Shops / News
Help keep Milliners’ Guild open
Bristol’s only dedicated hat shop may be forced to close due to an injury sustained by its owner.
Milliners’ Guild stocks the work of a wide range of milliners, with a mission to promote high quality, handmade British millinery.
The shop opened within St James Arcade in Broadmead and moved to Alma Vale Road in Clifton earlier this year.
Owner Ani Stafford-Townsend recently broke her foot and the injury is expected to take at least four weeks to heal.
The maker of hats for television productions such as Poldark and Call The Midwife is now crowdfunding to raise funds to cover the shop’s basic rent and bills for the next month.
The shop will remain open, but Ani says that it is incredibly hard to do millinery with a broken foot on the mend, so her productivity during this time will be greatly impacted.
Being self-employed, Ani is not eligible for any sick pay. And sickness insurance does not pay out for the first six weeks of an illness or injury.
“So this is a critical time for Milliners’ Guild,” Ani says. “Your contribution could make the difference between the business surviving, and the shop having to close.”
To contribute to the crowdfunding campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/keepmillinersguild
Read more: 10 questions: Ani Stafford-Townsend
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