Velvet Fern Home

30/05/2026

This week is a big shout out, and recognition to our fantastic teams, in both shops.

Since taking on Number 9 next door, we’ve had to pull our socks up pretty smartish. A whole new industry, with new language & terminology with rules & regulations we’ve never had to apply before. It’s been a lot & I rarely give ourselves enough credit for how much we’ve taken on. There’s no previous skill set here, it’s literally a combination of risk taking personalities with an inability to dampen the other.

But….without the absolutely fantastic team we have alongside us, in both shops & the Airbnb non of it would be possible. Not only are our entire crew conscientious, consistent, reliable & committed, they’re all great people to be around too.
This week has been a steep learning curve in Number 9, the queues have been long & the pressure on the team has been constant. Everyone has kept their cool, kept smiling, earned some great feedback & reviews & for that, we’re truly grateful & appreciative.

Seeing the queues outside Number 9 this week has caught me off guard a couple of times. The feeling that we’ve created a tiny little space that people actually enjoy & want to visit makes me feel like we’ve done ok.
We’ve had some great reviews, some fantastic feedback & non of that would be possible without the brilliant team who are Velvet Fern & Number 9.
Almost every single Number 9 review comments on the friendly service, & to me, that’s worth its weight in gold.
Thank You teams VF & No9, in our eyes you guys are THE BEST!

I dropped the ball & forgot to take photos so these are a few from recent windows, some art back in stock (I know there are several people waiting for these) &
a pic of bank holiday Monday outside the shop.💗

Enjoy the last weekend of half term, the weathers been incredible, long may it continue, although it’s the UK, so I know it won’t!🤣

💗☀️💗☀️💗

23/05/2026

A conversation I had with a customer last week about cash in society.

Everyone who knows us knows, the counter is a space for conversation, debate, sharing thoughts & feelings.
We have a sign at our till point that talks about using cash. Now, that doesn’t mean using it with us, it just means using it somewhere, anywhere, as often as you can. Our customer asked me what the benefit was to him of using cash. I instantly felt overwhelmed, my brain was running faster than my mouth could work, there are SO many reasons why we must not become a cashless society. One of the big ones that may not be thought about is card readers. So currently, we can shop around at the end of our card reader contract for the best rates, new terms & generally maintain or improve on where we were with our previous deal. It’s a highly competitive & lucrative market. When cash has gone, that will change, rates will increase, deals will be less targeted towards the customer & basically become an increased cost to the business. Guess what, that will result in an increased cost to the customer, whether thats shopping, having a hair cut, having your car MOT’d, it’ll have an impact. Instagram has a word count, which in this instance is lucky, cos I could rant for a long time about all my reasons why it’s paramount we keep cash as part of our society. I guess the overall feeling for me is retaining some sort of anonymity, independence & freedom of choice. I don’t want to be tracked everywhere I go because of my card taps. I’ve never really fitted the system, I make choices that aren’t necessarily popular and I don’t want to be told what to do!
So, think before you tap & what’s your back up plan when/if the cashless system fails and we can’t access our hard earned ££?

Some shop shots, I love the big blue & white striped ginger jar & the row of coloured jugs. We had another art restock yesterday so we’re fully loaded & ready for the weekend.

Full team between both shops today, so if you’re in it’d be fabulous to see you!

💵🤗💵🤗💵

16/05/2026

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

This year the primary theme has been Action. What action do you take to keep your brain healthy & well? It’s a subject I’ve always been interested in, our family line has a complicated mental health history & the impact of that hits individually. After a particularly low time in my 20s, following considerable trauma, I decided to listen to myself, facing life with “I’m fine” just doesn’t work for me, although I know a lot of people who adopt this principle. Instead Im comfortable saying “I’m not ok” when those moments arise. One action that works for me is confronting the problem. Face it, head on. That often involves having a conversation that might not be easy. Over the past few weeks we’ve had it brought to us by several people, that someone has been talking negatively about our business. There are so many angles to this, but a basic rule is, if you run a business it’s really bad etiquette to run someone else’s down. It’s just not cool. I bumped into the source of these comments earlier this week & chose to air the issue. The response was interesting & not unlike reactions I’ve witnessed before when calling out sh*tty behaviour. But…& this is the bit..I was calm, polite, not aggressive nor insulting, kept the conversation on track despite various attempted tangents & walked away feeling lighter. I’d confronted the problem, bagged it & binned it & that’s the action I need to keep my brain well. Holding onto things doesn’t work for me, as a crippling over-thinker it stops me going down rabbit holes. To others, my action might be seen as difficult or uncomfortable & I see that, but holding on, shutting up, putting up & fake smiling “I’m fine” just doesn’t keep me well.

