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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 4pm

Velvet Fern Home, 8 High Street, Ludlow (2026)

17/10/2026

This week we had a college open evening for Annie for choices next year.
Last week we had parents evening at school, going into school still induces a low level feeling of panic & “I’ve got to get out of here” in me. School & me were never great friends, I spent too much time being a clown & not enough time applying myself. So, by 16 I had pretty low self esteem (that’s never left me) & a feeling of hopelessness. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but worse than that, I had no inspiration either. I recently heard a young person retelling a message from school; if you don’t do well in your GCSEs you’ll end up a hopeless, homeless addict. Errr, hello?! What if you’re released from the shackles of an education system that doesn’t fit you & you find skill sets you never knew you had and flourish into an incredible human??! What about young people leaving an education system knowing they have something to offer the world even if they were crap at algebra in school? It’s taken me years (&is still work in progress) to accept that I can do almost anything I put my mind to, aside tackle a spider & I didn’t need to be brilliant in school to achieve in life. It’s probably also led to doing life the wrong way round, kids first & career after, kids first marriage after, is all a bit cockeyed, but who says there’s a right way, a right order? Maybe I needed my kids so I could find my way.
All I know is, if you strip away hope from a young person it’s taking years off their probability to shine.
Richard Branson didn’t go to uni, just sayin….

Window change, we’re probably looking at the last set of autumn windows before the big Xmas change up, cant believe i just said that! The 3 glass bottles with stoppers are a window fave & the hare pic always pleases.

I’m off to another college open morning, Izz is manning the counter, then it’s a full crew from lunchtime.
number9ludlow is knocking out the seasonal lattes & Velvet Fern Stay is almost fully booked till the end of the month. Not too shabby for a high school drop out.

If you’re in sunny Ludlow, we’d love to see you!

🍁💗🍂💗🍁

10/10/2026

Anyone ever suffer with an ear worm? (A song that goes round & round in your head?)

We were lucky enough to see Snow Patrol at Ludlow Castle this summer. They’re a band I started listening to in 2004, in their early days & my very early days of parenting. I was on my own with Izz when she was 7 weeks old. A long story that revolved around his infidelity & my lack of forgiveness, there’s a whole chapter I could write about that time. The responsibility, the vulnerability & the strength that came from I don’t know where to leave one Sunday with a newborn, a hold-all, a pram & no idea what to do next. I camped at my mums for a few weeks & went to Spain to introduce Izz to her family there, I got myself a little place to rent & I started rebuilding our lives. I cried a lot through that time, looking back I think I was scared sh*tless. Every episode of my life has a soundtrack & Snow Patrol played loud & proud through this time. To see them live with my little family & 2 great friends this summer was nothing short of epic, even if I cried through most of it. Yes, I cry a lot! Then a couple of weeks ago we saw them live at The Royal Albert Hall for Matt’s birthday. They were phenomenal. But….they have driven me absolutely crazy since with an earworm from the track “What if this is all the love you ever get.” It’s been so bad this week I woke up at 1am on Weds night with it going round & round my head & couldn’t go back to sleep. I read something once that reckoned ear worms don’t affect some people. I love SP, they’re up there in my top handful of fave bands. But I want them to leave me in peace now….anyone got any tips on how to cleanse myself?!🤣

It’s been new windows week & full re-merchandise inside. The whole shops had an overhaul, a run of late finishes but I’m happy.
I love the whimsical fairy cards, the brown ceramic vases & the huge oval bowl. There’s something super comforting & calming about browns.

I’m in today with Matt on hand, Izz is heading up number9ludlow, if you’re passing & fancy popping by to sing something other than Snow Patrol at me, we’d love to see you!

🍁🍂💗🍂🍁

03/10/2026

It’s been one of those weeks where accountability, or lack of has been present, on steroids!

I popped into our local supermarket, late one evening with my youngest, a chap shoulder barged me as he came round the end of an aisle & loudly said “don’t mind me!” My usual response would be to apologise, even though it wasn’t my fault! This time I replied “don’t worry, don’t you mind me either” this clearly wasn’t what he wanted to hear as he put his shoulder to mine and walked along the aisle with me, even though I repeatedly asked him to move away from me & stopped walking so he could carry on. Annie was literally jaw dropped & could only say “but mum, he walked into you!
On Thursday evening we witnessed a car towing a trailer hit another vehicle, the scenario that rolled out was unbelievable, even though the car they hit, was stationary, parked & locked, weirdly, it was the parked cars fault?! Their behaviour was bizarre to say the least, shouting & verbally abusive to onlookers, by this point they’d gathered quite a crowd! They could’ve diffused the situation within seconds by being accountable, “I’m sorry” would’ve taken the drama straight out of it.
I’ve got situations in my own life where people would rather avoid conversations, with content they may not like & consequently watch relationships break down, rather than have a conversation with some accountability. I’m trying to get better at not saying sorry when someone barges into me, but I never want to stop saying sorry when it matters, when it counts & when the option is losing people because I can’t take blame that belongs to me.

