Bespoke lampshade business opens in Kettering

A new business in Kettering that specialises in bespoke handmade lamps has opened in The Yards.

The Shade Base, set up by Katie Sherwin, is in the The Yards' carriage in Market Street and opened in July.

Katie said: "I have been working in the soft furnishing industry for a bit of time and noticed customers were struggling to get hold of lampshades they liked or had fabric leftover from curtains and things like that, and I noticed a gap in the market because they had fabric they could use for lampshades.

"Customers can bring in fabric or wallpaper they have got. We can make lamps of different sizes, shapes, all to each person's specification.

"Not all fabrics are suitable so we test it and make sure it will work, but if not we can help choose something else."

The Shade Base also makes lamps ready to buy, as well as bespoke options.

Katie runs the business with help from her children, Vicki, 19, and Jon, 17. She said: "We started planning the business in November 2019 and then we looked at the carriage at The Yards before lockdown. We'd been looking for a while and then the carriage came up."

The family wondered if they should go ahead with opening a shop during lockdown, but they decided to go for it.

Katie said: "We got the keys in June and held a couple of early bird open days in July.

"It's been quite difficult in terms of Covid, we would have had a grand opening and I want to be able to welcome everyone in.

"But keeping everyone safe is the most important thing."

The Shade Base is open for shoppers but also offers one-on-one appointments. It also has an Etsy shop available here.

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