'Super excited', owner prepares to open bakery on The Grove

Ahead of the opening of her second bakery at the weekend on The Grove, Rebecca Severs (Bec), owner of Three Little Birds, tells Your Ilkley about her journey over the last few years, from humble beginnings in her own kitchen.

Bec started baking in her kitchen in 2015 when her three girls were very young. As her orders grew and grew, it became apparent that the kitchen was no longer big enough (even after renovations and knocking a wall down!) so premises were secured on Cavendish Street in Keighley. The bakery opened in 2023 and has been a part of Keighley’s high street ever since. Now, Three Little Birds is just days away from opening a second bakery on The Grove in Ilkley.

We caught up with Bec to discuss Keighley, owning a small business, opening in Ilkley and a few other things in between…

Bec is a true believer in Keighley, the town and its people, so you might be surprised to know that she wasn’t originally a Yorkshire lass.

“No I’m not from Keighley – I’m not even from Yorkshire originally! I’m from London, then lived in Sussex, and I also lived abroad in Brazil for a while. I only moved to Keighley in 2008 when I married my husband Aidan, who grew up near Keighley.”

What were your first impressions of Keighley?

“When I arrived here I didn’t have any existing prejudices or preconceptions about Keighley. Aidan had mentioned that it has a bad reputation, but visiting for the first time I made my own mind up. That first day I came to the town – I can’t believe it but it’s 20 years ago – it was a bright summer’s day, not a cloud in the sky. I saw the sun shining onto the buildings on Cavendish Street and thought, this is beautiful! I liked it instantly.

“The beautiful architecture and history are one thing, but as I got to know the people I liked Keighley even more: the people in Keighley are really what makes it. What an amazing community of people who really do support each other, don’t take themselves too seriously and are just great to be around.”

“Yes I have also got to know the issues that people are concerned about and the things in Keighley that do need action: for example, we’ve got 10 years lower life expectancy in Keighley than Ilkley which is crazy, and really sad.”

So…why did you choose to open a luxury bakery in a place like Keighley?!

“Lots of reasons! Firstly, we’ve made our life in Keighley. We’ve always lived in Keighley and our three girls were born at home in our first house in Keighley, so we’ve got a lot of connections to it and it always felt like the right place to be.

“Secondly, I wanted to invest somewhere that I believed in and be part of a solution. Unemployment rates won’t drop unless businesses give people employment opportunities. Providing local jobs to local people is really important to me.

“Thirdly, I believe there is a market for this in Keighley – and I have been proved right. When I opened the bakery in Keighley in 2023, my forecast was for us to sell about £400 a week on the counter. Actually, we often make at least that in just one day! Plus on our best days, like for seasonal events like Mothers’ Day, we can sell up to £2000 a day on the counter, which is crazy.”

What was it like when you made the leap from your home kitchen into opening a bakery on Cavendish Street?

“We really had no idea if anybody would come through the door and buy cake. So many people told me Keighley was a terrible place to open a bakery and that no one in Keighley would like macarons.

“And then on our first day, we had a queue. We then actually struggled with the amount of people who came through the door… We had to send family members to the supermarket to get more butter and sugar and eggs so we could try and make cakes on the go.

“I will never forget that weekend. It was a weekend where all my dreams came true. It made me realise that you can dare to dream. People can tell you that it's not going to work, and people love to be negative, but actually the power of a community coming together and all doing their little bit because they want to and because they like the product and they like the service and they like the ethos of what you're doing, that is so powerful. That's what's propelled me to keep going – even though it hasn’t been plain sailing since then. And we’ve sold 33,314 macarons since we opened - so someone in Keighley must like them!"

Your Keighley bakery has seen success over the last three years, and you’re now about to open another one in Ilkley. How different is it this time?

“After having such good sales in Keighley I don’t have the same fear this time that no one will come through the door in Ilkley. I know we have good, tried and tested products that people love. Plus, people have been so positive and supportive about us opening there.”

How are you feeling just days ahead of the doors opening?

“I’m feeling so many things right now! I'm absolutely exhausted. My head is spinning. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, I am researching ovens or ordering supplies or doing social media posts or making notes of what I need to do or panicking about what I've forgotten. It is a whirlwind and it's very draining.

“However, we're feeling super excited as well. I’m just over the moon that we get this opportunity and that everything’s just fallen into place in terms of the location, the rent and all the practicalities. I’m feeling so joyful because everyone's been so positive about it.

“I think what excites us most is reaching more people. The core of Three Little Birds is making people happy and getting to meet people in our communities. To be part of a whole new community in Ilkley is the most exciting thing. So far we've been welcomed with open arms by all the local Ilkley businesses, which is wonderful.”

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a business owner?

“The last few years have thrown so much at the business sector. There's just been blow after blow and it's been hard to keep going. Our margins have been squeezed and squeezed and it's been so hard to actually just make a living, despite good sales.

“Even though I’ve mentioned making more money than predicted on the counter, the flipside of it is the shock of how much the costs are and how little profit you can make even when you're selling so much. The numbers might sound good for the revenue, but the profit is remarkably low.

“My other challenges have been more personal – doubting myself. Sometimes I feel like an imposter. Over the last year or so I’ve realised that I have learned how resilient I am, and to trust my gut. And also to trust my team and not try and do it all on my own. I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful family and team around me.”

What advice would you give to other small business owners, or those thinking about starting a business?

“I think being very clear about your goals and how you want to achieve them – and never losing sight of that. Keep coming back to your reason, to your motivation and to your principles about how you're going to accomplish your goals. Everything else flows from this.

“A more practical thing; focus more on your profit than your turnover. Then you won’t get stuck working all hours of the day but only coming out with tiny profit margins.

“Lastly: never, ever agree to do anything in return for ‘exposure’…it doesn’t pay the rent!”

The new Three Little Birds bakery opens at 9 The Grove on Saturday, 25 July, at 9:30am and there will be luxury goody bags handed out to the first 20 customers.