In 2018, Carved Culture entered a new stage of growth, expanding its supplier network and introducing a much wider range of handcrafted products from around the world.
Following the success of our first musical instruments in 2017, we began exploring what other opportunities might exist beyond our original supplier.
Building Our Supplier Network
Our first wholesale instrument order had demonstrated the potential of buying new products in quantities that could be restocked.
We began contacting additional suppliers and communicating directly with makers, discovering new products and exploring different ways to expand our business.
Rather than committing to a single category, we experimented with a wide selection of products to understand what customers wanted.
Becoming a Handmade Gift Shop
Our original interpretation of the name Carved Culture shaped our approach.
Carved represented handmade products, while Culture represented the different countries and traditions those products came from.
We believed that almost anything handcrafted outside the UK could have a place in our range.
Alongside musical instruments, we introduced furniture, kitchenware, tableware, candle holders, home accessories and gifts.
Many of these categories were familiar from our secondhand selling days, but we were increasingly sourcing brand-new products through our growing supplier network.
Our Largest Product Catalogue
This period became one of our most experimental.
We purchased stock across numerous categories, tested different products and continued learning what worked.
Our catalogue grew to its largest size to date, transforming Carved Culture into a broad handmade gift shop rather than a specialist musical instrument retailer.
Although our direction would become more focused in later years, the experience helped us understand sourcing, supplier relationships and the importance of developing a product range around customer demand.