Natalie Biggs took a leap of faith when she decided to turn a long-held dream into reality and launch her own artisan homewares and lifestyle business, Village Green. Based in East Lothian, Natalie had long recognised the potential to have a business that would showcase the incredible craft and design talent that is available both locally and across Scotland.
From handmade skincare to art prints to homewares, every item has an independent maker and story behind it, and this was an important factor for Natalie when considering Village Green. These homewares are the antithesis of ‘fast interiors’ and throwaway trend-led culture as each piece has been designed and made to last. From the outset, Village Green has held sustainability as a core ethos, and this is evident in every aspect of the business, from the makers Natalie selects – who embrace sustainability themselves – and the materials used, to the way that each order is packaged.
We caught up with Natalie to chat about what inspires and guides her when choosing products and the artisans to work with, and also about the challenges of setting up your own business during a pandemic. You can read our conversation here.
Natalie also offers some great recommendations for other independent businesses you might enjoy checking out in East Lothian:
Lewis & Clarke is a super café in Gifford. Both Kate (Lewis) and Veronica (Clarke) have backgrounds in Michelin-starred restaurants and they bring their experience and expertise to this wee village. The cardamom and pistachio bun is one of the most delicious things I’ve tasted. Across the road is Beech and Birch, a lifestyle shop owned by the lovely Helle who has a fantastic eye for beautiful products influenced by her native Denmark. There’s also the nearby Gifford Community Woodland and Broadwoodside estate to walk around to work up an appetite.
Haddington has some great foodie places too and one of the recent arrivals is Minato Sushi. I’m trying very hard not to visit every day. The Cheese Lady has a beautiful shop and has a wonderful range of cheese, accompaniments, and wines. On a nice day, there’s nothing better than walking along the river and ending up at The Waterside Bistro with a glass of wine and looking across the river to St Mary’s Church.
When I’m buying flowers, I always go to Debbie at East Lothian Flower Farm. She grows her own flowers just outside Haddington and creates beautiful naturalistic bouquets.
Down the road in East Fortune, there’s a terrific farm shop, The Brand Family Larder, which stocks lots of local produce as well as their own.
As we’ve all been staying closer to home recently, what have been your favourite places to explore?
East Lothian has miles of beautiful beaches and lovely woodlands but when we were limited to the local area, we’d head out the front door and just follow our nose. Haddington is surrounded by farmland and country estates so there are lots of lovely walks to be had. The daily dog walk takes us along the River Tyne, where I spotted my first otter during lockdown.
When we were able to travel a bit further, I made a beeline for Gullane beach and would swim there whenever I could. It felt so freeing after lockdown. We had a long list of places we always meant to visit but had never got round to, so we visited Binning Woods for the first time, and this walk then became quite regular when we got into the habit of picking up some pastries from Bostock Bakery in East Linton.
Browse Village Green here and follow on Instagram and Facebook.