Trug Makers
Tuesday: 08:30 - 16:00
Wednesday: 08:30 - 16:00
Thursday: 08:30 - 16:00
Friday: 09:00 - 16:00
Saturday: -
Sunday: -
About Trug Makers
Handmade Sussex Trugs /Garden Baskets - A gift that will be appreciated and used for many years.
Trug Makers Description
In a recent nationwide survey the Sussex trug was voted the fifth most essential gardening accessory. A truly very appreciated gift by all gardeners, even if they already own one. There are of course other options available - multicoloured plastic trugs - buckets, poor quality foreign replica imports etc etc.
All trugs are hand made by myself and in 1970 while working for another company, I designed 'the harlequin' trug. This was submitted to the British Design Centre by the managing Director and subsequently awarded the Standard kite mark for design excellence. In June (2011) my trugs were chosen as 'best-for-style' in the very popular Grown-Your-Own magazine.
I work alone with the exception of my wife Jaqui PhD (packaging and handling department) and sign and date every trug on the base. Thanks to Jaqui, we offer very rapid delivery, if a trug is ordered before 10: 30 A. M. you will receive it the next day via Fed-Ex, so if it's a last minute present, just ring us. Jaqui can also include a personal message on a card if you wish (no charge).
'If ' you can find hand made Sussex trugs cheaper than mine, I'll polish your car with a cotton bud! The reason? My overheads are very low, no office staff, no company car (I don't drive) and fed only once per day. Last year while attending a woodcraft fair, a nearby maker, after (I assume) examining my prices cleared his stock and went home!
There are foreign imports available from garden centres that are what they are and usually higher priced than my trugs! I also offer a lifetime guarantee, an unlikely event with imported wanabees? Should you, for whatever reason, need to return a trug, no problem, a full refund will be given upon receipt of the trug. It did happen, but only once, a gentleman bought it for his wife who left him for their gardener. He obviously already had a trug! Lesson to be learned - buy now before it's too late!
My trugs come in four sizes 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 (see the individual trug description for Dimensions and capacity).
The optional 'Harlequin' design was introduced to broaden the application of a trug whilst still retaining its usual application. The Harlequin makes a wonderful home display accessory for fruit, dried flowers, pot-pourri container etc. Also popular commercialy by businesses such as bakeries, wine shops, florists, pubs and restaraunts etc. for window and shop displays.
The 'Daffodil' trug is basically a number 8 trug but with a greatly reduced depth (see trug description for reason).
Trugs I made many years ago are now being sold at Antiques and collectors fairs, one on eBay recently sold for £60. At the famous Ardingly Antiques Fair I discovered one of my very early trugs for sale and introduced myself as the original maker to the seller. He requested that I sign and date the trug (good idea I thought) so, from then on, all my trugs were signed and dated on the bottom board.
Reviews
Buying a trug is not always good news – had a call from a lady today to cancel a trug she ordered for her husband earlier that day as he had already ‘ordered one the day before’. In the process of taking her info to cancel it, I noticed we had already sent one to that address yesterday and queeried this with her – cutting a long story short, the husband was bought it by his ‘girlfriend’, and unknowingly I gave the wife the name of the buyer which confirmed her long standing suspicions of ‘something going on’. I guarantee my trugs for life, but not marriages!
This customer wanted a Very large trug - so I made him one.
Harrods Peter Rabbit Display I was asked by the Harrods window dressing company to make a huge 1100 m/m long Trug (or 43 inches if you were born before 1960) for their 'Peter Rabbit' themed Spring window display. Unfortunately, the window dressers deemed it necessary to age it by painting it brown, Hey-Ho! All the veg and tools are specially made in a giant size, hence the request for a large Trug. The window display is viewable from 8th March - 8th April and stretches the full length of Harrods
Last year I decided to be more adventurous in the garden and have grown for the first time:- Outdoor tomatoes (as I don't have a greenhouse). Runner beans, Chillies and Dahlia's. In the pub, old Bill (no not the C.I.D. It's William) on hearing me speak of my forthcoming intentions, winked and said "I've got some fertilizer you can borrow" (borrow? How can I give it back?). The following day a five gallon tub was left for me under care of the landlord. I have to say after ca...
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Fame at last!
My wife uses a No.6 Trug on our kitchen window sill as a container for fruit and tomatoes. She pointed out that some items reaching a very ripe stage, soften. Due to the depth of the No.6, this can result in crushing or miss-shaping by the uppermost items. Her suggestion was, to make a trug that was the same overall dimensions as a No.6 but with a shallower basket depth to reduce this problem. I made a prototype for her approval and it achieved all her requirements. As a resu...lt, she said that the content rotation was faster and resulted in altogether fresher, firmer stock as all the contents were now visible. I (we) have decided to add this 'indoor' trug to our Trug range. The trug can still be used as a gardening accessory of course, but with a lesser capacity than a No.6. To celebrate the addition, I decided to create a limited edition of 50 which will not only be signed and stamped, but will be named Ltd.Ed. and numbered from No.1 through to 50, also including the buyers requested name. Problem is No-one wants the No.13 !!! so have had to skip to 14 and on. The limited edition of 50 are not be sold via my website, you have to call 01323 440452.
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Just took an order from a lady with a VERY broad Scots accent. I couldn't understand a word. I asked her to spell out the words of her address, failed again! An 'A' sounded like an 'E', a 'G' sounded like a 'D' etc. etc. I was ready to tell her she'd got the wrong number. So I said "have you ever thought of being an impressionist? Pretend you are the Queen and tell me your address". I took down the complete address as fast as I could write! Smart eh!
I sincerely have never had a complaint about my trugs, but I received a call from a very irate customer. She said my trugs were rubbish, was very disappointed and demanded a refund. I was stunned but agreed to refund totally when I received it back. When I opened it, it was not my trug! I phoned her to tell her, she was so embarrassed and as it eventually transpired, her son had taken her money and instead of buying it from us, he had bought it from a garden centre.
My daughter is a teacher. When asked what she will be doing over Christmas by a 5 year old, she said " well before Christmas I will be helping my daddy in his workshop as he is so busy before Christmas". The little girl said " Oh my god is your daddy Father Christmas?"
An elderly customer ordered a Trug over the phone, my last question to all phone customers is "In the event you are out, where is it safe to leave it". She said "Oh just tell him to leave it in my back passage!"
More about Trug Makers
Tuesday: 08:30 - 16:00
Wednesday: 08:30 - 16:00
Thursday: 08:30 - 16:00
Friday: 09:00 - 16:00
Saturday: -
Sunday: -
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