No new windows this week, (we’ve been busy behind the scenes) but some new art gone in to an existing window. I’m loving these pear prints & the new ceramic pumpkins & acorns are perfect for the season.

I’m on duty today, another beautiful, sunny October day in the shire, gingerbread lattes are all GO in number9ludlow
Swing by if you’re around, it’d be great to see you!

🍁💗🍂💗🍁

26/09/2026

I’m making concerted efforts to streamline how much I carry.

It’s been something that’s been ticking along for a year or so, I’m trying to reset my default setting of always saying “yes.” Yes, I can help with that, yes, I can be there, yes, I can do that for you, yes, yes, yes!
I’ve been reading a lot about “mental load” not that I like the term but there’s a lot in it & how, without too much effort but with some self awareness, we can streamline the volume that’s expected from us. So, I’m working on getting better at saying no, which isn’t easy because for me, it feels like selfishness. When I step away from that feeling of selfishness, it actually feels good to be able to say no. I respect it in other people, but it’s been something I’ve struggled to implement forever. I think it stems from an eternal feeling of inadequacy, saying yes keeps everyone happy, saying no might lead to friction or discomfort, even when saying yes is actually making my own life harder. I’m not sure if this shift is due to age, or the fact that there’s so much mental noise all the time & I’m working hard on streamlining that!
Either way, it feels good!

We’ve been wraparound autumn for a couple of weeks now & the time is flying! We’ve on a speedy conveyor belt that’s rapidly heading towards Christmas!
Our candle sales on have suddenly elevated over the last few weeks which is a definite nod to the shifting seasons.

Im loving this huge floral canvas & the small bowls with balls come in an increasing array of colours.

I’m on duty today, Matt’s between all bases & Izz is off for a weekend with friends.
If you’re in the Shire, we’d love to see you!

🍁💗🍂💗🍁

19/09/2026

I’ve been toying with this post for a while, but knowing the backlash that’ll follow, I’ve managed to hold off. Till now.

Last week, someone who works within another part of our business, happened to be in Velvet Fern & she overheard a customer say “can you do me a discount?” Next time I saw her, she told me what she’d heard & said she was absolutely shocked that anyone asked that. So, let me tell you, we get asked that most days, & still it blows me away. The best one to date was someone who came to the counter with 2 items totalling £14 and said “so, if I take both of these, what discount can you do me?” Then looked absolutely shocked when the answer was “none.”
I once had a chap ask me, so I asked him if he’d ask the same question at the tills in say, M&S, the response was brilliant, he said “yes” and in total unison his wife said “no, of course he wouldn’t, and I’m mortified he asked you!” So, I guess this is a post with a question, what makes it ok to ask an independent business a question you wouldn’t ask a national? Is it because folks think we get our rent/rates/electric/PAYE/insurances and all the other overheads subsidised? Heads up on this one, we don’t!! One of the most contradictory customer lines I’ve ever heard on this subject was “well, you know, we like to support local, so what can you do me off this?” On a sale that totalled £36. Supporting local & at the same time asking for discount on £36 is contradiction in its finest form!
It’s frustrating, and I’m aware “no” is not the answer anyone is looking for in this scenario, so hot tip from an independent retailer is, save yourself the upset of hearing no, and just don’t ask in the first place! Oh, and another favourite “there are a lot of empty shops, can you knock anything off this £25 sale?”
Someone, make it stop!!

This 2nd autumn window went in after hours last Saturday night, the big bowls in the centre are 2 brand new favourites, I’m loving them! The browns and golds are a nod to the season and it’s a big colour trend in general within home decor at the moment.

Have a faboo Saturday!

🍁💗🍂💗🍁

12/09/2026

We managed to squeeze an Autumn window in yesterday.

