Sara lives with her husband, Simon, and their two children, Oliver and Charlie. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs – her parents owned a decorating shop in Coundon, County Durham. She’s still very proud to call the North East her home, and the Crafter’s Companion head office and the first retail store are both based only a few miles down the road in Newton Aycliffe.
She’s been creative from a young age, having fond memories of baking, knitting and crocheting with her mum and grandma. “Papercrafting came later – my university work experience placement was at a local craft company in the North East, and that’s when my passion for papercraft really took hold. I had no idea how big cardmaking was before that, and I learned so much.”
It was on this work experience where Sara had her light bulb moment for an envelope-making tool that would allow crafters to design and handmake their own bespoke envelopes. She says “I took it to my father, an Engineer, and he helped me design a prototype for what would become The Enveloper. This was made from MDF originally, and manufactured by a local joiner here in the North East. I pitched the product to a craft shopping channel, and the response was such that the joiner struggled to keep up with demand!” The rest as they say, is history!

Sara Davies has been announced as one of the celebrity dancers on Strictly Come Dancing 2021

How would you say Crafter’s Companion has developed over the years? And why?
Crafter’s Companion started off as a little family business, with me roping in family and friends to help package up orders. My friend’s mum, Kamala, was my first employee (and she’s still here with the business today!) and then my husband, Simon also came on board. As demand has increased, slowly but surely we’ve built up our product range and employee numbers to cope with it, eventually moving from a little warren of offices above my mam’s decorating shop to the beautiful premises we have now.

From being one person with a big dream in university, you now own a company which employs over 200 staff. Did you ever imagine from your university bedroom that it would become a multi-million pound business?
As a business student, it was always the dream to run a successful business one day, but I don’t think I ever envisaged just how big Crafter’s Companion would become when I first came up with the idea for the Enveloper!

You’ve done so much, and achieved so much, but can you pick just one event/achievement that makes you the most proud?
I think it must be seeing our first-ever retail store open its doors – it was a dream come true.

Sara with her family

What do you consider as your unique selling point?
We place a big emphasis on customer service and innovation – they’re the two cornerstones of our values. We place the customer at the centre of everything we do. We’ve always said that Crafter’s Companion products are made by crafters for crafters, and that’s still very much the case.

Your brand has grown and developed over the years, but can you pick a favourite product range?
Wow, that’s a really difficult one for me to answer as we put so much work into all our product ranges! However, my own Signature range of co-ordinating papercraft and sewing collections holds a special place in my heart as I design them all myself, which I love doing.

What is it that you love about crafting?
I love how papercraft brings people together – it’s a great stress reliever and a real social hobby.

If you had to pick between all forms of crafting and it was only this craft you could do for the rest of your life – what would it be?
It would have to be cardmaking, as that’s the craft that I first became passionate about.

Behind the scenes at Crafter's Companion TV

How would you describe your crafty style?
I tend to like quite modern and bright styles, but really my creative style tends to vary depending on my mood and the person who’ll be receiving the card.

Do you have a crafting space at home?
I have a crafting space at home, and we’ve created our own on-site craft studio up at CCHQ! It’s where we broadcast our Facebook Live demos and the Creative Cravings and Monday Makers shows from, and it really is the craft room of dreams!

What’s the most used item in your craft supplies?
It would be a tie between the Gemini machine, for obvious reasons, and the Ultimate Pro as I use it to create my card blanks and envelopes so I couldn’t be without it!

What’s your favourite type of papercraft project to make and why?
Since becoming a mum I’ve really been enjoying making scrapbook pages and mini books to capture photographs and memories. I love the idea of creating these keepsakes for my boys to look at when they’re older!

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And then there was the launch of your shops – what drove you to do this on top of your website?
It’s something we’d talked about for a long time as we wanted to create a community hub where crafters could get together and shop, socialise and learn new skills. We now hold regular workshops and demos in our stores in Newton Aycliffe, Chesterfield and Evesham, and they’re always buzzing with creativity.

If there is one major life lesson/business lesson you’ve learnt over the years of setting up and running your own business – what would you say it was?
Focus on the stuff you are good at and hire the best people you can to do the things that aren’t your forte.

How important is social media to Crafter’s Companion and indeed to yourself?
It’s become incredibly important, as it gives me a direct line to all our lovely customers – I love the fact that we can do a Facebook Live and see comments from crafters in real time, so I can answer questions then and there.

Social media has become such an important tool for crafters and craft companies alike – do you wish it was more of a thing back when you launched your first product?
It would have helped, certainly, but TV shopping has always meant that I’m able to personally demonstrate my products directly in front of customers in their own homes, so I’ve been very lucky in that respect.

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What advice would you give to a budding craft entrepreneur?
Just take that first step and get your makes out there! You’ll never know if you don’t try, and crafters in general tend to be a very supportive bunch.

What’s your favourite thing about what you do?
I love that my job lets me meet so many different types of people, and I love introducing crafting to a new audience and encouraging more people to try the hobby.

So, what’s next for you and Crafter’s Companion?
We never sit still here at Crafter’s Companion and always have plans in the pipeline! My main focus now is simply on continuing to innovate and expand the business, creating more jobs for people here in the North East.

You’ve been part of the craft world for so long, but if you hadn’t been – what job do you think you could see yourself doing?
That’s a really tricky one, as I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else! As my degree was in business, I’d like to think I’d still be an entrepreneur of some kind – or I might even have taken over my mam and dad’s decorating shop!

Aside from crafting, do you have any other hobbies and interests?
I’m a real home bird and I just love spending time with my family, especially with my boys. Nothing beats it! I also really enjoy baking, which works so well with my lifestyle as it’s an activity that I’m able to do with the kids.

We’re celebrating our 200th issue this December and we’ve been working with you since the early days – can you tell us what you think craft magazines like SCP are so important for crafters?
Craft magazines are such a huge source of inspiration for our customer – just like social media, they allow us to showcase the amazing results that can be achieved with our products and to demonstrate lots of different ideas and techniques to our crafters across the UK. They’re a hugely important part of the craft industry, driving trends forward and engaging more people in the amazing world of craft!

Quick-fire round:
What is your guilty pleasure? Digestive biscuit smeared with Nutella with squirty cream on the top!
Favourite country you’ve visited? My second home – the US
Favourite colour? Purple
Favourite food? Sushi
Favourite junk food? Burger and chips
Favourite drink? G&T
What is your biggest passion? My children – oh, and crafting of course!
Biggest ambition? To introduce craft to the masses and make it accessible to all
Favourite thing about Britain? Home!

Get the BRAND-NEW issue of Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine, featuring an exclusive Crafter's Companion gift!

Sara says: Simply Cards & Papercraft has always been such an inspirational and creative magazine, with incredibly talented designers working behind the scenes to create new and unique ideas every issue. I have just loved working with the team over the years, to help inspire and educate crafters to take their projects to a whole new level!