Positively Conscious

06/01/2022

Support small businesses, or they won’t be there to support in the future. TurtleBee 🐢🐝❤️

Happy New Year to all of our customers and followers 🐢🐝❤️

This post has taken me a long time to write. I want to get the words and the message just right. It’s going to be a long one but please stick with it, this is important.

TurtleBee has been open for nearly 2.5 years. In that time, we’ve grown to three locations, offered deliveries, increased our product range massively, moved 2 shops to larger premises and welcomed hundreds of customers through the doors. It has been an incredible journey and I absolutely adore what I do, what TurtleBee stands for and what we’ve achieved.

Sadly there’s a ‘but… ‘ It is so common for people to come into the shop and exclaim how well we’re doing with 3 shops but the truth is, we’re struggling. I didn’t open 3 shops to make more money/ be more successful, it is to encourage more people to shop plastic free and to not have to travel far to do so.

At the start of the first lockdown, there were queues down the street for flour, loo roll and pasta. I worked 13 hour days packing up orders and delivering all across East Lancashire. Then as things went back to ‘normal’ we’ve been quiet. I’ve pushed on, hoping that things will get better. Support from our amazing regular customers and a few local businesses along with a few grants/ bounce back loan have kept us afloat but there are no more grants, business rates have kicked back in and we’re just not bringing in enough sales for the business to be sustainable.

I really don’t want to sound ungrateful to our loyal customers. You’ve kept us going, saved so much plastic and become more like friends. We just need more people to make a choice to spend their money locally with independent businesses.

I hate that this comes down to money but TurtleBee is a business. I have 3 lots of rent, utilities, staff, insurance and rates to pay. In the last few months (even November and December which should be our busiest time of year) it’s been a struggle to meet these costs. As we enter January and February (traditionally quieter times in retail) I am genuinely scared that we won’t make it.

Continued in the comments…

25/06/2021

✨ Reusable makeup wipes that give you that summer feeling 🦩

24/05/2021

Seaglass! 😱

I’ve been following for aaaages and I’m always amazed by the seaglass Megan finds on her local beach. Well I’ve just walked down to the river and found my first ever pieces 😱 (I know they’re not as ‘cooked’ and rounded as Megan would like, but they were my first pieces and I got excited! They’re not sharp at all)

Whilst I definitely don’t condone littering of any type - least of all broken glass (at all, just to be clear), this is a very pretty outcome of a wrong action ✨

08/05/2021

💫 So happy to now be stocking these amazing candles, hand poured by a small business in Manchester 😍

They even come with a seeded scent card that you can plant in the jar once you’ve finished your candle - the gift that keeps on giving! ☀️🌱

30/04/2021

✨ The plastic free power couple of makeup removal 👊🏼

Sintra Naturals cleansing balm paired with our cloth wipes - loads of different patterns available on the website 🤩

02/04/2021

✨ It’s officially Spring, so we have some more bright reusable makeup wipes in! 🦩☀️

28/03/2021

✨ Happy Sundayyyyy! So happy to say that we now stock both face oils from Gaia & Vie!!! The clarity oil contains tea tree, and is perfect for oily or spot prone skin, and the nourish oil has lavender and almond oil in it, and is perfect for dry and sensitive skin 🙌🏻

Gaia & Vie was founded by Ellie, a 20 year old University student who was struggling to find something that worked for her own skin. Despite being a student (studying sustainability at University, so it really is considered at every stage!) she’s managed to get both oils fully lab tested and set up her own company! Amazing 🥳

The nourish oil will be added to the website next week (the clarity oil is already on there), but you can order early by sending us a message, quoting SPRING20 to get 20% off between now and Wednesday!

RRP £13, 20% off until Wednesday makes each oil just £10.40 🙌🏻

28/03/2021

✨ Choose to reuse, and take advantage of 20% off on our website until midnight on Wednesday, to help you on your way 🥰

Use code SPRING20 for 20% off evvvvvverything 🥳

25/03/2021

✨ Our reusable kitchen roll in action!

The sheets cling together on your kitchen roll holder 🤩

24/03/2021

☀️ As it’s officially the start of spring, the sun is shining, and the clocks go forward on Sunday (meaning it’s basically summer in my book!!!) I thought we could have a discount code to celebrate 🥳

I don’t do these often - occasionally when I’m celebrating something, but they aren’t a regular occurrence 🤞🏻

Take advantage of 20% off for the rest of March, using the code SPRING20 ☀️🌴🌅

23/03/2021

🌱 CLARITY FACE OIL 🥳

This oil by Gaia & Vie, proudly stocked on our website, is perfect for blemish-prone skin, with tea tree as its active ingredient 🙌🏻

One of my first thoughts when buying skincare products from small businesses is ‘are they properly tested?’ so I make sure that all products we stock are! Despite Ellie being a University student, all of her face oils are fully lab tested - how does she have the time 🤯👏🏼

22/03/2021

🥰 NATURAL CLEANSING BALM 🥳

Sintra Naturals was founded by Geethika, whose love of skincare began at an early age growing up in India, having always used natural products for her hair and skin.

This Soothing Cleansing Balm is the perfect cleanser to gently melt away your makeup after a long day. The glass jar holds 120g of product - I’ve been using mine for a couple of months, and I’m guessing it’ll last me 5 months all together - for just £10 a jar!

A rich shea butter helps to restore your skin after a hard day under make up, castor oil has the ability to pull impurities from skin layers and kaolin clay can combat environmental damage.

Simply take a scoop of cleansing balm and warm it between your hands, warm the balm gently onto your face and neck and massage thoroughly, then gently wipe your face clean with warm, wet cloth wipe 🙌🏻