I’m always in conflict with myself at this time of year, clinging on to the last of the suns warmth & at the same time, looking forward to the most exciting 3 months of the year in retail. The pace suddenly ramps up from the start of September. We’ve had 6 away days buying already this month, this week we’ve covered about 800miles of driving all in the cause of hunting down new stock for next year. It’s a lot sometimes, 8 hours of driving, on top of a full working day of product sourcing, but if I was asked what’s my favourite bit of the job, it’s days out finding new lines. That, & new windows, which is weird, cos seasonal window changes always feel like a big job, but it’s actually really therapeutic. Autumn is always the hardest, I hate seeing the end of summer, at home everyone knows I’m in flat denial that the nights are drawing in & the autumn windows have the least amount of time, in the blink of an eye pumpkins will be gone & the big “C” will be making an appearance! As much as I don’t like the transition from summer into autumn, I do absolutely love the colours that this time of year brings, rich burnt oranges, browns & forest greens, they all shout cosy home.

It’s Ludlow Food Festival this weekend, always a buzzing weekend in Ludlow, the energy changes when there’s an event on in town, so even if you’re not heading into the Castle, a wander through town on a busy Saturday always gives holiday vibes.

I’m loving the huge new shells that have come in, and the verdigris pumpkins work really nicely with the ceramics. The metal wall art is a huge statement & a nice alternative to a picture or mirror.

I’m on duty today, with Matt on hand, Izz is heading up the counter at number9ludlow so it’s a full team on board. There’s another autumn window landing later, we should be wrap around autumn by the end of the weekend.

Have a fab Saturday, if you’re in town, swing by n say hi!

🍁🍂💗🍂🍁

05/09/2026

Every now and then, human behaviour baffles the bejesus out of me!!

There have been 3 instances during our 4.5years in Ludlow that have left me completely confused, the most recent was this week, but I’ll tell you about the previous 2 first. We’d been open a few months when I sold a couple a lovely hand blown glass jug, wrapped it myself & waved them on their merry way. The very next day, said couple returned, Velvet Fern bag in hand, I instantly (wrongly) assumed they wanted to exchange because it didn’t fit/was the wrong colour. Nope, the glass jug now represented glass dust, in about 3.5gazilion pieces. Conversation went like this lady;”I bought this yesterday, when I got home, it was broken.” Me; “but I wrapped that for you yesterday & it would’ve been fairly obvious, let alone impossible to wrap like that.” Lady;”ok, thank you, bye.”
2nd example; sold a chap one of our ceramic rabbits, he checked it over, Matt packed it up, we said our goodbyes. We watched his dog excitedly jump up at him, bag & rabbit bash the street sign post. Rabbit is returned with a detached ear & the claim “I’ve just bought this & it’s broken.” “Errr, we just watched what happened, right opposite the shop, it wasn’t broken when you left here” “oh, ok, thanks, bye.”

This week, a piece of art was sold, wrapped & taken away by the customer. Following day, I had an email with photos of the piece of art in separate pieces, with a fairly accusatory email about its condition. Again, this would’ve been impossible to pick up or wrap, yet seemingly, it was my fault?! After some considerable communication backwards & forwards, it seems the customer didn’t need me to do anything, aside offer a £10 goodwill gesture?!

The moral of this is. Just don’t be a d***. Be accountable when you’ve hashed up, it’s not always someone else’s fault!

Window change this week but I forgot to take photos & the window has now been rejigged cos all the big bits sold, so here are a few randoms, I love the big floral art & the wooden, wavy edge mirror.

I’m on duty today, Izz is on her way back from Malta & Matt’s back in his painting gear, deets on that to follow.
💗🤗💗

29/08/2026

Keeping our town centres alive; they’re a vital hub of a community.

Matt overheard a conversation in the shop this week between a couple visiting Ludlow, which went along the lines of “what a beautiful shop, isn’t Ludlow lovely, our town used to have lovely shops but now they’ve all gone” then went on to say “it was lovely to go and have a walk round even though we never bought anything.” And there lies the secret formula! You want to keep lovely shops in your town centres, then you have to actually use them. You have to put your shoes on, walk in, buy something, hopefully have some positive, engaging interaction, leave, enjoy your experience & remind yourself to do that again when you need a gift, new jumper or just a treat for yourself. There’s rarely a huge financial backer behind an independent retailer. So when the till stops ringing, the doors close, for good.
The equation is that simple.
As an independent business, we always aim to use independents in our home town first. It’s kinda a no brainer. It takes a whole community to keep a town centre alive.
I’m brewing up for a rant about discounts and the gazillion reasons why we don’t!

