Arch Publications Business Insight

In this edition of the Arch Publication Business Insights Podcast, our host Katy speaks to Sarah Russell, who is currently the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for the Congleton Constituency. This podcast was recorded a couple of months prior to the announcement of the 2024 General Election. Katy talks to Sarah about her family, career, and journey into politics.

AS The Design House by Interior Motives celebrates its one-year anniversary of having a retail space in Holmes Chapel, I had the opportunity to catch up with Mark, the owner, for our podcast series and to browse around their showroom.Their business consists of two parts that complement each other perfectly: Interior Motives, the interior design side, and The Design House, the retail space and showroom.The Design House is a wonderful shop open to the public, with a wide range of accessories such as lighting, candles, reed diffusers, furniture, cushions, dining ware, glassware, rugs, vases, soft furnishings, and furniture for all the rooms in your home. You can pop in to buy a gift for a birthday present, refresh your sofa with a set of new cushions or add a new scent to your home with a lovely candle.The Design House is set up as different rooms, including a kitchen area, lounge, and bedroom, and each section is filled with all the essentials on display that you can purchase. They have a range of furniture within the showroom, from a large comfy corner sofa to a leather-seated kitchen bench set and a perfectly dressed bed with a stunning headboard. Their links with furniture manufacturers and suppliers mean they can help you find the perfect item for your home, including sofas with a range of styles, sizes, materials, and fabrics that can be made to order on a standard turnaround. The wide range of choice allows you to have something very unique for your home.In addition to the range of accessories in the shop that you can buy on the day, they have catalogues of the latest homeware available to order, and with Mark and Max on hand, they can advise you on what could work in your home.There are items for all budgets, and I couldn’t resist a set of three Sandalwood candles and two large decorative vases to brighten up our lounge. We were also lucky enough to pick up a bargain, an ex-display large occasional chair which Mark delivered the very next day. I am currently using it as I write, curled up under a throw and sitting very comfortably.They also have a wall of fabric and wallpaper books and a large bench for you to spread them out and spend as much time as you need to go through them for your next project.Their wall covering ranges include traditional paper in rolls, murals from designers like Cole & Son, and the latest fabric materials. They can work with all budgets, offering rolls of wallpaper from just £20.Since opening the shop at the beginning of 2022, they have changed their stock for the seasons. On the build-up to Christmas, they had a massive array of decorations and gifts. They also update the showroom throughout the year to help inspire you with the latest trends and designs. They have had two large sale events with huge savings on stunning quality ex-showroom furniture, wallpaper, fabrics, and home accessories.Mark and Max are looking forward to the next couple of months. Not only are they going to be grandparents for the first time, but they are also launching a new website where you will be able to buy their whole range while relaxing at home. However, if you are like me and love to spend time browsing the shelves, having The Design House on our doorstep makes it so easy to pop out for an hour and pick up something new and affordable for my home. Their location is easy to get to as it is on the new industrial estate, next to Screwfix behind the vets, with free parking or just a short walk from the centre of Holmes Chapel. So, whether you are buying a gift for someone or treating yourself, The Design House is the perfect location.

From a small watch repair business in Haslington 75 years ago to the jewellers we all know and love today, John Pass is celebrating this milestone birthday in a very special way with 75 Moments of Kindness throughout 2023. To find out more about their plans for the coming year, I visited their shop on Nantwich Road in Crewe to talk to its current custodian, Andrew Pass.Andrew tells me the history of the business, which started back in the 1800s with Thomas Edwin Pass, a watchmaker in Coventry, who specialised in making parts for English Lever pocket watches. His son joined him in the business, but competition from Switzerland and America took its toll on English watchmaking, and the family business closed in 1906. Thomas Pass moved to Cheshire, where he worked as a watch repairer. On his retirement, he set up his own watchmaking workshop where he was joined by his three sons, who completed their watchmaking apprenticeships under him just as World War II broke out.During this time the three brothers were drafted into the RAF, which recruited them specifically for their watchmaking skills – putting them to good use making and fixing aircraft instruments such as altimeters, which they would then have to personally test in the air. At the close of the war, two of the brothers returned and set up a thriving watch repair business in Haslington, near Crewe. This was later followed in 1956 with the opening of John Pass on Nantwich Road in Crewe – where we know it today!Andrew’s grandfather, John Pass Senior, needed help one busy run-up to Christmas, so Andrew’s dad put his plans to become a teacher on hold with the aim of just helping him out for a couple of weeks; however, he never left!Andrew attributes the growth of the retail side of the business to his mum and dad whilst maintaining a service centre on site for watch and jewellery repairs. In fact, Martin, their in-house jeweller, is celebrating 50 years of service with John Pass next year. Having an in-house jeweller means you can go into them with a gem of an idea, perhaps an image or drawing of something you like, and they can design it for you, bringing it to life on CAD (computer-aided design and drafting) software and then making a wax mould so you can really get a feel for how the piece will look when it is fully made. They have links with the oldest jewellery manufacturers in the UK; these pieces are of outstanding quality and made by craftspeople with a wealth of experience.Andrew’s own career is extremely interesting. He graduated from university with a first-class honours in mining engineering, and he then went on to work for Marks and Spencer, where he cut his teeth in retail as a graduate trainee. He worked his way up in M&S; however, with a very similar fate as his own father, he recognised his parents needed some help in the business, so he took a year career break to support them and never looked back. Andrew has been at John Pass for nearly 30 years now. He believes his prior experience in retail gave him a great understanding of the business, and this knowledge has helped him enormously during the changes that bricks and mortar retail has faced over the decades and continues to experience. His own daughter has also achieved qualifications in other fields, and Andrew values these skills as they will be transferable, if they take over the business in the future. Andrew likes having people in the John Pass team who have worked in other industries as they bring in new perspectives and fresh eyes. This helps the business to move with the times and stay current.

