Impactful window displays on a budget
Rachel Heaton, Tiny’s Tipple, Chorlton
In a nutshell …
Put your best Blue Peter skills to the test to create a cardboard model of your own high street. It makes an excellent window display and when it’s time for a change, you can monetise it for charity.
Tell us more.
“The window needed changing so I thought I’d try something new. I wanted to recycle as I’m not keen on waste and there’s no shortage of boxes in the shop. I think it cost a tenner for the paint, and it took me about a month. I wasn’t doing it solidly and I needed something to do during lockdown.”
Is it really modelled on your own high street?
“It’s more representative of the local area. It includes a replica of the public library and the local Wetherspoons. It’s been in the window for a while now and I’ve been able to alter it according to the seasons or just to reflect what’s going on in the area. So I’ve added different houses and when the Black Lives Matter movement was in full swing last year I added little BLM signs in the windows of all the houses. At Christmas I made it a snowy Chorlton and added Christmas trees and fairy lights to make it all dolled-up.”
Do your customers like it?
“People have asked me to make a model of their house to include, and people wanting to buy the models, so I thought it would make sense to sell them for a local charity. I’m suggesting donations of £10 for a house or £15 to £20 for one of the local landmarks. I’m really keen to support Reach Out to the Community – they are a charity who run a food bank and do various things to help people in the area.”
Do you think any indie could do this?
“It’s an easily replicable idea. I’ve not done anything arty since I was at school and if I make a mistake it’s not a big deal, I can just recycle the box. We are a small local business and we are in the heart of this little suburb of Manchester. People come to us because they want to shop local and it’s nice to play on that locality.”
What’s up next for the window?
“The next theme is football. Obviously we have two big teams in Manchester and my colleague Ed [Gillibrand, the owner] is a big City fan. It’s not going to be City v United but red v blue. I’ve made little players from corks, a burger van and I’ve built a stadium out of pallets.”
Rachel wins a WBC gift box containing some premium drinks and a box of chocolates.
Tell us about a bright idea that’s worked for you and you too could win a prize.
