CELEBRATING 5 YEARS IN BUSINESS April 30 2016
I’m thrilled to say that ‘Kelly Hall Designs’ has been in business for 5 years, so I thought I’d share my story so far…
In my early career I worked as a freelance artist and designer working on a broad range of commissioned projects and as Learning Manager at The Design Museum in London. Following the birth of my two daughters and a move from Islington, London to Lewes in East Sussex, I launched my business ‘Kelly Hall Designs’ in 2011- with my husband and business partner Andrew Hall.
When we were deciding on the direction of our business venture, we identified a significant gap in the souvenir market between what the customer was being offered and what we believed they wanted. So, drawing initial inspiration from the ‘Festival Of Britain’ (1951), ‘Kelly Hall Designs’ set out to celebrate the British Isles and give the humble souvenir a makeover. Drawing on extensive research into the history of tourism in Great Britain, I set myself the brief to paint ‘Classic, elegant artwork collections with a real sense of place’ that could be applied across premium quality, design-led product ranges which are ‘Beautiful, useful and durable’.
The journey really started when I pitched my artwork and business idea to Sally Bass, the Manager in the Lewes Tourist Information Centre. Several months later ‘Kelly Hall Designs’ launched with my two first co-ordinated ‘Lewes’ product ranges: ‘Vintage Railway’ and ‘China Blue’ which included greeting cards, bone china mugs, tea towels, tote bags and lavender bags - all proudly made in the UK. It was so exciting to see them displayed in the lovely shop windows on Lewes High Street - both ranges received wonderful responses and they continue to sell well to this present day.
Since 2011, my artwork collections have continued to grow, as has my ‘Small but perfectly formed’ business. Since the humble beginnings of ‘Kelly Hall Designs’, I am proud to be working with a network of fantastic UK-based manufacturers and licensing partners, and my artwork collections and products are now available to buy in many leading retailers, museums and galleries across the UK, including The Royal Pavilion Brighton, John Lewis and Liberty.
So looking at 2016 and beyond, to kick-start my 6th year in business I’m busy expanding my core artwork collections and new product ranges. I’m also working on some exciting special projects including a bespoke range for the ‘South Downs Way National Trail’ in the ‘South Downs National Park’, and also a bespoke botanically inspired range for ‘The Savill Garden’ in ‘Windsor Great Park’.
With my paintbrush in hand and my customer’s traditional and contemporary lifestyles firmly in mind, I believe the future is bright - here’s to the next 5 years of 'Kelly Hall Designs' in business!
Thank you for being a part of my journey.