East Midlands shoppers are expected to spend around £231 each on Christmas presents this year and with a wealth of independent retailers in the city Liam Hunt investigates the possibility of an all-Nottingham gift-themed Christmas. Wottyer gerrin?Â
Christmas is just around the corner but don’t worry there is still plenty of time to find those perfect gifts. No petrol station chocolates required.
And with so much choice, independent retailers in Nottingham are encouraging shoppers to ditch the big high street chains and go for something a little different: regional gifts.
Mary Cocoran, creative director for Made in Nottingham says the city’s creative heritage is something we should celebrate this Christmas.
She said: “Nottingham has so much to be proud of with its heritage of textiles, manufacturing, art and literature.
“I myself came to the Midlands for the textile industry 20 years ago and stayed to design for many international brands from here.
“The making side of designs is returning in a green shoots type of way – small family run businesses, or city workers doing their ‘5-9’ on their kitchen table and letting their creative side keep them sane.
“Many of these find that the creative hobby they started blossoms into a profitable business.
“They create using the inspiration of the city and what it’s heritage stands for – quality, intricate design, wearable, mindful.”
Made in Nottingham originally began as a six week pop-up for Christmas in 2014 but opted for a permanent home in the Broadmarsh centre after it “created something that people couldn’t let go off.”
Mary added: “I read a few years ago that outside London in the 1800s, there was only one other patent office and it was in Nottingham, because there were that many new ideas, designs and products being invented and made in the Midlands.
“That creativity and vibe is still ‘in the water’ I feel. It is what drives us all to be different to what is already out there on the high street.”
Mary and co-curator Ben Rawson opened their flagship store in October 2015 and have built on their success by opening two more Nottingham themed shops.
In addition to their contemporary design gift store, Made in Nottingham also has an urban clothing store and a food emporium – all adding to the “Nottingham experience”.
When asked about an all-Nottingham Christmas Mary says there’s more then enough on offer: “You could spend double £231 and not have to buy anything twice.
“We have Nottingham lace purses and bags, a Wollaton Hall canvas with ‘lowry-esque’ quality and Sherwood Forest scented candles.
“From our textile heritage, we have woven dreamcatchers, knitting yarn and a knitwear collection from a family run knitting factory in Mansfield.
“Inspired by the Boys breakdancers of the 80s that Nottingham is famous for, we have an eclectic mix of streetwear brands, with the ‘Leftlion on a mixing deck’ as one of the most popular prints.
“The luxury coffee from Stewarts of Trent Bridge that we sell in our food emporium is also available to take home ground, we have jams, honey, roasted nuts, and artisan bottled sauces all made within the city.
“The list of Nottingham produce is endless, varied and fruitful.”
Having such an iconic dialect with colloquialisms that are still popular today there is something unique to be discovered in Nottingham-themed products.
Why do we say duck?
The word “duck” is a term of greeting used in Nottingham and dates back to Saxon times. The word “ducas” was a term of respect, similar to the Middle English word “duc” or “duk” meaning leader or commander – such as “Duke”.
Director of Dukki Gifts, Heidi Hargreaves, says Nottingham’s unique dialects should be celebrated in the gifts we buy: “It’s important to sell regional gifts on so many levels because you’ve got to keep local dialects alive.
“So many people are so proud of where they come from, there has to be something celebrating that, it’s important to keep it going.
“Regional dialects are being lost all over the country and language as a whole is being nationalised, it’s a part of our history that is as important as local landmarks and architecture.”
Also starting life in the Broadmarsh Centre, Dukki has since moved to St James’ Street.
Winner of the Inspiring Retail Award 2014, the independent gift store uses Nottingham’s unique heritage to produce bespoke gifts celebrating the humour in the local dialect.
Heidi added: “You can quite easily have a Nottingham Christmas, there are so many regional products that will appeal to all the family.
“The good thing about our store is that if there is something your ‘mam’ or ‘nanar’ said that you remember from your childhood we can print that for you.
“Business really does ramp up at Christmas time, business for our shop at Christmas is just ten fold what it is the rest of the year.
“We get a lot of people come in earlier in the year to look at what we’ve got and then will come back at Christmas with a clear idea of the gift they want.
“So yes a Nottingham-themed Christmas is definitely possible.”