Dream it Do it – Sweet Ginger Emporium

Sweet Ginger Emporium is a crafty shop in a town called Ramsey on the Isle of Man. It was founded 4 years ago by two friends, Julie James and Ciara Kilgallon. Julie has 4 grown-up children and 2 grandchildren, Ciara has a little girl. Both of them always loved crafting and still do! Sweet Ginger does a little bit of everything- yarns, dress-making, felting, ribbons, buttons, gorgeous trims from India, crafty kits, locally made items and sundries. Fabric is what Sweet Ginger is known for though- cottons, jersey, needle cord and furnishing.

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We were delighted to be able to feature Sweet Ginger Emporium in the Bustle & Sew Magazine as part of our “Dream it, Do it” series where we talk to entrepreneurs who have been able to make the leap from employee to working for themselves. Before launching Sweet Ginger both Ciara and Julie were nurses in the Island’s main hospital, working on the Medical Assessment Unit.  We asked them to give
us their top advice for anyone considering starting their own small business, and they told us:

“Be excited about your idea and believe in it because if you don’t, why should anyone else? Do a Small Business Course – the Isle of Man Government runs an excellent one. Courses like this can provide the tools to make your dream a reality and there may be grants or further support you can access. It is also an excellent opportunity for networking with like-minded people.”

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And for the future, Julie and Ciara tell us they’d like a bigger shop with a work-space customers can use and an area where they can sit, look at books and magazines and plan their next project. A children’s play area would be a bonus! There are lots of other products they’d like to stock too, particularly for dress-making.  In the meantime, they have a shiny new website to develop.  Final bit of Sweet Ginger advice- dreams can be reality- and the reality can be even better than the dream!

Thank you so much Julie and Ciara for being part of the August issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine.  Sweet Ginger Emporium have very kindly given Bustle & Sew readers 15% off everything on their website!  To claim your discount just head on over to the Sweet Ginger Emporium website and enter code “bustle15” at checkout.

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