Three Years In: What I Know Now That I Didn’t When I Started.....

On the 24th of February, Barkworth Reeve turns three. Three!!

Its been three years since I sat down at the kitchen table, pad of paper and a pencil, and a head full of ideas, and absolutely no real concept of what it would actually take.

Back then, I thought building a brand would be about design. About beautiful leathers, clever compartments. About getting the proportions of a product just right.

I didn’t really understand that building a brand is, in essence really about people.

I Thought It Was About Product

It isn’t.

Yes, product matters. Hugely.
Function is non-negotiable.
If a strap digs in, I design the problem out.
If you can’t find your keys, I add a clip.
If you’re scrabbling at the bottom of a bag, I re-engineer the opening.

That will always be the foundation; design that works.

But three years in this adventure, I know this:
It’s not the leather that builds a business.
It’s trust, rapport and relationships.

The Moment That Changed Everything

When one of our wonderful customers took Hugo (our sausage dog bag) to the Cheltenham Festival, and she and her Barkworth Reeve bag were photographed… and then appeared in Mail Online. That was a special moment.

In fact it was one of those pinch me moments.

Orders came in from people who had never heard of us. Messages arrived from customers who said, “I’ve never seen anything quite like him.”

It felt surreal. Exciting. Slightly terrifying in all honesty.

But what mattered most wasn’t the spike in traffic, (although it was great to know that i'd designed something which customers were interested in).  It was the fact that an incredibly stylish customer had chosen to wear him to something as iconic as The Cheltenham Festival.

That wasn’t press. That was trust and it was a huge moment.

What I Know Now

I've learny that growth doesn’t come from shouting the loudest.

It comes from:

• Keeping your word.

• Standing behind your quality.

• Designing out frustrations.
  

• Treating every single customer with the service I'd want to receive.

• Choosing who you work with carefully.

• Saying no when something isn’t right 

• Going above and beyond

• Being brave enough to try, to push yourself out of your comfort zone and give yourself the grace to fail forwards.
• I know now that women don’t just buy accessories.
  They buy reassurance.
  They buy ease.
  They buy something that quietly works, without drama.

And they come back when they feel seen and looked after.

Building On What You Love

Hugo taught me something important: joy and practicality can coexist beautifully in a tasteful and refined way.

Because of the response to him, to our Pony Purse and our Ambridge bag, 2026 will see the launch of some new additions to range:

• Our Mini Sausage Purse, Doogle.

He’s everything we love:
Perfectly proportioned.
Cute (without being tacky).
Practical enough to earn his place in your bag and your heart.

• Pony range is expanding

New colourways                                                                                                  Milton (a new pony product) is joining the range!

• A new Mini Ambridge

New colourways                                                                                                        New material combinations                                                                                          A perfectly balanced new size 

 

We are not about chasing trends.
We design solutions and build on what you’ve told me you love.

Three years in, I design with far more confidence, not because I know everything (far from it) , but because I feel I know you.

What I’m Most Proud Of

Not the press.
Not the growth.
Not even the sales.

I’m most proud that we are still here, independent, family-run, Yorkshire-rooted, doing things properly.

Still choosing ethically sourced leather.
Still obsessing over the details.
Still believing that good design = functionality, and it considered design is a love letter to our customers.

Still small.
But with a big heart.

A Thank You

If you have ever bought a product, sent a message, shared a post, brought one of our purchases to a show, or recommended us to a friend, then thank you. I hugely grateful for the part you have played in our story.

You’ve allowed this to grow beyond my kitchen table.

And three years in, what I know now is this:

A brand is built in thousand small way, every decision compunding on the last, every product launched a new learning curve and consistently building on promises made.

Here’s to moving forwards and growing together,

Jennie x