Compliments are awesome, but if you can, buy Just A Card!

"If everyone who'd complimented our beautiful gallery had bought just a card we'd still be open"

When Sarah Hamilton (pictured left), creator of the Just A Card Campaign, read this quote by shopkeepers who'd recently closed their gallery, she knew it was time to take action. Sarah explains "I thought - enough is enough - we need to fight back! As an artist and designer, who also makes cards, I know just how valuable each and every sale is, not only to independent shops and galleries which make our High Streets unique, but to their artist and designer suppliers. Sadly  it's too late for that gallery, but others need our valuable support, and that is why we started our campaign JUST A CARD - to encourage people to appreciate just how invaluable every single purchase is."

Speaking as a small, independent business (The Curious Pancake has a total team size of just one person for 98% of the time!) the Just A Card campaign is something we're 100% behind. In fact, we can't shout about it enough! It's often quite difficult as a micro business to feel like you're being heard over the roar of the bigger companies, but when we group together and create supportive communities, like the Just A Card campaign is doing, we can make a difference. We already know that people want to support small businesses and shop local, we just need to keep telling them where to go and the difference that their purchases make in strengthening the local economy. 

So how can you get involved in the Just A Card campaign?

• Buy JUST A CARD, some jewellery, artwork, ceramics or any handmade delight from a wealth of talent at exhibitions, craft/design shows and gorgeous independent shops.
• Follow the campaign here
• Tell your friends and family and share our campaign on Twitter and Facebook.

If you're a designer, artist, illustrator, maker, small business owner or maybe all of the above, you might be interested to know that Just A Card has #JustACard Hour every Thursday at 8pm over on Twitter where they encourage tweets and networking around the promotion of your business. You can also download the Just A Card badge to use on your blog or website to show your support of small, independent businesses. 

To all the converts (and we reckon that's most of you reading this article!) we offer our heartfelt thanks to you for choosing to shop with us! You're not only helping support my small UK, taxpaying business, you're supporting a network of well over 40 independent artists, designers and makers, including me, many of whom are keeping traditional processes, like letterpress, alive and kicking!

Ways you can support this small business today:

Buy a birthday card! Or any other card or gift in our store for that matter! :)

Sign up to our totally awesome, non annoying newsletter to be kept up to date with all the new products and fab things our little business is getting up to.

Other free ways you can support us:

• Leave us a review on Google or Facebook
• Follow us and re-tweet us on Twitter
• Follow and like our posts on Instagram
• Spread the word about our fab cards to your friends and relatives!

Thank you!