I have written this blog three times now and never managed to get it published to the site. This isn’t because of my usual technical skills causing me a hindrance. Oh no, it’s because we have had to totally rebuild the website during lockdown. At the time we were forced to close the shop, we started to see more customers ordering through the website which was fantastic! However we knew that the old site had a few quirks, which up until the start of lockdown we had forgiven. However it was becoming apparent that a lot of people were struggling to use it. So Mr. Magpie over ruled me, and we ended up with a new site which so far appears to be much easier to use and has none of the quirks of the old site. At the start of lockdown when we decided to get rid of the old site – I totally panicked – it’s surely not the right time to be doing this, what if the new site doesn’t work? What if it’s not ready in time? But you know what? It turned out fine.
Lockdown actually gave us the time to focus on the project and help out with it which meant it was completed on time, and we have both learnt more about websites and how they work as a result. . I’ve found this with other areas of the shop too. Lockdown has given me the time to look at things, plan and implement them.
One of the things we try really hard with is our impact on the environment, and I’ve always felt we never had time to look into new “greener” products properly. This is why when I was reading emails (something I never have time to do usually) I noticed one of our card suppliers was really making some simple changes to their card packaging by doing away with the cellophane wrapping. I loved this idea and I loved the new range of cards they had featured. These cards are now available in the shop and online and I am really happy to see manufacturers making changes that will help the planet. https://magpiesnest.co.uk/?s=ingot&post_type=product
I’ve seen all our card suppliers’ move away from using glitter and replacing it with eco glitter, which is biodegradable and they all use paper that comes from sustainable forests in the UK.
Another environmental change we have been able to make in store is that every single light in our shop has now been switched over to LED. This has been a project that has taken a while to achieve as the lights are expensive to buy and we have to bring someone in to install them when the shop is closed. Turns out lockdown provided the perfect time for this to happen. This also has provided a much brighter clean light, so our products really look even better than they did before in the shop now!
Lockdown has provided us as a small business the opportunity to pause, reflect, re-focus and make changes to how we do things. Until we can open again (which we are hoping will be 15th June) we will keep using our new found time wisely.
I hope to see you all again soon. Stay safe, hugs Liz & Matt xx