Reimagining Acorn & Pip

Aim: Help futureproof Acorn&Pip 2:0 - a real kitchen, new play area & an environment our customers deserve. A place families love, rebuilt right.

Meet Lucy & Tim

We’re Lucy & Tim, founders of Acorn & Pip, parents of three, and the people behind a space that’s grown from a market stall into a multi-award-winning family hub. What started as an idea to combine thoughtful retail with a welcoming café has become a place where little ones and grown-ups feel equally seen and cared for. 

We care deeply about what we do, from handpicking the best kids’ products to remembering how you take your coffee. But after seven years in our current space, we’ve reached a huge turning point.

Why We Exist

Acorn & Pip was born out of frustration - and love. When we became new parents, we quickly realised our world had changed in a big way. Suddenly, a simple coffee out became a stressful gamble. We were forced to choose between garish soft plays with bad coffee, terrible music, and a severe lack of soul - or the great cafés we used to love, where kids were clearly an afterthought - and we just didn’t feel welcome anymore.

The moment your baby cries or you pull out a muslin to breastfeed, you’re met with stares. You're welcome, but only if you’re quiet. Only if your child doesn’t act like a child. It felt like we’d lost the right to exist in public spaces with ease, comfort, and dignity.

We didn’t want to compromise. We wanted somewhere warm, thoughtful, and joyful -  where parents could feel human again and children could be themselves. A place where you could have a proper coffee, decent, nutritious food, listen to proper music, and not feel like you had to apologise just for being there. So, we built it.

What We’ve Built (So Far)

Acorn & Pip began life as a humble market stall in South Manchester - driven by a big belief in doing things differently. A few years later, with a tiny budget (and a lot of heart), we opened our first bricks-and-mortar store in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire. 

Seven years on, it’s grown into a vibrant, award-winning space in the heart of the village - a place families love, and one we’re incredibly proud of.

It’s become a lifeline for new parents and carers. A space where children can play, explore and connect. A café where friendships form over flat whites. A retail destination that champions thoughtful products and brilliant independent brands.

Our community helped us build this. Now we’re asking for your support to take the next step. 

Why We Need Your Help

We’ve always made it work - patching things up, squeezing things in, doing whatever it takes to keep the magic alive. But after seven years, our space just isn’t working anymore.

To keep delivering the experience our customers deserve, we need a space that truly works.

The kitchen is falling apart. The layout doesn’t serve the flow of families, the team, or the business. The entire food & drink operation, the till, and the washing up area - runs behind one tiny counter. We’re still washing up by hand. The play area is tired and ready for a full rethink. We’ve simply outgrown it.

We’re also navigating the ongoing impact of Covid, Brexit, inflation and rising costs. And while we’ve explored all the traditional funding options, none of them are viable right now.

This Crowdfunder isn’t about luxury. It’s about sustainability. It’s about making sure Acorn & Pip can continue to operate in a way that supports our customers, our team, and our future.

Our Vision for the Future

We want to create a futureproof Acorn & Pip, built with care, intention, and the people who use it every day at the heart of every decision.

We’ll redesign the space with a proper flow that separates the shop and café while keeping them connected. There will be a dedicated retail zone with more space and clarity, and a brand-new play area that better supports babies, toddlers and older kids alike. We’ll relocate the café counter to improve service and create a more welcoming seating area for all ages and the wider community.

We’ll install a real kitchen, which means no more short-term fixes and no more limitations on what we can serve. With a new menu, longer hours, and better tools, we’ll finally be able to offer the kind of food and drink we’ve always wanted to - fresh, vibrant, nutritious and joyful.

More seating means more space for connection and a much more viable business. It means we can operate more sustainably and continue to welcome everyone, from first-time parents to remote workers, to grandparents, friends and school-age families.

And one day soon, we’d love to run evenings where the children enjoy a film on one side of the space while the grown-ups enjoy proper food, good wine and uninterrupted conversation on the other. No babysitter. No compromise. Just a proper night out, for everyone.

Why Support Us

When you support this Crowdfunder, you’re backing a space designed around real family life. You’re investing in a business that’s part of the village. You’re helping create something that’s more sustainable, more inclusive, and more able to grow with the families it serves.

We’re not asking for charity. We’re asking you to be part of something we believe in deeply, and something we know matters to so many.

A Sneak Peak

Where the Money Goes

£6,000 will build an amazing new play space, creative family area and reading corner for children and babies.

£14,000 will allow us to fit a new commercial kitchen, with a dishwasher, allowing a much more elevated menu.

£20,000 will fund the full café renovation, making it more accessible, more spacious, and ready for the next chapter of Acorn & Pip.

£10,000 will fund the redesign and refit of the retail space, improving the layout, and making shopping a calmer, more enjoyable experience.

Built by a Village. Backed by You.

This isn’t just about fixing a building. It’s about protecting something meaningful. Acorn & Pip has become a space for families, friendships, conversations, milestones and memories.

We’ve brought it this far. With your help, we can build the version that will take us even further and allow us to serve our community for years to come. 

Thank you for being part of it.

Prize Draw Terms & Conditions

1. Promoter
The prize draw is organised by Acorn & Pip, [6-7 Carr Lane, Slaithwaite, HD7 5AN].

2. Eligibility
Open to UK residents aged 18 or over. Employees of Acorn & Pip and their immediate families are not eligible.

3. How to Enter
To enter, make a donation of £10 or more via our Crowdfunder page. Each multiple of £10 counts as one entry (e.g. £30 = 3 entries).
Alternatively, enter without donating by sending your full name and address via email to [email protected] with the subject line: Prize Draw Entry.

4. Entry Period
Entries open on 2/6/2025 and close at 11:59pm on 7/6/2025. Entries received after this time will not be valid.

5. Prizes
Prizes include (but are not limited to): Banwood scooters, Mustard Made lockers, Tonies boxes, Tender Leaf Toys tool benches, Maileg mice, and Trixie backpacks. Prizes may vary depending on availability. No cash alternatives.

6. Winner Selection
Winners will be chosen at random from all eligible entries and contacted via email within 7 days of the closing date. If a winner does not respond within 7 days, a new winner will be selected.

7. Publicity
By entering, you agree to your name being shared on our website and social media if you win, unless you request otherwise.

8. Data Protection
Personal data will be used solely for the purposes of administering the prize draw and will not be shared with third parties.

9. General
We reserve the right to cancel or amend the draw or these terms where necessary. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th July 2025 at 7:43am