With its distinctive bright green door and windows, vintage goods spilling from the shelves, The Brewer at no.9 has quickly become Ilkley’s go-to for quirky, one-off vintage gifts, strong coffee, slices of cake and even larger slices of chat.
Run by sisters Kate and Maria, the shop is the result of their passion for all things vintage, as they say, ‘Having traded at local vintage fairs, the shop was born out of our passion for all things vintage, sustainable, long-lasting homeware and for the genuine beauty of vintage pieces. Our vintage collection stands the test of time. Beautiful, decorative, well-made and practical for your homes.
Sharing a love of all things vintage with the Ilkley community and beyond
This passion has spilled over into this small but mighty shop attached to the side of Kate’s home and a stone’s throw from the family home they lived in as children. The sisters are teachers, both have lived overseas (China, Egypt and Vietnam) and came home to Ilkley where they now juggle running the shop with teaching in local schools and the usual demands of home and family life.
The sisters collect from house clearances, vintage fairs and auctions, and each item brings its own story as do the customers who pop in for a vintage find or a coffee and a chat. This isn’t your regular high street shop. It’s slightly off the beaten track and a nod to the end of terrace shops that existed decades ago. This is a vintage treasure trove rooted in community.
Putting the customer at the heart of the messaging
No shortage of stories then and the sisters funny, articulate natural communicators but with both working full-time and their hands full organising their first-year anniversary celebrations, they asked for help with their messaging and marketing content.
We sat down at Maria’s kitchen table, and I listened while the sisters talked me through the shop, its origins, their plans for the First Anniversary celebrations and their hopes and ambitions for the shop. Two hours and several A3 pages covered in my scribbles later we had a plan.
My first task was to create a Key Message document. A simple, easy to use Word Document that would bring clarity and structure to the story behind The Brewer at no.9, and its messaging while keeping the customer firmly in mind. With a simple headline and story / caption structure, the Key Message document became the basis for:
- The Founder Story
- A Press Release to publicise their First Anniversary celebration with local online and print media (including Ilkley Gazette, Ilkley Chat and other Ilkley Facebook community groups) and spread the word far and wide. The sisters had an ‘everyone’s welcome’ day of fun planned, including a celebration cake baked by Marcella from The Ilkley Kitchen, champagne and non-alcoholic fizz in vintage glasses, a lucky dip and a special toast by Ilkley’s Mayor.
- A Profile for Ilkley Business Forum spotlight feature on Facebook.
- A library of social media captions and we talked posting schedules, bios, and how to use keywords / hashtags to increase reach and build community.
I loved working with Kate and Maria, and it’s been an absolute joy seeing the shop grow and receive the recognition it deserves. In 2025 The Brewer at no.9 was shortlisted for the Ilkley Business Awards (Side Hustle category) and voted one of Ilkley’s Most Loved Shops. The sisters have collaborated with local businesses like The Grove Bookshop where they ran a pop-up shop and they’re regulars at vintage fairs in Ilkley and beyond.
‘Harriet came to us as regular in the shop, was generous with ideas and suggestions as she watched our journey starting up our small vintage business. Her insights were brilliant – and gentle – as she didn’t want to assume we didn’t know what we were doing with marketing and communications (we didn’t!) She helped us work on some core messages, helped us focus on some of our stories and also helped bring some timelines into actions. She has been an amazing supporter of our venture, and it has been a privilege to work with her.”
Maria Shooter, co-founder of The Brewer at no. 9