After a 2-year break due to the pandemic, independent business Paperstarlights is celebrating its return to live Christmas markets.

On a hot day in August we met company Directors Andy Jupp and Jules Cooper at their showroom in Derbyshire as they prepared for this year’s Christmas market season.

‘It’s hard work but enjoyable, says Andy, ‘many Christmas markets start at the beginning of November and carry on right into the New Year – so it’s a long stint. But with our background in music festivals and production, we just love to put on a show and make people happy - and that’s what counts! We start preparing and packing in August – but it’s fair to say we actually spend all year preparing for Christmas – even during a heatwave!’

Good to be Back

Over the last 20 years, Christmas markets in the UK have taken off as both shopping destinations and social spaces. The events are also an opportunity for small independent businesses and artisan craft sellers to showcase their wares to new customers – offering a pop-up environment to those not in a position to run a bricks and mortar shop throughout the year.

And make no mistake, the last 2 years have been challenging. For a small independent business like Paperstarlights which cut its teeth on face-to-face trading and get-down-in-the-thick-of-it live retail, the forced retreat behind a screen has been tough. However, the company has flourished. And diversified. And now with the Christmas season once again approaching, the team is welcoming its imminent return to the streets.

‘There’s nothing quite like meeting customers face to face’, says Jules, ‘we love sharing their decision-making and helping them choose the product that’s right for them. It’s lovely when customers share their stories with us – and we end up feeling very involved in their purchase! We have customers who come back and see us year after year – often travelling great distances to see us – and we end up forming bonds with them. We’ve really missed this during the pandemic’

Award Winning Retail

Little wonder the company has won awards for its customer service over the years – and has even been named best Christmas Market Stall in the UK by a well-known supermarket. A fitting tribute to the quarter of a century the company has spent behind a counter.

Since 1996, Paperstarlights has produced handmade and fairly traded paper star lanterns. In the same year, the company began sharing the light at live Christmas events with its first Christmas sideshows in Yorkshire.

Embodying a bold DIY and pop-up peddlar aesthetic, its earliest touring contraption consisted of an oversized umbrella and a Silver Cross pram. With stars suspended from the spokes, its Heath Robinson-esque starlight mobile became well known at markets and music festivals alike.

Fast forward 26 years, the company is still proud of its innovative approach to retail display.

‘Each of our touring stalls is different’, enthuses Andy, ‘we employ artists and traditional sign-painters to create bespoke facades which reflect where we’re trading – often incorporating reproductions of local architecture – in miniature form of course! We even have a façade featuring a miniature Bath Abbey, complete with stained glass windows which light up at night!’

This is clearly a company which is going places – and you can sense the team’s eagerness to get there.

‘It’s good to be back!’ says Jules ‘We love sharing the light online. But you can’t beat the sights, sounds and smells of a live Christmas market!’

Visit Paperstarlights at:

Bath Christmas Market: 24^th November to 11^th December 2022
York St Nicholas Fair: 17^th November to 23^rd December 2022
Chatsworth Christmas Market: 5^th – 23^rd November 2022
Blenheim Palace Christmas Market: 17^th November – 4^th December 2022
Lincoln Christmas Market: 1^st – 4^th December 2022
Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas Market: 8^th – 11^th December 2022

For more information, please visit Paperstarlights.com

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Paperstarlights has been sharing the light since 1996. A family run independent business based in Derbyshire UK, it produces hand-made paper star lanterns in partnership with a family-run business in India. With a focus on a single product, the company is a market leader in the production and distribution of paper star lanterns. Shortlisted for the Good Retail Awards 2020 Community Award, co-operation, community and sustainability lie at the heart of everything it does.

Contact: andy@paperstarlights.com
www.paperstarlights.com