Craft Focus - August/September 2020 (Issue 80)

73 PROFILE Crafts and more Debbi Moore, owner or Debbi Moore Designs discusses how her business has developed from a dining room set-up to a warehouse churning out in excess of 800,000 designs! Tell us a bit about the business. What do you specialise in? When did you start? Debbi Moore Designs is a design and manufacture business based in the north east of England catering for the craft and hobby industry. We specialise in designing and drawing from the first stages and producing a variety of products from craft kits, magazines to USB keys and even MDF kits. Our company motto is Sharing Inspiration and Creativity with You, and this is what we focus on whenever we design a new range. Sometimes I can’t believe how far we’ve come. I started the business more than 11 years ago with an idea, I had no funding, no staff, I didn’t have a clue how to start and my office was my dining room. Now we have more than 800,000 designs that we have used over our collections, a large warehouse, offices and a fabulous team of 11 people. How’s business operating during the current Covid-19 pandemic? It’s been a very hard time both personally and professionally. With the death of my mother we’ve had to close our craft shop and focus more on our TV shows and online business. As many people would have experienced, we’ve been extremely short staffed, behind in admin, and processing orders. Over the last few months my husband and I have had to work double shifts to ensure the company survives. However, all our customers have been amazing and so understanding and together we’ve managed to get through it. What changes can customers expect from you? We want to work more with our customers, offering video content for their website sharing the ideas and inspiration on how our products work so their customers can see the benefits of buying a Debbi Moore Designs product. What products are currently selling very well? At the moment everyone is after Christmas products, to get ready for Christmas, from card kits to USB keys. What new products have you got to offer? We’re in the process of launching new Inspirational Craft Boxes with video content of how to use the kits. Therefore, it’s not just a product for existing crafters but is also a starter kit for new crafters. What can we expect from you in the next six months? We’re changing our business model to be a more of an online business sharing more inspiration and ideas of how best to use my products through video and social content. Do you have any advice for retailers or craft businesses? From my recent experience, we’ve had to be open to change to help ensure the growth of the business. I’d recommend that you increase your social presence, ensure you have a website that’s easily accessible, and start your own crafting community online. This enables you to reach a bigger audience and have customers from all round the world. +44 (0)1325 465 049 www.debbimoore.co.uk