An enterprising Durham Mum is building up a successful business, which all started on the day she couldn’t find a suitable toy for her child. Sarah Greenwell, 34, was inspired to create Elf For Christmas after the failed shopping trip.
Sarah said, “It all started when I was looking for something for my daughter. I really wanted my little girl to have a toy she adored so it came from what I wanted for her.”
Sarah wanted “something with creativity, imagination and magic, stylish and of quality design.”
“I was looking for something cute and that rewarded good behaviour, but I couldn’t find anything I liked.”
“Then I thought, if there’s nothing on the market, it’s a product I could see being popular. Mum’s are so busy they don’t have time to make these sorts of kits themselves.”
“Many cups of coffee, bars of chocolate, drawings, ideas and sleepless nights later, Elf for Christmas was born.”
The elf is a soft toy with “a friendly face, festive outfits, long legs and mischievously long arms. Elf is a cutie, with rosy cheeks and dinky hats.”
The elf comes with a kit including letters to post to Santa, behaviour charts, report cards, stickers and certificates. Kids have to behave well so they stay on Santa’s ‘nice list’ as Christmas approaches.
“It’s an easy way to create a fun family tradition,” Sarah says.
Sarah created the elf in 2014. Now shops all over Britain are selling Elf for Christmas, including big names such as Harrods, John Lewis, Selfridges, Fenwicks and Waterstones.
This year Sarah has authored a children’s book, entitled Elf’s First Adventure, to go with the Elf Christmas kit.
The @elfforchristmas kit comes with everything you need to reward good behaviour in the run up to #Christmas https://t.co/DGVXsD31FW pic.twitter.com/8QcHfGEN5y
— Harrow & Green (@HarrowAndGreen) November 15, 2016
Sarah, who has two children, admits that combining a business with a young family hasn’t always been easy. She said, “I have the children in a routine where they are both in bed at seven o’clock so I can work on the business.”
Sarah commented, “It’s been really overwhelming. We’ve worked really hard and are really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve. We started it 18 months ago and to get it into these sorts of stores is really amazing.”
Sarah Greenwell says her mission is “to delight children, inspire moments of magic, create memories, encourage kindness and promote good behaviour, all while forming traditions families can share together.”
“From our hometown of Durham, we look forward to bringing magic to the homes of families all over the county.”