Chatting this morning, we realised it was a year ago yesterday that we launched Velvet Fern Stay our Velvet Fern Airbnb & 6 years ago on the same date that we opened our doors in Hay! If I’m honest, I wasn’t sure we’d survive 6 months, let alone 6 years! But we’re here, still trucking & looking forward to year 7!

Windows have had an overhaul this week, they were overdue a change, but windows in the heat aren’t a fun job! I’m loving the big shell vase and the fossil effect bowl, there are lots of new lines arriving over the coming weeks.

I can’t dress it up any other way, it’s p**s wet in Ludlow today but…we’re here, open all weekend including bank holiday Monday, we’re gonna try smiling through the grey!
Whatever you’re up to, have a lovely long weekend!

🤗💧🤗💧🤗

22/08/2026

Jeez, I’ve not had any revs for socials of late.

It’s another brain drain, photos & thinking of content. I read something the other day that resonated, the gist of it was; where are we going with social media? When Facebook started 20 something years ago, it was just a place to post a comment. I joined FB in 2007, during a particularly tough time. I was living in a caravan & spare beds at friends houses due to our house flooding. Izz was 3 & I was knackered. I bumped into a friend I’d not seen for a couple of years who asked “are you on Fbook? We could keep in touch on there.” I’d heard of it, but internet was still dial up & a caravan at the end of my garden, weirdly, didn’t have a phone line!🤣
Anyway, sometime during that 6 months of chaos, I did join & didn’t really see the point. Then photos started, tagging locations & with that the bragging and competition. “My life’s better than yours” & I struggle with that. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve posted holiday pics, I’ve posted kids birthdays, our wedding day, but I’ve also posted the sh*tty bits too. Tough days when parenting young kids felt like the hardest job that was never going to end, house moving & those days that just don’t make sense. The post I read this week was asking do “do we think there’s a u turn happening?”Are we getting back to grainy photos (the kids are using digital cameras instead of phones) & real life instead of instagramable perfection? There’s a huge part of my soul that’s calling for that.
FB was a revelation, it meant I connected with my family overseas in a way that wasn’t on the phone, we felt more connected & in touch. I love the memories that come up & some of my early posts on my profile make me laugh & cringe in equal measure. But, I’m really not interested in the brag. Show me pictures of sunsets, kids laughing, your cats & the peace in your life, I’m all for that!

So, our socials will always be photo dumps of stock/window displays & shop life. I haven’t got the capacity for reels & curated content, it just ain’t ma bag! If it’s not exciting enough, I’m ok with that too.

I’m in today, so if you’re in town, come & say hello!
💗🤗💗🤗💗

08/08/2026

One of my favourite things about social media are the “memories.”

6 years ago today we got the keys for our little shop in Hay on Wye. Looking back at the first window displays and photos inside the shop on opening day is a stark reminder of how far we’ve come.
The imposter syndrome is still real, every day I feel like I’m going to get caught out by someone who knows I’m not really capable of doing what I’m doing!
The self doubt is still as strong as it was back then, I’m still consumed by the thoughts that I’m not good enough, I could be doing more, I could be trying harder & if I’m honest, after 6 years, I doubt they’re going anywhere soon.
Our work life & home life don’t really have defined lines, the two kinda roll into one, we still have late night takeaways on the shop floor, we still try to do our best every day & late night shop window pics can still be fun, took these after the football a couple of weeks ago.
This Velvet Fern journey has become a way of life & 6 years ago, that’s something I never would’ve forecast.
We’ve done a lot since the start of all this & today, I’m thankful to Facebook memories for making me look at where we are and how far we’ve come.
The urge to write the book gets stronger!

On a separate note, I want to say “thank you” to everyone who text/whatsapped/dm’d after last weeks post. Sometimes social media feels like a transient place, but there’s a whole community behind these pages, so many of who really do care. This page has never really been about sales, it’s about life; the good bits & the bumpy bits. And most of all, just being real.

We have a couple of days off for the main man’s birthday, so thank you to our mega team for covering, you guys are all fab!

Sea themes are strong, I love the colours in the centre piece of art & octopus jug is still one of my current faves.

Have a fab weekend, if you’re in we’d love to see you!

💗🤗😘🤗💗

Velvet Fern Home

17/10/2026

10/10/2026

03/10/2026

26/09/2026

19/09/2026

12/09/2026

05/09/2026

29/08/2026

22/08/2026

08/08/2026

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