An artistic Northumberland entrepreneur had to temporarily close her online shop after an endorsement from Instagram influencer Mrs Hinch saw the fledgling firm inundated with orders.
Lindsey Edwards set up Oak Studio from her home in Amble in November last year after deciding to turn a lockdown hobby into a small business, specialising in personalised wall art and keepsakes for young children.
She took 40 orders via Etsy in November and December.
But after Essex-based Sophie Hinchcliffe – known to her social media followers as Mrs Hinch – shared a snap of an Oak Studio wall hanging bearing the words ‘Sleep Little Bunny’ with her four million Instagram followers, Mrs Edwards received 40 orders in just one hour, forcing her to temporarily close her Etsy shop.
The mother of two also saw her own Instagram followers swell from 165 to more than 4,000.
“I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the response since Mrs Hinch shared a photo of the print,” said Mrs Edwards. “In the post, Mrs Hinch described it as ‘a beautiful hanging picture from a very small business @oakstudioprints,’ and commented: 'How cute is this?’
“To then take 40 orders in an hour was amazing. I had started the Etsy shop for people who are local who I thought might be interested in my work, and I never thought it would attract the attention it has.
“I have always done a little bit of design work and only started doing the wall hangers and printed keepsakes as a diversion during lockdown. It gave me something to do and brought so much positivity to our family during what has been an anxious time.”
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Mrs Hinch is currently pregnant with her second child and shared a number of posts with her fans about her latest gifts and purchases for her baby’s nursery. These were picked up by OK magazine and a national newspaper, who also gave Oak Studio a mention.
Mrs Edwards – who is mother to a three-year-old and a nine-month-old and currently on maternity leave – has now reopened her Etsy shop, with orders for her work continuing to come in. “I feel so humbled that people like my creations enough to want to buy them and display them in their homes,” she said.
“The traction from the new followers has generated hundreds of messages and comments about my wall art prints, as well as an influx of orders through my Etsy shop.”
Mrs Edwards is working from her kitchen table. She said she had spoken with many mothers who had decided to explore their hobbies during their maternity leave.
She added: “Perhaps it’s the sense of empowerment we feel after giving birth that gives us this leap of faith to turn a hobby into a business. I would encourage any women who are thinking about setting up their own small business from home to just go for it.”