The founder of Vintage Playing Cards, Tracy Kemp, discusses the learning curve that comes with becoming an exporter
It was a lucky find in a crowded flea market which triggered the idea of Vintage Playing Cards, a Suffolk-based firm which creates hand-made greetings cards and gifts from pre-loved games.
Reluctant to throw away a stunning, if incomplete, pack of art deco cards she unearthed one day, founder Tracy Kemp upcycled them into one-off occasion cards she sold at local craft fairs.
Twelve years on, she now runs a £250,000 business supplying personalised wall art, clocks, coat racks and other homeware to high-end shops such as Fortnum & Mason and Liberty, and also sells direct to the US and Europe.
Following a successful trade mission to Dubai earlier this year, Tracy’s current focus is on a product trial more than 3,000 air miles from the company’s HQ, where her team of five transform yesterday’s throwaway into tomorrow’s collectible.