Meet the Makers – The English Stamp Company

The English Stamp Company is a family business specialising in making high-quality, personalised rubber stamps from our Dorset base since 1992. To find out how it all started, the inspiration behind the company and future plans, read our interview with Yve Grady-Crewes from the English Stamp Company. 

How did it all start?

Jon and Sasha Dorey launched The English Stamp Company in March 1992.

Inspired by a trip to India where they were overwhelmed by the sights and colours on offer, the couple returned with an idea to recreate some of the magic of the subcontinent. They began making stamps to print gold stars onto walls and the family business was born out of their small workshop in rural Dorset.

From gold stars to boats, beetles & otters, Sasha’s mother hand drew most of the first designs and over the past 25 years we have developed more and more hand drawn designs for you to use at home.

What is the story behind the name? 

It speaks for itself! We wanted something timeless and clear and the ‘English Stamp Company’ suits perfectly.

Where are you based? 

On the beautiful south coast of Dorset, also known as the Jurassic Coast.

What inspires you?

Our surroundings and nature are both influence our designs. You will find lots of flowers and fauna amongst our collection as well as a few nautical inspired designs.

What is your creation process? 

Most of our designs are hand-drawn but we do also sometimes work from photos. We then tweak the art in photoshop to make sure the design is perfect for turning in to a stamp. We make the stamps using a photographic process which ensures a really detailed result.

What makes you, your brand or products unique?

We are able to take a customers own drawing, logo or pet photo and turn it in to a stamp in just a day or two. The creative possibilities are endless

What is your next project? 

Working on our gift collections… I can’t say much more that at the moment 😉

What are your plans for the next 12 months?

More blogs, videos, how to’s and workshops so we can get even more people stamping!

What is your biggest achievement? 

Our ability to be flexible and keep ahead of ever evolving trends is something we’ve been successful in. It can be challenging but we have a diverse team that all bring something different to table making that possible.

What is your best-selling product/line? 

In our art stamp collection, the stars and bees are always super popular but address stamps are probably are best sellers. We have lots of templates on our website that can be customised and an address stamp makes the perfect gift.

What do you love about Country Living Fairs?

The people! We love meeting all our customers. As we’ve been exhibiting with Country Living for 25 years now, some of our loyal customers have become friends. It’s great getting first hand feed back and still seeing new customers get so enthusiastic about stamps.

Your three top tips for crafters and makers…

• Don’t be afraid to try something out, sometimes the strangest ideas really pay off.
• If you’re wanting to sell your crafts, utilise social media. It’s a great & mostly free platform for getting your work out there, seen and recognised.
• An organised work space means you won’t buy more than you need and will always be able to find what you need, when you need it.
  

Any advice for fledgling businesses…

Yes, get stamping! Branding can take up a huge part of a start-ups budget but stamps are really flexible in as much as one stamp can be used on letter heads, business cards, bags etc.