Patrick Grant – A new fan for us?

Imagine my surprise when a customer came into the shop to buy a 1950’s teak bowl and told me that being listed in a book had prompted him to visit our website. “A book?” I thought to myself, assuming he was perhaps reading about the Danish or Scandinavian design and had done some local research. I thought I’d ask him which book it was since I’d probably also be interested in what the author had to say, and so imagine my shock when the customer told me about the book in question; he was reading ‘Less’ by Patrick Grant. I must have looked vague when he said Patrick Grant, then said he was THE Patrick of The Great British Sewing Bee. I must admit that although I love the programme, I hadn’t actually heard that Patrick had released a book, never mind that he had mentioned A Little Futrniture Shop in it! The customer explained the book to me as the title ‘Less’ seemed quite cryptic, he said the book was about buying quality, buying fewer things and making them last. Certainly not a novel idea (pardon the pun), but one that really does need expressing in this fast paced world of consumer culture.

The appendix at the back of the book had a list of British artisan makers and apparently we were listed. Well, off I went to search out the book to the local bookshop round the corner from me called Pengwern Books. I always try to buy and support local independent businesses. We try and look out for each other as much as possible. Independent retailers are a big pull to Shrewsbury visitors, so we support each other.

When I opened the book, I admit I went straight to the back pages. What an honour to be not only at the top of the page, but to be on the same page as Ercol and Linley Furniture. I’ve no idea how Partick came to find out about us. If he came into the shop, then I must’ve been too busy to have registered it was him, or perhaps he wasn’t in his dapper suit and his moustache wasn’t perfectly shaped that day! We shall never know! We may have been recommended to him, but again I wouldn’t know by whom, on the bright side, I may not have met him but this must mean that not only are we offering quality crafted goods made in Britain, but we are also offering good enough customer service to be held in high esteem from a Saville row tailor – go me!

From devouring the book in the past few days is the book, and Mr Grant, has the same principles that we try to work with. Mark is a craftsman which has been a lifelong career. To quote Partick, “The craftsperson nurtures and develops a single ability throughout the course of their working life, refining it through practice and through teaching.”

He goes onto to say “Good work is doing something the way it should be done. It is correctness, it is quality. The difference can be explained by doing something right and merely getting the job done. Too often in working lives we are constrained and forced to do functional rather than good work. The desire to do good work is natural and the craftsman is not satisfied with just good enough.” Many women of a certain age have a soft spot for a Mr Hugh Grant, however, I think those of us who settle in to watch quality sewing on the BBC think of a different Mr Grant in the very same way…

Overall, after reading his book, I couldn’t have put it better myself. Craftsmanship matters.