East End Trades Guild launch crowdfunding campaign for Independents’ Day

Championing independents: Rosie Wolfenden (right) and Harriet Vine (left) of Tatty Devine

The East End Trades Guild has launched a campaign to crowdfund the first of a series of annual events to showcase small businesses in East London.

East End Independents’ Day, planned for Saturday 3 December, is intended to highlight the sheer multitude of small independent shops, services and other firms that contribute to the area’s distinctive character.

With help from Herb Lester and James Brown The East End Trades Guild is making a map of the enterprises that help fund their IndieGoGo campaign that runs to Friday 8 July.

The map will direct the public to events and walking tours of studios, machine rooms, and shop floors.

Participating business across all sectors will be featured, and members of the public can also get involved as a Friend of the East End Trades Guild.

The businesses that are members of the East End Trades Guild (EETG) know an average of 80 customers by name, and they have a collective annual turnover of over £77 million.

Rosie Wolfenden, EETG founding member and managing director of world-famous jewellers Tatty Devine said; “I think the idea of an Independents’ Day is brilliant! It should be celebrated, whether you’ve got a shop or an industrial space, or if you run a service”.

As of today, the campaign has already raised over 50 per cent of its £20,000 target.

You can find the crowdfunding campaign here.

Stronger together: The launch of the East End Trades Guild in 2012