Trader Profile-Pulp Paper Heaven
Suzanne Whitelock, owner of Pulp Paper Heaven and creator of beautiful handbound notebooks, chats to us about her work and what draws her to market trading.
Tell us a bit about you and Pulp Paper Heaven
I have always loved books, their design and illustration. Older used books with inscriptions are especially intriguing, they put you in touching distance of history.
Collecting books from an early age I am sure led me to become a graphic designer and illustrator, developing a deeper connection with print. The transition to book binding was natural and has bought everything I love together.
With Pulp Paper Heaven I reuse as much exhausted print as I possibly can creating my notebooks individually from what others throw away. Added materials are sustainably sourced, often from already recycled materials and my book hunts are local or incorporated into my wanderings.
Where do you get your inspiration and what motivates you to do what you do?
The books I find are my inspiration and the need to save something from even the crumbliest binding is what motivates me.
Why did you choose to come and trade at The Frome Independent
I live in Frome and it is wonderful to be part of such a fantastic event in my home town. Each month is exciting and vibrant, full of amazing designers and makers. I am always inspired by my neighbouring traders and the fun, buzzing atmosphere that fills the town.
What do you like about market trading?
Markets are brilliant for connecting with people, customers can really get to know me and my work and I get to know them too. Customers come by each time they visit to say hi, give feedback on purchases or see what’s new. There is a lot of chatting! My work evokes memories and nostalgic tales are often exchanged. Those exchanges don’t happen so easily online, the spontaneity is lost.
Tell us about your best selling product
One of my best sellers is a hand stitched notebook from my sewing pattern collection. Every notebook is an individual so I reuse many vintage sewing patterns. They show their original use in creases, tears and tape, sometimes hand written notes from a past seamstress or a rubber stamp from a shop. It makes them very personal although it is mainly the vintage fashion that really appeals. Very nostalgic to many of us who remember our mums making our clothes! The sewing community is thriving. They take a little longer to make than other hand stitched styles because of their very used condition, making the print very soft. I often need to piece them, delicately, back together, reinforcing the fraying paper before reusing them.
What’s your favourite Frome shop or stall?
The Frome Bookshop on King St of course! Wonderful collection of secondhand books.
You’ll find Pulp Paper Heaven with our other Designer Makers in the Market Place on Sunday 6th August
