12/10/2026
💛 The Story of J&K Cards, Crafts & Gifts
A family business built with determination, creativity and your support.
In 2021, after leaving my job as a mechanic due to ill health, I took a huge leap of faith. Working as a mechanic had always been my ambition, so leaving that career behind was a difficult decision. I decided to use my redundancy money to start something new — something I could build for myself and hopefully create a future from.
That’s how J&K Hardware began inside Stoke Indoor Market in July 2021.
Initially, we sold a range of household items, hardware and garden products, alongside offering a key-cutting service. My mum, Katy, helped me run the business and started making beautiful diamond art keyrings.
Customers loved them, and before long, people were asking whether we could sell complete diamond art kits as well. We decided to give it a go, and diamond art quickly became one of our best-selling product ranges.
As demand grew, we soon outgrew our original stall. We expanded into additional stalls and created Katy’s Diamond Art Cupboard, giving us more space for our growing range of products. Eventually, we moved further down the aisle into the corner stall where you can still find us today.
Over time, the business evolved. We moved away from hardware and key cutting and focused on the products our customers loved most, developing into the business we now proudly call J&K Cards, Crafts & Gifts.
Today, our range includes:
🎈 Balloons
🎁 Gifts
🎨 Craft supplies
💎 Diamond art and accessories
🖨️ Printing services, including colour printing, black-and-white printing, posters and photographs
🎉 Birthday cards and cards for other occasions
We’ve adapted, learned and grown throughout the years, and we’re proud of how far we’ve come since opening our doors in 2021.
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❤️ Why your support matters more than ever
Running a small independent business has never been without its challenges, and the rising cost of living has made things increasingly difficult for businesses and customers alike.
Fuel costs, stock prices and delivery charges all put pressure on small businesses. When fuel becomes more expensive, it can cost more to travel to suppliers, collect stock and transport products. At the same time, the cost of purchasing the items we sell can increase, meaning we have to think carefully about every order and every pound we spend.
Unlike large retailers, independent businesses often cannot buy products in huge quantities to benefit from the same bulk discounts. We have to balance keeping our prices affordable for customers with covering our costs and making enough to keep the business running.
These challenges mean that every sale really does make a difference.
When you shop with a small independent business, you’re supporting real people, families and ambitions. You’re helping someone continue doing something they have worked hard to build.
We also understand that household budgets are under pressure, and not everyone can afford to spend as much as they might like. Supporting a small business doesn’t always mean making a purchase. Sharing a Facebook post, recommending us to a friend, telling someone about our printing service or simply popping in for a chat can all help.
Every purchase, recommendation and bit of support means something to us. We never take our customers for granted, and we’re grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way.
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🏬 Stoke Indoor Market needs your support too
Stoke Indoor Market is home to a wide range of independent traders, each with their own products, skills and stories.
From handmade items and specialist products to gifts, clothing, crafts and much more, there’s plenty to discover when you take the time to explore the market.
Behind every stall is someone who has invested their time, money and effort into running a business. Independent traders help give the market its character, provide variety for shoppers and contribute to our local community.
Markets need people to visit them, browse the stalls and support the businesses inside. Without customers coming through the doors, it becomes much harder for traders to keep going.
So, even if you’re not shopping with us, we encourage you to come along and see what the other traders have to offer.
Your visit could make a difference to someone’s small business — not just ours.
Let’s work together to keep Stoke Indoor Market a place where independent businesses can continue to trade, grow and serve our community.
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🌟 Running a business with autism and dyslexia
Running J&K has been rewarding, but it hasn’t always been easy. I have Asperger syndrome, a term traditionally used for a form of autism, and I’m also dyslexic.
Autism can affect how someone experiences and processes the world, including social communication, sensory information and everyday situations. Dyslexia can affect reading, spelling, writing and processing written information. Everyone experiences these things differently, and they can bring different strengths as well as challenges.
For me, certain aspects of running a business, such as paperwork, written communication, organisation and working with numbers, can require extra effort.
Running a business involves dealing with customers, managing stock, keeping track of costs and making decisions every day. At times, these responsibilities can be challenging, but I’ve continued to learn, adapt and find ways to move forward.
I want to show that having autism or dyslexia doesn’t mean someone cannot start a business, follow their ambitions or build something they’re proud of. The journey might look a little different, and some things might take more effort, but that doesn’t mean those ambitions are out of reach.
Starting J&K after leaving my previous career was a big step, and continuing to run it has taken determination, patience and a willingness to adapt.
I’m proud that, five years on, we’re still here, continuing to develop the business and serving our customers at Stoke Indoor Market.
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👪 A family business built with heart
My mum, Katy, has been an important part of J&K from the very beginning. From helping me run the original hardware stall to making diamond art keyrings and helping the business develop into what it is today, we’ve worked together through the changes and challenges.
Our journey hasn’t been straightforward. We’ve tried different products, expanded into additional stalls, changed direction and learned along the way. Every stage has helped shape the business we have today.
What started as a small hardware business has grown into a family-run stall offering cards, crafts, gifts, balloons, diamond art and printing services.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together, and we’re thankful to everyone who has played a part in our journey.
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💛 Thank you for supporting J&K
To everyone who has supported us since we opened in 2021, thank you.
Whether you’ve bought a birthday card, picked up a gift, chosen a balloon, enjoyed our diamond art, used our printing service, recommended us to someone else or simply stopped for a chat, your support means more than you know.
Every customer helps us continue doing what we do, and we’re grateful to be part of the Stoke Indoor Market community.
If you haven’t visited us before, why not pop along, have a look at what we offer and discover some of the other brilliant independent businesses around the market?
When you support a small independent business, you’re helping support someone’s livelihood, hard work and future.
We look forward to welcoming familiar faces and new customers to J&K Cards, Crafts & Gifts at Stoke Indoor Market.
Here’s to the future, to supporting one another, and to keeping our local market alive together.
Thank you for being part of our story. 💛
