It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as Dan Morris reports on a festive business that started during lockdown and continues to flourish.
It’s true what they say – every year the festive season seems to come around a little quicker.
Indeed, in 2023 it feels like we blinked in July, and all of a sudden it was very much beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Well, at Shropshire Magazine, we’re delighted that Yuletide is upon us and are already in the fine throws of eating, drinking and being merry.
Yet, despite our enthusiasm for the season of good cheer, many of us (myself in particular) have been a little lackadaisical in getting the Christmas shopping sorted, and preparing for that sumptuous family feast.
If you’re in the same camp, fear not – help is on hand from a seasonal Shropshire business dedicated to bringing all of the county’s best festive produce under one roof, and making sure your Christmas has all the magic sparkle it needs.
Based in Hanwood, near Shrewsbury, the team at Tipples Mobile Bar And Catering Hire have been running a pop-up Christmas shop at their premises on the Lower Edgebold Industrial Estate for the last four years.
Run by Tim Aversa and his wife Charlotte, this side-arm of their business represents an Aladdin’s Cave of all things festive, and offers keen Christmas shoppers the perfect place to get stocked up for the season.
“We started the pop-up Christmas shop during Covid as a bit of extra income and something to do,” said Tim. “During Covid there were no weddings or events happening for our catering business, so it was just a way of trying to make a little bit of extra income and trying to keep busy and keep our name out there.
“It started off as a very small area of the shop and we’ve gone from probably 25 per cent of the ground floor to 100 per cent now. We were going to just do it for Covid, and then customers said ‘I can’t wait to come next year’, so we said, ‘well, actually let’s do it – let’s keep it going and see what happens’.”
Each year, Tim and Charlotte have been pleased to expand the shop’s stock, working with local suppliers to present a proud selection of festive goods and wares made right here in the region.
The result is that this year, Tipples’ Christmas shop is positively bursting with treats to make your Yuletide extra special.
“This is now the fourth time of doing the Christmas shop,” said Tim. “The first time people were having to social distance, and it’s nice now to just be doing it as a normal shop.
“We’ve got local cheese, chocolates, fudge, mince pies, local real ales, local gins, and produce from different wine companies. We’ve also got tree decorations, ornaments, and a little bit of jewellery.
My wife has a gift business as well and produces Christmas decorations, and all of her work is available.
“We’ve also got a local lady who makes candles for us, and we have artwork as well.
“We’ve got a big selection of goods and gifts, and we’ve extended this every year to build on the variety.
“We’ve got a few new suppliers this year, and still work with pretty much all of our original suppliers. They recommend other people in the industry, and so it grows.”
So far this year, reception to the pop-up shop has been as enthusiastic as ever.
“It’s been fantastic,” said Tim. “We’ve had a lot of messages on Facebook saying ‘I can’t wait to come and see you again’. We’re building up a real regular customer base now.
“One of the main things is, we’re on an industrial estate, so people’s perception of what it might be like is different to what they find.
“As soon as they walk in, it’s like a winter wonderland – there are Christmas trees, it’s nice and warm, there are thousands of fairy lights – it’s really special and we hope that everyone who pays us a visit just enjoys being here.”
Like many businesses, Tipples was hit hard during the pandemic, though happily for Tim and Charlotte, things are once again on the up with the main part of their business.
“We’ve slowed down on the mobile bars,” said Tim, “but we’re concentrating more on the catering equipment hire – the ovens, the furniture, cutlery, crockery, glassware. That side of the business has fully recovered since Covid and this year particularly we’ve had a really good summer.”
That said, the couple have no intention of throwing in the towel with the Christmas shop anytime soon, and are keen to keep bringing a bit of extra festive magic to the area for hopefully many years to come.
“We’ve tried to create a wonderful Christmas shopping experience, offering as much local produce and as many unique gifts as possible,” said Tim.
“We’re open from Wednesday to Sunday until December 23. We’ll do a little sale after Christmas and then be fully shut on January 7. But we’ll then be back for Christmas 2024!”
Tipples’ pop-up Christmas shop can be found at Unit 3, Lower Edgebold Industrial Estate, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, SY5 8NY
