It started with an email we weren't expecting.
We'd been happily settled in a brilliant little Rent-a-Shelf shop — the kind of place that just works. Footfall was good, the community of makers was friendly, and our products were finding their way into the hands of people who genuinely loved them. It felt like exactly what a creative business should feel like.
Then, with very little warning, the shop closed.
Overnight, we found ourselves — along with around 70 other makers — suddenly without a home for our products. No shelf space, no sales platform, no plan. Just a very urgent need to find somewhere new, and fast.
The search that changed everything
What followed was weeks of searching. We trawled the internet, asked around, visited shops, sent emails, made phone calls. We eventually found a couple of places willing to take us on, but the amount of effort it took was staggering. For every shop that said yes, there were many more that didn't respond, weren't taking new makers, or simply weren't the right fit — but we had no way of knowing that until we'd already spent time chasing them.
Seventy other makers were going through exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. All of us duplicating the same effort. All of us searching blind.
That's when the idea hit us.
What if there was a better way?
What if makers could see — at a glance — which shops in their area had Rent-a-Shelf spaces available? Which ones were actively looking for new makers? What their commission rates were? What kind of products they stocked?
What if shops could make themselves discoverable to the hundreds of talented makers who are looking for exactly what they offer?
It seemed so obvious once we thought about it. And yet nothing like it existed.
So we built it.
Welcome to HeyMakers!
HeyMakers is the platform we wished had existed when we were scrambling to find new shelf space. It's a place where makers can search for shops by location, browse listings, and find opportunities that are the right fit for them — without the weeks of legwork.
For shops, it's a way to attract talented local makers and keep their shelves stocked with the kind of unique, handmade products that customers love.
We're just getting started, and there's a lot more to come. But if you're a maker who's ever felt the stress of not knowing where to turn — or a shop owner who wants to connect with the creative community around you — then HeyMakers is for you.
We'd love to have you with us.
— The HeyMakers Team