This window is always the most neglected, but the oversized clocks with oversized wall art looks cool & we have an array of colours of bowls with balls.

I’m in today, Matt’s in & out so if you’re in Ludlow, pop in & say hi!

💗🤗💗🤗💗

09/05/2026

Fair last weekend, Spring Festival this weekend, it’s been non stop!

The town has a certain buzz about it sometimes & the last couple of weeks it’s been high. The energy can be felt. The fair rolled out of town on Monday night, by Tuesday morning the market was being reassembled, like the previous 6 days had never even happened, at the same time, Spring festival was starting to take shape. We were in the shop till late last night, the four day week sandwiched between 2 big weekends meant Matt off road tripping yesterday collecting stock. The windows had a bit of a refresh & watching the crowds of people coming into Ludlow for the start of Spring Festival made me think & appreciate how lucky we are to live in a town that gives so much, all the time. In May alone we’ve had the Fair, Spring Festival & at the end of May we have Piano Festival. That’s a whole spectrum of people, tastes & interests provided for, pretty impressive I think.

The 4 day week meant suppliers pulling out the stops to either get deliveries to us, or get them ready for Matt to collect, this week has been a lot of favours but has made me realise the relationships we’ve built with the people behind the businesses we buy from & that they matter just as much as the connections we make with our customers. That’s made me think about someone’s (unnecessary & unprofessional) bad behaviour towards us recently, not sure if I’ll shrug that off or it might be next weeks post. 🤔 🤔

Art refresh in both big windows, some new lines arrived too & are yet to be revealed! Green glass candle holders have been mixed with new arrivals, blue, amethyst & rose, am absolutely loving these & the chunky glass bobble candle holders arrived late last night too.

Suns out, Ludlow will feel alive today, so if you’re at a loose end, a wander round with a gelato in hand could be the perfect way to while away your day.

💗🥰🌸🥰💗

02/05/2026

Rolled round to Saturday again, how?!

I’m aware, my Saturday ramblings aren’t for everyone and that’s ok. You don’t need to read or engage, I truly won’t be offended, that’s one of the things about socials, you can just scroll on by. Every now and again there’s a post that pokes, last Saturdays did that. We’d only been open a few minutes, I was still in that “get your head bolted on, it’s Saturday” mode, when a chap popped in to ask who does our social media. We get asked this a lot & still 6 years in, I’m hesitant to say it’s me, just incase I’ve said something to upset.
I confessed & what followed actually made me cry. This man had taken the time from his Saturday morning, to come and offer such kind, generous words & with that share a snippet of his own story. He caught me off guard & I didn’t really thank him properly, he left, I had a watery eye & that conversation sat with me all day. Social media has so many negatives, I literally hate it sometimes, but a positive like this would never have happened without Facebook or Insta.

The fair arrived in town on Wednesday & is here until Monday afternoon. It’s a show on its own watching those rides come into town. The sun was shining, I could feel the excitement, that buzz of the changing dynamic of the town with the fairs arrival. I’ve always loved the visiting fair, in the blink of an eye it’ll be Tuesday morning & as if it never even happened!

Windows have had an art refresh ready for the weekend, this new set of wall art has been really well received & look great as a stand alone or as a collection. I’m loving all the green glass candleholders & the cards in the stand are the perfect pop of colour for the sunshine that’s graced us this week.

Full team across both shops today, we’re open till late in so if you’re coming into town, it’d be lovely to see you!

🎡💗🍦💗🎡

25/04/2026

You know how sometimes, someone says something and life shifts a little?

I know I’ve been in an unexplainable funk for a couple of months now, probably longer if I’m honest. It’s a lot, being a woman at 51, with expectations of myself that are probably unreasonable most of the time. I’m quite mean to myself at times. We finished work last Sunday afternoon, got home to start dinner (Matt, not me, I don’t cook) the sun was shining, the kitchen doors were open onto the patio & he said “I love this time of year” to which I replied “me too, feeling warmth in the sun, at last” & he said “I love it because you come alive.” And there it was, the line that made the last few months make sense.
I’m absolutely sh*te at winter, each year is harder than the last. I hate the grey sky, being cold 99.5% of the time, limited daylight & I realised I’ve spent more time than ever this winter fantasising about the south of Spain. I mean, I reckon Velvet Fern could work in Marbs?

