I’m the founder of Nellie’s Keepsake Company, an independent children’s boutique and keepsake studio in the heart of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.

Nellie’s has grown and changed a lot over the years, but creativity has always been at the heart of everything we do.

My background is in design. After graduating with a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Textiles & Surface Pattern, I spent several years working within the design and print industry, including a three-month project management role in Qatar. When I returned to the UK, life took a slightly different turn and, while working temporary jobs, I started making handmade cards and selling them at local markets.

And that was really where Nellie’s began.

When my grandad sadly passed away, he left me a small inheritance. I wanted to use it to create something meaningful and lasting, so I invested in my first laser cutter. I had always loved working with wood and suddenly a whole new world of possibilities opened up.

From my little workspace, I began designing and making personalised bunting, cards, memory boxes, decorations and keepsakes. Slowly but surely, what had started as a creative sideline began to grow into a real business.

Then came Nellie...

In 2015, my daughter Nellie arrived and, as the business continued to grow alongside her, she naturally became a huge part of its story — and eventually its name.

Over the years we've moved premises, expanded our workshop, survived a fire, navigated a pandemic and had more than a few moments where I wondered whether running a small business was simply too hard.

But somehow, we kept going.

In 2024, an opportunity came along that changed everything: a beautiful new shop in the heart of Holmfirth. It gave us the chance to create the kind of store I had always imagined and marked the beginning of our next chapter as Nellie’s Keepsake Company.

Nellie’s today

Today, Nellie’s is so much more than the little business I started all those years ago.

Our Holmfirth store brings together our own personalised keepsakes and gifts, made in our studio, with a carefully chosen collection of beautiful children’s clothing, wooden toys, nursery pieces and gifts from brands we genuinely love.

We believe the things you buy for childhood should feel special — pieces chosen with care, made to last and, wherever possible, treasured long after they've been outgrown.

That's why our philosophy is simple:

Quality products designed for today, treasured for generations.

Behind the website and the shop is still a small, independent, family-run business. Every order, visit, recommendation, share and kind word genuinely matters to us.

To everyone who has supported Nellie’s over the years — from those very first market stalls to our shop in Holmfirth and now our new online home — thank you.

You've allowed a little idea, started with my grandad's gift and a laser cutter, to become something I'm incredibly proud of.

And we're only just getting started.

With love,

Nichola & the Nellie’s team x