam Hall’s historic Courtyard, although the business model has changed, there’s still very much a nod to these earlier days.
‘Our Love Shack sign is an Anne Hyde original, made from when we were skip surfing and was once an old bit of fencing panel,’ says Paul, who proudly kicks off a tour of their latest venture.
Previously treading the boards as an actor, today he’s fully immersed in the business, explaining the reasons behind a change in direction - including why they upped sticks to this bucolic part of the Peak District.
‘I first came across the Courtyard whilst stopping off during a cycle ride,’ he recalls. ‘Later, it was through a chance conversation that we heard about the opportunity to have a bricks and mortar base here, where we could run some of our existing made-to-order lines.
‘However, the main idea was to be able to curate a collection of local, national and international household and gardening accessories, hand-picked by us.'
READ MORE: The history of 17th century Eyam Hall in Derbyshire
‘We think of this place as a hidden gem,’ adds Anne. ‘I’m Derby born and bred, and it really felt like the Courtyard found us.’
Despite admitting to not being a natural risk taker, Anne says they ultimately jumped in with both feet.
‘We opened on April 1 2023 and were very relieved when we got to 12 o’clock. I remember the first sale was a card and we were like “we’re off!”, she laughs.
‘We’re very conscious that we don’t have a shop window on a high street, but what we do get here are the people coming to Eyam because they know of the village.’
The chance to also offer something different to those in the local community and surrounding area adds to the sense of serendipity.
Whether it’s a last-minute birthday gift or a keepsake to mark a special anniversary, as Paul reflects, in terms of the day-to-day running of the business, they’ve come full circle.
On a sunny day, the cobbled Courtyard has an almost Mediterranean atmosphere and, they say, during crisp midwinter this transforms to become a Christmas wonderland; the adjacent café, bookshop and health retreat complementing its latest tenants.
Occupying one corner, Delightful Living’s main stone barn houses an emporium that, as well as showcasing trade fair finds, celebrates local makers.
Perusing the shelves these include: handmade chocolates from Bakewell, artisan candles poured down the road in Castleton, as well as Sheffield produced prints of familiar landmarks.
In a throwback to their own past, the central display is presented on Anne’s old painting table, alongside repurposed wooden cable reels.
Ugly fluorescent strip lights are cleverly hidden by twinkling strings of fairy lights and whilst looking upwards, it’s impossible to ignore the hand-crafted ‘chandelier’, its decorative flourishes changing with the seasons.
Behind the scenes, a false wall obscured by the sales counter conceals the equipment and materials needed to run their printing business, albeit on a smaller scale. Upstairs, the pitched beamed roof accommodates the current design studio.
Whilst meeting customers face to face may still be a novelty, Anne observes that ‘Our experience in making and selling things ourselves has set us in good stead when it comes to sourcing suppliers and setting the right price point.
‘We’ve learnt over the years that you can often undervalue a premium product, made by someone with a lot of knowledge. We’re keen however to keep our prices affordable.’
‘You’ll find a UK-made soap dish priced at £28, that’s next to an imported one at £6; it’s about giving people that choice,’ agrees Paul.
‘Everyone’s after the Holy Grail when it comes to stocking unique items and the main thing is seeing things not replicated everywhere else.’
There’s also the option to build a basket of similar, but not necessarily matching, items which, thanks to their eclectic buying, work well together.
They’re committed, he says, post-Covid, to bringing back the joy in shopping by offering lovely products in a lovely building, with good service.
This, says Anne, is central to their brand.
‘Even when we were just online, we wanted every interaction with the customer to be delightful from start to finish,’ she explains.
‘Moving to Eyam, we wanted this to be a true reflection of who we are and what we stand for. To us it feels authentic, and that’s really important.
‘The biggest challenge though is making people aware that we are here and that we’re not just relying on it being a happy accident that people discover us. So, we advertise widely and post online regularly.’
Despite all the progress and hard work up to this point, to pick-up a major accolade at this stage was, Anne admits, completely unexpected.
‘We knew of the Muddy Stiletto awards but the first we heard about the nomination was in an email,’ she says.
‘We talked about it on our social media, encouraging people to vote if they’d enjoyed a good experience with us. We then heard we were down to the top five in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and looking at our competition, we soon discovered that those we were up against were long-established retailers.
‘So naturally we were absolutely over the moon to win, having really felt the love from our supporters. It’s a seal of approval for what we’re doing.’
And, Paul believes, it is also a reflection of all the effort that has gone into setting up and running the fledgling business.
‘Neither of us had ever worked so hard, physically or mentally,’ he accepts.
‘Trying to do the shop-fit whilst also fulfilling online orders was hard work. It demanded our attention up to seven days a week.
‘Now that we’re open, trade can of course be unpredictable, but you can’t let one quiet day pull you down. Keeping the belief and conviction in what we are doing and trying to create, that’s how our business has evolved.
Back in 2008, all it took was an old bit of wood and a tin of paint to turn a profit. Printing kit, rented premises, a fit-out, and retail stock means it is now a completely different ballgame.
However, Anne and Paul have managed the need to borrow additional funds as and when needed and are actively looking at ways to generate more income - rumour has it that it may not be long before creative workshops are hosted.
‘For us, this is a lifestyle as much as a business,’ concludes Paul. ‘However, we’re fortunate in being able to work well together.’