In the short time I have been interviewing local businesses for the Arch Publication Podcast I have met so many interesting people. I believe everyone has a story to tell, and I really enjoy finding out about their journeys and passions as local business owners. In this episode I interviewed Jason and Abi, the owners at Larvin and Clegg Funeral Care; a couple who really love their jobs. Jason was 14 years old when he told his teachers during a career event that he wanted to be an undertaker, although he was much younger when he first decided this was his ideal job. He grew up in hilly rural West Yorkshire and was interested in nature; he always had a jam jar in his pocket to catch grasshoppers and ladybirds. He would head out with his friends in search of living things to investigate. One of the best places was graveyards, very often untouched for decades, filled with wild flowers and long grass; the perfect place to find unusual little creatures. He started to notice the large lumps of stone and became fascinated with what they marked beneath the surface. He also recalls being five years old and out walking with his mum when she insisted they stop to bow their heads as a funeral cortege passed by. The slow, solemn and respectful convoy of vehicles had an impact on him and he knew this was what he wanted to do. After he left school he wrote to all the local funeral directors asking for an opportunity, but in those days most of them were generational family businesses and didn’t recruit externally, so he found it very difficult. Deciding to change his direction and train as an embalmer when he was 21, he managed to get a work placement at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary within the mortuary. Following on from this experience he still struggled to get that first opportunity; however, he never gave up and after some time managed to get his break within a family run funeral service, where he completed his apprenticeship and finally became an undertaker. Abi’s career was very different. She trained to be a beauty therapist then spent time working in the industry. After a while she wanted to do something completely different and was offered an opportunity at a funeral directors. She was able to use her skills when caring for the deceased, doing their hair and makeup and dressing them in their own clothes, so they are ready for their loved ones to say their goodbyes. After a long time working for corporate funeral firms, the couple decided to set up their own company. They both had a separate set of skills which when united made them the perfect team. Abi is very organised and is an experienced manager. Jason is a qualified undertaker and embalmer, and they both have sensitivity and understanding, which is essential when arranging the funerals with the families or friends of the deceased. They are a family business through and through. Abi’s dad drives the hearse, and his cousin is a coffin bearer. Both Jason and Abi agree their line of work is not a job. It is not a career; it is a way of life. Their services are needed 24/7, 365 days a year, they are ready to be there for families on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, Easter and in the middle of the night. Jason tells me that over the years there have been many times his Christmas dinner has been microwaved because they have been called and informed of a passing, because no matter what they are doing they put the families they deal with first.

Welcome to the next episode of our Business Insights podcast where I chat with Sandbach born and bred Tom Holmes. His love for rugby started at Sandbach Boys School, took him to South Africa before coming back home and playing for Sale Sharks. In 2018, Tom and team mate Will wondered if it was possible to have a lower calorie lager, after pitching the concept to brewers they found the formula and Bach 95 was born. This is the story so far of Tom and Bach 95.

In this episode we chat with Daniel Keen, a music teacher turned business owner of Sandbach Music, who has the simple goal of spreading the love of music. We met at his busy school and music shop in the heart of Sandbach while it was alive with the sound of music and lessons.

JP Goldman are specialists in property law. The Directors have many years of experience between them. In this episode Katy chats to Daniel about the company and property conveyance law.

In this episode Katy meets Louise from Crossroads Together based at Overton House, West Street in Congleton. In the beautiful building they chat about their history, their work as part of Carers Trust and supporting unpaid carers through their Day Centres.

In this episode Katy meets Jo for a fascinating chat about being the owner of a Funeral Directors. Katy has so many questions so take a listen now

In this episode Katy meets Emma, at a beautiful converted chapel in Scholar Green, home to Semper Hopkins Upholstery & Interiors Workshops. They chat about Emma's leap to follow her dream, the workshop classes and the support of family.

In this first episode of the Arch Publications Podcast, Katy talks to Doug Carter, owner of Premium Doors of Cheshire and Wheelock Business Hub. Doug talks about his early careers through to opening Premium Doors of Cheshire and the Wheelock Hub with his partner Lillie.