Tuesday, I had the most relaxing spa day with my beautiful friend of almost 40 years, we chatted, chilled & soaked up the down time. It made me realise how little I invest in myself. Dinner out with friends last night, rounded off what’s been a good week & I’m aware I’ve not said that for a while.
So, to our fab customer who suggested I message her a few weeks ago with 3 good things (I didn’t cos I really couldn’t think of anything, it’s hard when life’s dark) these are this weeks 3. Thank you for making me think about this.

Windows are almost done, just the little ones by the doors to finish. I love this window, the whale art is great, I’m fairly sure one of those might end up at home, giant shell vase is a stunner & the ceramic horse head bookends have been a longstanding VF favourite.
I wasn’t sure about the summer garlands, thought they might not be enough, now they’re in, I’m happy.

I’m on duty today, Matt’s divided between both shops, he looks great in a pinny😜 & Izz is on a well deserved weekend off with friends.
So, as always, if you’re in on this super sunny Saturday, swing by & say hi!

💗☀️💗☀️💗

18/04/2026

Sometimes the thought of something feels heavy, then when it rolls out, it’s actually ok.

I’m very aware my brain works against me, a lot of the time. It’s hard to live with a head full of thoughts that I beat myself up with, on the daily. A lot of the time I’m able to override them & offset with a positive, but the last few weeks they’ve been winning. I’ve felt a bit ripped off by someone I think a lot of, we’ve had a bit of an online security issue, kids have both been unwell for a month (it’s feeling much longer) and I had the shop to re merchandise. The latter might not sound like much, but every single item, & we have a few, gets moved, new displays set up & lots of new lines to find homes for too. 4 late nights locked in the shop & it’s (almost) finished. As we came away last night I felt a bit more like me, & something suddenly made sense, our shop has become such a huge part of who & what I am, when it’s out of sync, I am too, I’ve not joined those thoughts up before & now I have, it kinda makes sense. In a weird way, it’s like the 5th member of our family, it needs time, energy, compassion, when the shop is out of kilter, I am too. I’ve been really kind to our shop this week, after a period of feeling quite resentful towards it, not just the shop, but all the politics that come with it, & I feel better in myself for that.
Windows getting hit up next week & we’ll be fully overhauled!
My mission this weekend…to catch up on the 100’s of unopened WhatsApp messages, late nights at work, something has to give!

Inside pics, I love the big octopus jug, the ceramic pink flower candle holders & the green palm vases. The pink & green swirl vase is a piece we have at home, one of my all time faves!

Suns out in the shire, after a week that’s felt like mid November, I’m absolutely ready for some blue sky!

Izz & I on duty today, if you fancy a nosey, call by n say hi!
Have yourselves a super Saturday.

💗🌸🤗🌸💗

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to you!

Whatever you’re up to today, we’re sending you all a very happy Easter.

It’s one of the 4 days a year that we close our doors, so it’s a proper switch off here today.
Cocktails, too much food, too much chocolate and a day with friends. Perfect!

Back to it tomorrow from 10.30.

🐣🌸🐣🌸🐣

04/04/2026

It’s Easter weekend folks!

For us, the biggest deal about this is that we are closed tomorrow (Easter Sunday) we close for 4 days a year, so it generates a bit of excitement! It’s been one of those weeks here, we had a weekend away last weekend & first day back on Tuesday hit hard, it’s not often I don’t enjoy my job, but it seemed everyone on Tuesday was in a grump. We make a point of trying to acknowledge everyone who comes through the shop, Tuesday was one of those days where I was ignored or treated with indifference, by the end of the day, that took its toll. Weds was a frustrating day on the admin treadmill, Thurs reset my head with a day of great folks through the doors, then yesterday a conversation with a lovely customer levelled me properly. Sometimes hearing what someone else is going through puts what feels heavy in your own world into perspective. This story was big, a few tears were shed & an insight into human resilience. Non of us know what the next person we’re going to meet is dealing with. I’ve said it before, so many stories are shared over our counter, births, marriages, deaths, affairs & everything in between & that’s about the most beautiful part of our job.

Easter window is mainly dominated by hares and all things Spring. The art restock arrived on Tuesday, so both windows got a refresh. The cards in the stand are new & been one of our fastest selling ranges ever & were well stocked on Flopsy & Mopsy hares.

You’ll be looked after by Izz & me today, if you’re in town, swing by (with a smile) and say hi!
Have a fab Easter Weekend, we’re open on Monday from 10.30.
🐣🌸🐣🌸🐣

03/04/2026