Having started life in Leeds, established by Michelle Walton (or ‘Bird’, hence the shop’s name) in 2010, Bird’s Yard is now a collection of over 70 of the best independent businesses and designers sourced locally and globally, housed on the historic Chapel Walk in Sheffield city centre.
The shop offers a unique mix of products including jewellery, homewares, books, locally made preserves, t-shirts, artwork, skincare and babywear to name a few. Such eclectic range have customers often remarking that it’s the perfect place to find a gift for that person who’s notoriously difficult to buy for. Sheffield features strongly too with a range of products inspired by the city; you can find candles, prints, keyrings, bags, and even rubber ducks with a local theme!
Alongside Michelle, who leads the shop team, some of the designers housed in Bird’s Yard help to run it, which is great for building relationships with customers. “It’s rewarding to be able to offer customers new and sometimes bespoke designs, and always have a changing variety of stock, as well as continuing favourites, to offer something different. It creates a really personal touch to shopping and customers love meeting the designer of their purchase, and likewise for the designers to meet them,” says Michelle.
They were thrilled to win the Championing Independents award in 2018 at the Shop Sheffield Awards, because that’s the main aim of Bird’s Yard: provide local creatives a place to establish and grow their business as well as connecting with a local audience. They are always on the hunt for exciting new talent too – details can be found on the website – to join their ever expanding team.
2020 has seen huge investment in the website and online presence, allowing Bird’s Yard to continue providing excellent face to face customer service for its loyal local following, while also being able to offer something for those farther afield, showcasing the full range of talent offered by Sheffield’s independent artists, makers, designers, and creatives.
Read about more of Sheffield’s finest independent businesses in ‘The Little Book of Sheffield’, available to purchase online here.
