Doing my usual race around town today, finalising the program for the Oswestry Makes 2014 and it was only while coming home that I realised that almost every business I visited this week was started up and run by women – and what a creative talented bunch they are.
Oswestry Makes is run by women – Debbie Marais and her fabulous team at Oswestry Library, Gemma from Gemmipops Designs and Becca from Alterknitive and me. The businesses getting involved in the Creativity Festival are pretty much all run by women, - the indomitable Liz Dando of Material Therapy, Emma Manford of the new and very popular 67 The Pincushion, Wendy at The Gates on Church Street, Beadazzled, Textile Express and RKM.
So pause for thought, what about my favourite shops? Jems Dress Agency – stacked with really lovely party and wedding wear, Sissy Blu, BBR Opticians, Booka Bookshop, Honey Pots... ooh look, women!
My favourite watering holes, Willow Eatery, Fine and Dandy Tearooms and the lovely vintagy Curious Tearooms, Radfords Fine Foods and Oswestry Herbarium, again, run by, guess who?
And that doesn’t even take into account the beauty salons, nailbars and hair salons around the town (of which there are many – the well turned out bunch that we are).
There are many more such businesses, tucked away around Oswestry. My guess is, if we totted them all up, a good and welcome 45% must be owned and run by us females.
The 2012 Women in Business Survey from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, reckons that women led SME’s with employees accounted for 18% of total small to medium enterprises. We must be beating that manicured hands down!
