The history behind Beverley Edmondson Millinery

Last week we celebrated 10 years on the high street! And 12 years as a business, so I thought it would be nice to share with you the journey of Beverley Edmondson Millinery so far……

Over the past 12 years, Bevelrey Edmondson Millinery has grown from a spare room in the family home to Surrey and the South-Easts leading millinery boutique…here’s how we did it..

I made my first hats aged 17.

I always had a passion for textiles and fashion (my first job was selling wedding dresses as a Saturday girl aged 14).

After a spell of work experience at Angels the costumiers I decided I wanted to make hats for my A level textiles coursework. So I took myself to London college of fashion to learn on a short course in millinery so that I could then make the hats I wanted for school.

The first hats I ever made at London College of Fashion 2004

 

one of the hats I then made for my Textiles A Level 2005

From my A levels and having found a passion for millinery, I went straight on to study Millinery at Kensington and Chelsea college of Art.

My Final Collection at Kensington and Chelsea College of Art 2006

After college and a gap year travelling and working as a camel driver in Australia I returned to the UK and worked for a small jewellery manufacturers.

Working as a camel driver – in a hat of course 2007

At the weekends I started taking some of the jewellery from work and my hats out to market stalls and events signalling the start of the business. The event that probably had the biggest impact on the future of the business was @farnhammaltings monthly market…. a regular spot to start gaining repeat clients.

One of the first events i sold my pieces at 2008

Gradually I moved onto bigger shows and events and left full time employment.

Stand at Royal Windsor Horse show 2009

 

In the summer of 2009 I took up a pop up shop with @antique_rose_gifts in one of the orangeries at the bottom of castle street in Farnham for 8 weeks.

Castle Street Farnham Pop Up Shop 2009

The spring of 2010 rolled around and having successfully grown the business from market stalls and appointments in my dads spare bedroom, I took the leap to open permanent shop front….it needed a lot of work doing to it, new ceiling, floors, electrics and entire new shop front and on the 3rd April 2010 I opened the doors for the first time.

 

A photograph 0f our first shop and current shop before any refurbishment works 2009

Renovating our first shop 2010

New shop front going in 2010

Opening our first store April 2010

The shop 2010

This is where with limited business experience I really started to learn the ins and outs of running a business, it’s when I became we when I started employing our first team members whom without we would never be where we are today. Our branding developed over the years with numerous paint jobs and signage updates.

Come spring 2017 we had massively outgrown the first shop and had already expanded into an external studio space so we took the opportunity to move next door into a much larger unit with the shop front and studio in one. The luxury of space for clients to move around the store and space for a fitting room. This space has now happily been our home for the last 3 years.

Fitting out our current shop 2017

Fitting out our current shop 2017

Our current shop outside

Our current shop inside

Of course there are many things we have done that we are proud of, from winning awards to international press features.

Wedding Industry Awards

 

However our proudest moments are when you, our clients, the people that we see day in and day out in store, entrust us to design and create your headwear for your once in a lifetime events and special occasions.

With out you there would be no us. Thank you to everyone who has been there from the beginning and those who have joined us along the way, every single one of you are part of our journey.

The basis of Beverley Edmondson Millinery has always been and always continues to be based on customer service and customer experience, these are the factors that bring clients back time after time, and has allowed us to grow through recommendation.

 

Over the last decade as a buisness and personally we have grown and developed in style and technique, in knowledge and skill, so lets take you on a journey over the last decade with one image from every collection since we have been on the highstreet, 2010 – 2020

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2019

2018

We may have been in this little corner of Farnham for a decade but over our shops history we are but a fleeting moment. We love the rich history in Farnham, of those who have been there before us…..from Victorian times through to today our shop has seen many changes and stood during monumental moments in history…..the stories it could tell…..

The Borough, Farnham in the Victoria times, our shop is on the left

Possibly approximately 1960’s Farnham

1970’s

2000 – 2009

Images from Museum of Farnham

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little story of our business growth and history of us and our shops, as much as we have enjoyed creating it and looking back at everything we have achieved.

Beverley x