Trade Lighting

Bowley and Jackson began life in 2001 and, at first, was a bit of an accidental business. Newly married, Dan and I were renovating a small mid-terrace, and when we came to finish the project, we discovered a gap in the market.  With little availability between high-end homewares and cheap, poorly designed accessories (a problem my father-in-law dryly noted as champagne taste, ginger beer pocket!) I started buying small pieces at antique fairs and, having furnished the house, thought it would be fun to set up a small business sourcing homewares and selling them at shows and fairs. This small hobby business took off, and soon we were exhibiting at the Country Living Magazine shows in London and Hampton Court Flower Show. We opened our store in Malton, North Yorkshire in April 2004.

Our small business continued to grow, as did our family and recognising the incompatibility of show life with small children, we began to develop our online business. We continued to stick to our ethos of sourcing well-designed pieces from our trusted team of small suppliers, and I began a steep learning curve of creating and promoting an online brand. Some of these skills, I already had, such as photography, styling and copywriting. The technical aspect has had to be learned from scratch.

We still apply the same thought process to our buying today. A quest for excellent design, well-made and from the best materials. But crucially sensibly priced. 

Our range is chosen to sit easily with existing decor and withstand the rigours of daily life. We take our inspiration from the outdoors as well as from traditional design influences, including Scandinavian and Georgian & Edwardian period design. We source from a range of niche specialist suppliers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. 

As a small company, we personally oversee every aspect of our business and are driven to offer not only an excellent range of products, but also a service that is personable, friendly and efficient. 

Our online store complements our traditional brick-and-mortar store, giving customers the opportunity to see our range in the flesh. And for customers further afield, telephone calls are answered by a human, ready to advise on a specific product or assist with general queries.

In addition to our retail business, we also offer a trade service to a wide range of industries, including hotel and hospitality, interior design, electrical contractors, garden design and landscapers, and film and TV production companies, to name but a few.