Are We Right About This? Why Independent Brands Might Need Marketplaces
We've been thinking about this a lot lately. Running a family business and working with independent brands for over a decade, we keep wondering if we're seeing something important happening in retail. Or maybe we're completely wrong? We'd love to know what you think.
What We Keep Noticing
We chat with brilliant independent brands every week - makers creating extraordinary products who seem to be struggling with the same challenges. A ceramicist in Devon makes the most beautiful tableware we've ever seen, but barely anyone knows they exist. A jewelry designer in New York crafts pieces that would make Annoushka weep with envy, but can't compete with the marketing budgets of the big players.
Maybe it's just us, but it feels like there's a gap between incredible independent creators and the people who'd absolutely love their work. Companies like The Shopkeepers and organizations like Bricks Need Mortar seem to be onto something here - they're doing amazing work celebrating independent shops and connecting conscious consumers with unique makers.
The Bit We Find Tricky
Here's where we might be completely off base, but we keep wondering: how does an independent brand get discovered these days?
Building a website is one thing (and frankly, we made plenty of mistakes with our early attempts). But then there's SEO, social media marketing, paid advertising, email campaigns... it's exhausting just thinking about it. We're in awe of brands that manage to do it all brilliantly - like Smallshops Big Hearts or Labour and Wait - but not everyone can be them, can they?
The brands we work with often tell us they'd rather be creating than managing Instagram ads. Fair enough, really.
Where We Might Be Wrong
Now, we could be completely missing something here. Maybe direct-to-consumer is working brilliantly for independent brands and we just haven't cracked it ourselves. Companies like Garmentory seem to manage both independent spirit and broad reach beautifully.
But what we keep seeing is talented makers creating extraordinary products in isolation - little islands of creativity that people discover purely by chance, if at all.
Our Slightly Biased Observation
From our corner of London and New York (and we admit, our view might be skewed), marketplaces seem to solve some interesting problems. Not that we're pushing our own agenda here - well, maybe a little - but we genuinely admire what others are doing in this space.
When we look at platforms like Wolf & Badger or directories like Store Front Collective they seem to create something individual brands can't: community, context, and shared discovery. A customer buying a candle might stumble upon ceramics from the same region, or jewelry that shares similar values.
The brands we work with often tell us they feel less alone when they're part of something bigger. Though maybe they're just being kind to us.
The Bit That Excites Us (If We're Right)
Here's what gets us genuinely excited - and please tell us if we're being naive - but marketplaces might create proper communities rather than just sales channels.
Companies like The Conran Shop have always understood this: they don't just sell products, they curate lifestyles and introduce customers to makers they'd never have found otherwise.
When it works well (and admittedly, it often doesn't), customers aren't just buying a product - they're supporting a movement, discovering new makers, and connecting with values they care about.
Where This Might Be Heading
We suspect - and we could be entirely wrong about this - that the most successful independent brands are going to be those that build partnerships rather than going it alone.
Not that there's anything wrong with the direct approach - brands like Ganni and Jacquemus have built empires doing exactly that. But for smaller makers, maybe there's strength in numbers?
The brilliant thing about platforms like Not on the High Street is that they've created ecosystems where independent brands can thrive without losing what makes them special.
Our Question to You
So here's what we're wondering: are we seeing something real here, or are we just creating solutions to problems that don't actually exist?
We'd genuinely love to know what challenges you've faced as an independent brand, or what you've noticed as someone who loves supporting independent makers. Companies like Liberty and Selfridges have been doing this curation thing for years - maybe there's nothing new here at all?
We hope this makes some sense, but honestly, we're still figuring it out ourselves. What do you think? Are we onto something or completely off the mark?
We're always keen to chat with other independent brands and learn from what you're doing. Drop us a line if you fancy a conversation - no agenda, just genuine curiosity about how we're all navigating this together.
