Bord Bía Bloom 2024 attracted more than 100,000 visitors to Dublin’s Phoenix Park throughout the June Bank Holiday weekend and the Meath Made stand was very busy during the five days of the show.
The eight craft and design businesses from Meath, who are all members of www.meathmade.com which is Meath’s creative collective, operated the first ever Meath MADE pop up shop at Bloom and reported steady sales all weekend with shoppers seeking out high quality products that are unique, made to the highest levels of quality, from businesses throughout the Royal County.
The Meath Made stand was a selling opportunity for Meath based businesses as well as an experience for the individual business to come together to work with each other in selling their works whilst also promoting Meath Made. The eight businesses who made up the Meath Made stand included:
- Lus Aromatherapy
- Faber Furniture Design
- Boann Irish Felt Designs
- Roisin & Robin Unique Gifts
- Eileen McNulty Textiles
- Papertwigs Designs,
- The Patchwork Peacock and Anticipating Daisy Pottery
Exhibiting at Bord Bía Bloom 2024 was a chance for Meath Made to profile the creative cluster which launched in November 2023. It was an opportunity to profile the brilliant craft design, makers involved in the creative sector in Meath to a huge national audience. The Meath Made stand was a great success, the stand was designed and made by local business Faber Furniture in collaboration with the Bearded Man in Navan, the stand is fully sustainable and can be re-used for future trade shows and pop-up shops, over the coming months and years. Collaboration and networking are key objectives of membership of Meath Made.
Paula McGuiness, Co-Founder of Lus Aromatherapy and Treasurer of Meath Made emphasised, “I was so delighted to be involved in this unique stand showcasing some of the best craft handmade products from Meath across beauty, fashion, furniture, ceramics, homewares and gifting sectors. Exhibiting at Bloom with Lus Aromatherapy was a huge opportunity to connect with customers from all over Ireland who make the trip to Bloom, speaking hundreds of people over the 5 days was so important in terms of gathering feedback and spreading the word about our own brand and Meath Made across Ireland”. She goes onto say that: "as a group we developed a lot of awareness for our own products to new and existing customers as well as making decent sales over the five days”
Linda Menton, Owner of the The Patchwork Peacock, Ratoath and Secretary of Meath speaking from her studio outside RatoathL “I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in Bloom 2024. It was very interesting, meeting so many people from all parts of Ireland, and particularly nice to meet those visiting from Meath who sought us out specially, having read the article about our Bloom venture. I feel very appreciative of all the support given by LEO Meath to the newly formed Meath Made collective. It was wonderful to see what can be achieved when all the varied artists and makers from Meath come together."
Eileen McNulty, Maker of Eileen McNulty Textile & Embroidery Art said: "The Bloom experience was a real eye-opener for my business. It showcased so many great Irish businesses and I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to show my work on the Meath-made stand. It is so much more than a flower show."
Denise McGee owner of Roisin and Robin Unique Gifts said "Collaborating with other creatives for the first time was an exciting experience. The lively atmosphere of the big festival was fantastic,and I loved every moment. Thanks to LEO for providing this amazing opportunity and support." And finally Kathryn Leonard of PaperTwigs Designs said ‘" really enjoyed the few days exhibiting at Bloom. The experience & networking was invaluable. Thanks so much to LEO Meath, Meath County Council and Meath Made for all the help & support. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year".
The Local Enterprise Office Meath supported the establishment of Meath Made and Caoimhe Delany, Business Advisor at LEO, Meath said “After months of preparation and hundreds of hours in their workshops, it was fantastic to see the Meath Made stand in action in Bloom, it looked fantastic and I admire the vision of the members of Meath Made who wanted a fully sustainable stand that could be reused again and again” she goes on to say “ there was a great buzz at the Meath Made stand and you could feel the positive energy from the businesses exhibiting and selling, I am sure that they all got great experience in running a collective pop up shop as well as each making valuable sales for their own businesses”.
Meath Made is a selective collective of Meath’s most creative artists, painters, jewellery makers, textile artists, designers, print makers, wood turners, ceramicists, sign writers, soap makers and blacksmiths. Meath Made are currently preparing for a series of events during August Craft Month. For more information on Meath Made visit www.meathmade.com to find out about upcoming events.
