With the short and unpredictable British summers, Julie Fountain and her business partner and sister, Becky, knew they had to find different markets for their Beach Art Glass business to succeed.
The sisters thought their unique and sea-inspired jewellery would fit in well with Australia’s beach culture and so they decided to travel 1,000 miles to exhibit their ranges at the Sydney International Jewellery Fair.
“We always knew we wanted to expand our business into countries that embrace beach culture, and we were over the moon to be awarded a generous grant by the Department for International Trade which has part-funded our international trip,” Fountain explains.
“We feel that Australia, with so many miles of coastline and a welcoming attitude to British brands, is the perfect place to showcase our Beach Art Glass jewellery.
“Of course there are other factors that make Australia an attractive market for us to enter―we all speak the same language, lots of you came from the UK or have family ties here, you appreciate the quality of British-made, your seasons are opposite to ours which helps balance our business year round, and nobody does that laid-back summery vibe like you guys down under,” she enthuses.
Fountain has been making glass lampwork beads since 2007 and in 2014 she decided to concentrate on her coastal designs and develop a business selling directly to retail outlets in the UK.
All of the pieces are handmade, with earrings, bracelets and pendants created using the robust, heirloom quality glass beads and fine sterling silver.
She says the feedback at the fair was amazing as many visitors hadn’t come across lampwork beads before.
“They were intrigued and delighted by the skill and artistry of our jewellery and were excited to be able to offer their customers something really new and unique. One retailer commented that visitors to their shop were tired of ‘green stone and paua shell’ and were looking for something different… we had eight shops placing orders there and then! We’ve come away with some really great leads to follow up too and other exciting ideas to work on.”
Fountain likes to maximise her exposure by taking advantage of the opposite seasons in Australia and Europe as she is considering her options for next year.
“We are already exhibiting at a major UK trade show in February which is the perfect buying time for the British summer; then we would love to come back to Australia in July or August to attend another show and pick up more orders! We are always on the lookout for more agents and distributors down under.”
