Founded by Holly Tucker MBE, the queen of small business, Holly & Co is a new, carefully curated small business marketplace that champions female entrepreneurs and spans everything from baby and children’s brands to jewellery, homeware, stationery and art.
Holly Tucker MBE, founder of notonthehighstreet, is back to revolutionise retail once again. With 20 years of experience under her belt, she is now placing women and their small businesses at the forefront with a brand-new marketplace: Holly & Co − The Home of Small Business. Founded by females, championing female founders, and with female shoppers in mind, Holly & Co aims to deliver what women need and want.
Essentially, the marketplace does the hard work for busy, thoughtful women craving the simple joy of discovering beautiful, never-before-seen gifts, either for themselves or others. It caters to those wishing to shop with purpose and to support other women and their families. It is for women looking to be creatively inspired by unique products from UK small businesses, 90% of which are female-founded, and all of which are hand-picked and personally curated by Holly herself.
As a Certified B Corp, Holly & Co is also serious about balancing purpose with profit and advocating business for good.
“I always knew I had unfinished business and that Holly & Co would not truly be complete until I revolutionised retail again, so here I am, risking it all, albeit with 20 years of experience under my belt,” says Holly Tucker MBE. “Launching the Holly & Co shop, a highly curated marketplace with purpose at its core, has long been a dream of mine. My aim is to make a positive mark on the world by changing the way people shop, live and work for the better.
“Holly & Co is more than a marketplace,” she continues. “As well as joyful shopping, it shares creative inspiration and shows women how to start or grow their own small businesses. The ‘Co’ in Holly & Co stands for our ‘Community’ of UK small businesses that sell through our marketplace, of which over 90% are female-founded, 70% are mums, and 80% are aged 40-65.”
This unique and pioneering retail concept launched with over 15,000 handmade items, offering inspiring products for the many varied life events that women have to shop for, including those involving babies and children. With a focus on organic and sustainable brands, Holly & Co plays host to a wide selection of high-quality children’s products that are all designed to last.
The offer spans baby and children’s clothing, footwear and accessories to décor for nurseries and playrooms, fancy dress, toys, games, books and more.
In terms of brands, you can expect to find the likes of Another Fox, Avery Row, Bella & Phoenix, Dotty Dungarees, Elfie, Florence and Bunny, Mr Wolf Kids, Pip & Henry, Runaround Retro, The Far Away Gang, The Middle Daughter and Zig & Star, to mention but a few. Alongside child-related gifts, Holly & Co covers many other joyful milestones with its curated collections, whether it’s for green-fingered friends, foodies or much-loved mutts. Even for life’s darker moments, when finding the right words or gifts feels impossible, Holly & Co can provide creative and thoughtful gift ideas for loved ones going through cancer, IVF, menopause, loss or divorce, for example.
To help customers connect even further with their purchases, Holly & Co invites all businesses on the marketplace to use badges to share attributes about themselves or their products. For instance, ‘neurodiverse founder’, ‘Black-owned business’, ‘over 60s founder,’ or ‘made in the UK.’ This allows shoppers to vote with their money for the kind of world they want to live in, so they know exactly what they are buying and who their money is supporting.
It’s not just shoppers’ needs that Holly & Co strives to meet.
It also works hard to support its community with a hub of small business advice available via the marketplace. Holly’s Business Pharmacy, for instance, offers “business advice to cure all ills.” Maybe you’ve always wanted to start a business but don’t know how, you’re feeling some entrepreneurial growing pains, or you’re struggling with “founder-itis” − the marketplace has a dedicated area full of helpful articles written in plain English that are designed to boost confidence as well as sales.
Holly’s podcast, The Conversations of Inspiration, shares insight, motivation and powerfully honest stories of those brave enough to make the break and do what they love. There is also information on Holly & Co’s various campaigns that fly the flag for small businesses, including Shop Independent Day and the anti-Black Friday initiative, Colour Friday. Plus, the Female Founders campaign runs annually to help show what female founders bring to the table and exactly what a female founder looks like.
“I want to shake up the retail sector,” concludes Tucker. “It is still largely dominated by male, grey-haired men, and yet it is women who are driving this economy and remain largely the CEO of the household − but no one is connecting with her in a meaningful way. So, I’m setting out to pioneer a new type of retail, one that involves heart, soul and curation at its core, which will finally reignite our imaginations and celebrate the colour and creativity of the very best of UK small businesses.
“When our Holly & Co customers shop, they are shopping with purpose, championing the female economy, flexible working, and supporting families. All with a generous dose of Holly & Co small business inspiration on top. I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy it.”
For further information, please click here or follow @hollytucker on Instagram.
