Case Study:
Stable and Wick
Stable & Wick, a bakery and farm shop nestled in Downton, was established during the pandemic by Mother and daughter duo, Emma Parry and Louisa Pinkham.
From humble beginnings around the kitchen table in 2020, the venture has now expanded onto nearby Wick Farm.
Following the closure of her agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, Louisa moved back home and, like many, began baking alongside her mother. What started as a creative outlet quickly turned into a bustling venture as they began selling their homemade bread and brownies to the local community. The response was overwhelming, with customers snapping up everything they could produce.
Faced with such high demand, Louisa and her mother had to make a decision: continue as a small-scale kitchen-table project or take the plunge and expand.
By the spring of 2020, the potential for something bigger was clear. In search of a way to grow, they approached local farmer Will Dickson, who was eager to diversify his farm’s offerings. Will provided a derelict barn, and with a bit of ingenuity and hustle, the team kitted it out with fridges and ovens to transform the space into a fully functioning business. By October 2020, the doors were ready to open.
To attract customers, the duo distributed fliers around the village and posted on social media, hoping their efforts would pay off.
But their worries were short-lived. On opening day, a line of eager customers formed, ready to buy local produce and of course, Emma and Louisa’s baked goods. The community’s enthusiastic support was both a relief and a validation of their efforts.
Today, the business is thriving, operating six days a week and employing eight staff members. Its rustic feel and homely offering have helped Stable & Wick become a thriving community hub, fitted with long tables for socialising and a hot drinks menu for even the coldest of days.
Louisa is now focused on expanding the farm shop and café, with ambitions to make it a true community hub. With the support of a Rural Hubs programme grant, she hopes to transform Stable & Wick into a vibrant community hub with educational events and local activities.
“Having the grant onboard would mean that we’d be able to scale up what we’re doing and increase our offering. We are just so grateful to our community in Downton for supporting us with Stable & Wick and also for the Wiltshire Rural Hubs programme for helping us move forward.”
Louisa Pinkham,
Owner
“We are so grateful to our community for supporting us and also for the Wiltshire Rural Hubs programme for helping us move forward.”
“When we first began baking back in 2020, we never dreamed that we would be running our own micro-bakery and farm shop just four years on.”
“The Rural Hubs programme has been so valuable for us, even though I have run my own agency before. This type of business is not the same and a different set of skills are required. We now realise we do need to plan ahead to move the business forward and having someone experienced in business to cast fresh eyes on us has been extremely valuable.”
