Partridge and Pear Tree

Partridge and Pear Tree was conceived when I lived on our 76 year old yacht on the Mediterranean with my husband. We were away for four years and it was a wonderful life, but I spent my time, in between beach barbeques, exploring beautiful aquamarine coves and mending sails dreaming of having a business selling beautiful fabric at incredibly good prices. I had a contact from whom I could buy the fabric and as soon as I got back to England I began to develop the company. This was helped in no small part by the person from whom we rented a cottage on an estate in Hertfordshire. Once she heard I could get hold of such wonderful fabric, she decided to have a sale in her house, and invited all her friends.

It was an incredible success. There was a fee at the door and I gave 10% of the takings to the charity Sheila chose. She had a cake stall and did a raffle as well as providing soup and bread for her visitors at lunchtime. I can't remember how much the charity got on that first occasion, but the sales have generated between £100 and £900 for the charities the hostesses have supported in the past year.

Five years ago we moved to Devon The business, having grown and been very successful for six years has successfully re-located to Devon. Partridge and Pear Tree has established itself as a name in designer seconds and clearance fabrics in the south west and on the internet.

We have a wide range of fabrics and the choice is constantly changing, but, for example, at the moment we have silks reduced from over £80 per metre to £19.99 per metre, as well as fabrics that normally retail at £20-30 per metre selling for under £10 a metre.

We have very famous names that appear in the top magazines, but we aren't allowed to advertise the fact. We also have three metre pieces of fabric (called fents in the trade) that retail at up to £90 per metre for £9.99 per metre….as well as greatly reduced trimmings and accessories.

We have a shop in South Molton, in North Devon where we sell the fabrics and undertake commissions, from a single window or armchair whole houses and hotels.

But our first love is the house sales....…once the hostess has decided she would like to hold a sale, we send 250 (or more) invitations and envelopes. The hostess sends out the invitations about a month before the sale. We come the night before or early on the day of the sale and display the fabric in the house…we would usually take up three good sized rooms…hall, drawing room and dining room usually works well, although we have been in a barn before and are adaptable.

The sale usually runs from 10a.m. to 4p.m. A small entrance fee - £2 seems to work well, is charged and the hostess provides tea and coffee for the visitors. This money, as well as any money raised from a cake stall and a raffle goes to the charity the hostess is supporting. We sell the fabric, trimmings and accessories, advise on how much people need, help with curtain design and will take jobs away at the end of the day to be made up should the customers require it. (We do curtain and blind making, upholstery, loose covers, headboards, pelmets, screens….) At the end of the day we leave the house as we found it and we will then give the host 10% of the takings on the day after VAT to the charity of their choice.

It is a great way to raise money for charity…and a novel one. Ladies, in general, love fabric. Most people love a bargain and for anyone fundraising it is an unusual way, with minimum effort on the part of the host, to support their favourite charity……and, if they need new curtains, the fabric is all there, in the house, for them to try out in situ!

Paula Dormer

enquiries@partridgeandpeartree.eclipse.co.uk

April 2008