SIMPLY DEVINE HATS IS ONE IN A HUNDRED!

Simply Devine Hats in Tadcaster is celebrating being one of only 100 small businesses in the country to be chosen in the annual Small Business 100 campaign. The campaign is to raise awareness of small businesses and the thousands of independent traders providing goods and services on the high street and internet.  The campaign culminates in Small Business Saturday on December 1st – in time for Christmas trading. Simply Devine is one of just six Yorkshire businesses chosen this year to represent the campaign – with two in York, one in Leeds, one in Malton and one in Bradford. The Simply Devine Hat Shop on York Road, Tadcaster, has been trading as a specialist hat shop for more than 14 years and last year took the bold decision to expand the business by designing and manufacturing its own range of millinery to sell as a wholesaler to other traders, and also for sale in the shop. Owner Liz Devine-Wright (yes that is her real name) originally set up the company with her mother, who has since retired, as a specialist hat shop selling premium quality headwear.  Customers have visited the shop from as far away as the south coast to ensure they have the perfect hat, hatinator or fascinator for a special occasion and Simply Devine headwear has been sent all over the world. Said Liz “Being chosen as one of the SmallBiz100 campaign companies is a great opportunity for us to share our business news and to create awareness of our specialist products”. “We are not part of a chain so our headwear is quite exclusive – you are unlikely to bump into another person wearing one of our specialist pieces, as we have limited the stock in each colour and design. Yet we still have thousands of head-pieces in our store of hats, hatinators and fascinators in every style and colour.” Liz and her team have just returned from the summer trade shows following the launch of her 2019 collection of headwear and mother of the bride outfits, which are now on sale in the shop.  The range also includes bridal headwear for brides who don’t want a traditional veil and tiara. “Our customers are usually those attending weddings or the races, but we do have a small collection of winter hats, pashminas and jewellery for sale year-round.  We also sell men’s top hats. More…. “We have been allocated a day to celebrate in the 100-day run up to Small Business Saturday, which for us will be Sunday, 7 October 2018, so we will be planning some special offers to celebrate our involvement in the campaign.” Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to “shop local” and support small businesses in their communities.  The day itself is on the first Saturday in December each year, but the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses.