The Change Makers (Pt.2) - Rosie Nolan

The Change Makers is our series celebrating people who follow an idea, make something happen and bring others along with them. We created it because people like Marta Zubieta, Rosie Nolan and Rick Hyde deserve a bigger platform, and because hearing how somebody else began can be the little spark that gets you started too.

 

We met Marta in episode one. Episode two belongs to Rosie, with Rick coming up in episode three.

Rosie Nolan thinks she first caught the market bug when she was 11 or 12. Her mum sold handmade cushions, bags and toys at craft fairs, and Rosie made jewellery to sell on the stall alongside her.

 

There was even a little honesty shop outside the family garden gate. Looking back, Rosie calls it her first little business.

 

That love of making never went anywhere. Rosie studied textiles at Norwich School of Art, worked as a textiles technician and teacher, then started organising small craft fairs in Norwich alongside her full time job in 2009.

 

After seven years in London, Rosie moved back to Norwich with her family and decided to give Local Makers Market her full attention. Today she brings independent makers and small businesses together through markets in Norwich, Cambridge and London.

 

Rosie still makes and sells through her own brands, Moss & Fable and Band of Starlings, too. It means she knows exactly what it feels like to be on both sides of the stall.

“I genuinely love meeting both customers and traders, and creating spaces where small businesses can showcase and sell what they make. It’s really important to me to support and champion independent makers, and to help build something that feels positive and welcoming for everyone involved.”

 

That is the bit Rosie comes back to again and again: people. Helping someone discover a maker they love. Giving a small business space to be seen. Filling a room with things made by actual hands and all the stories that come with them.

 

“The best part, though, is the people. I really enjoy getting to know both the traders and the customers, and we’ve built such a lovely community around our events. It’s also really important to me that our markets feel inclusive, and I’m always keen to bring together all kinds of products, businesses and people.”

 

When we asked what Lucy & Yak means to her, Rosie’s answer felt pretty spot on.

 

“For me, Lucy & Yak is all about being authentically yourself and feeling comfortable in who you are. It’s about embracing creativity, following what excites you, and just being "you".”

 

Come and meet Rosie and the Local Makers Market community in Norwich on 26 September 2026 and Cambridge on 3 October 2026. At each event, we’ll be giving away one £150 Lucy & Yak voucher and two £50 vouchers.

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