News of the campaign to save Sew and So
Report of the meetings on July 28, 2025
Thank you for your interest in and support for the campaign to keep Sew and So in Stroud open as a community venture. Below is a report of the public meetings on 28th July. It’s long but there is a lot to report so please do take the time to read through it. Please send any questions, ideas or offers of help to info@sewandsostroud.shop
REPORT OF SEW AND SO MEETINGS HELD ON MONDAY 28TH JULY
About 45 people attended, including Simon Opher. MP who wished us well.
The building
Jackie found a buyer for the building but wasn’t successful in finding someone to take over the shop. The building owner, a long-time Stroud resident, is keen for the shop to continue to remain open. He wants £135 weekly rent and will pay the rates.
We are in the process of studying his draft lease.
Legal matters
South Woodchester, Whiteshill, Amberley, Chalford, and Horsley have community-run village shops The legal model used by these shops is called a Community Benefit Society (a new name for a Co-op). Co-operatives UK advise on setting up Community Benefit Societies. Diana contacted them and was advised to put in a brief outline about Sew and So. Their applications committee considered the outline and said that we were eligible to receive 3 days of help from them in completing the application to become a Community Benefit Society. That help is going to be provided by the Plunkett Foundation that supports over 800 existing community-owned businesses and helps newly developing ones like Sew and So. The training is going to start next week.
Taking over the shop
This involves buying the remaining stock - £29,000 plus a £30,000 goodwill payment to Jackie for building up the customer base over the last 48 years. Jackie is willing to give the new shop time so that profits from sales can pay for this while grant funding comes in. Before the shop re-opens there will also need to be a re-stocking, possibly another £20,000ish.
Financial options
1. Quite a few supporters have generously donated money through Gofundme totalling nearly £1,900. Gofundme: tinyurl.com/wbtk2tj3
(This money will be refunded if the project doesn’t go ahead.)
2. Once set up as a Community Benefit Society shares can be issued to members. This will bring in more funds.
3. We can apply for a grant from Stroud District Council and from their new crowdfunding programme Spacehive. The Council may grant up to £10,000 to a project but most importantly they are in touch with over £7m from outside funders that can back a campaign. Last year 17 projects reached their goals with the support of nearly 2000 generous outside backers. Over £254,000 was raised.
Financial crisis
Jackie wishes to retire mid August but if funding were granted by Spacehive etc this wouldn’t even be announced until mid September so there is an urgent financial problem. Do you know anyone willing to consider lending the new Sew and So some money to enable the shop to open by, say 1st September?
A community-run Sew and So could expand its contribution to Stroud life
Sew and So provides an essential service to Stroudies and makes a profit for doing so. Under community management this profit could be re-invested back into the community. There could be subsidised courses in sewing, knitting, embroidery etc that would bring people together and benefit well-being and mental health. For example: numerous organisations in Stroud make costumes for their events, Sew and So could provide training as well as socialising. Schools have world book day for example; drama groups make costumes for their productions; the school Prom also requires an exotic outfit. Sew and So could offer a sewing instructor and a place to make costumes in a group.
Nearby Open House adjacent to Star Anise café has a large room that could be used for this.
Volunteering
Lastly people were asked to volunteer for a number of vital roles. The number indicates those who volunteered at the meeting :
· People interested in becoming a full-time manager (experience of retail, sewing, knitting, very friendly etc) (0)
· volunteers to work in the shop (12)
· people with financial skills, retail skills, business plan skills, community skills to form a Management Committee (7)
· To join the Fund-raising committee (2)
· To join the run courses committee (7)
· To offer publicity skills – FB, whatsapp, etc. (1)
· To run the website (2)
· Ideas for new products and courses (1)
If ay of these roles are of interest to you please email info@sewandsostroud.shop. Please volunteer by mid August so meetings can be set up soon.
Points raised in questions
How Sew and So would work with the new haberdashery shop opening in Stroud in October. Would two shops in Stroud be viable? Would the products be the same?
Shop Manager. Salary (£23,000) The Manager would need to focus on the retail side and supporting the volunteers in the shop. Reaching out to the community and running courses etc could be organised by another group of volunteers.
Need for a Business Plan. A draft Business Plan exists and will be discussed by the members of the Management Committee.
The need for the members of the Management Committee to have a wide range of skills, retail experience/knowledge, working with volunteers, knowledge of haberdashery products and ability to monitor the accounts and the stock inventory, experience of running courses (possible tutors, venues etc), grant funding. This will not be a talking shop.
The catchment area should be wider than Stroud. There should be outreach to the surrounding villages.
There was a lot of support for the new Sew and So community-development programmes that could be subsidised from profits for people on a low income. How to reduce social isolation, learn basic sewing skills (sewing on buttons, replacing a zip, doing hems, mending, darning) as well as courses in quilting, patchwork, crochet, sewing for school children, setting up a lending library of materials: sewing needles, knitting needles, frames for cross stitch etc).
If you have any ideas to add to the community development programme please drop a line to info@sewandsostroud.shop
Next steps
Set up Community Benefit Society for the shop and apply for grants and Spacehive.
Set up meetings for the various categories of volunteers.
Write job description for shop manager and publicise vacancy.
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Report written by Diana Basterfield