As You Sip is our content series where we chat to some of our favourite businesses: they might be local to us, friends of ours, or just businesses who we admire and want you to find out more about. We’ll be chatting to them about their work, their values and of course, their drinking habits. Today we’re talking to Norwich-based independent lifestyle magazine and shop, Akin.
For those who don’t already know, tell us a bit about Akin and the story behind the magazine?
Akin is an independent magazine and shop, we publish our magazine annually and in March we will be opening Norwich’s first independent magazine shop! Akin started 4 years ago as a creative outlet for me. I'm a magazine and book designer by trade and wanted my own little slice of the pie, but fast forward nearly 4 years and Akin has grown to be so much more. We sell over 40+ independent titles and we have a whole summer of workshops planned for our new space. We also publish nozza news, a monthly newsletter and quarterly newspaper showcasing everything indie happening in Norwich & Norfolk.
As fellow small business owners, we’d love to know what drives you every day, and what values are most important to Akin?
Seeing other people succeed is one of my main driving factors. At Akin we’re all about supporting your local and think everyone should help scratch each other's backs now and again. Running a small business is like being on a rollercoaster – you can never get off – so having a good support network around you and championing others when you can is what keeps us ticking. If I was in this for money I'd be gone a long time ago!
What does a typical day look like at Akin, and what’s currently keeping you busy?
Surprisingly I very rarely get a full day to work on Akin, what fills my days is designing magazines for other people, at the moment I’m working with Rankin, the photographer and also gearing up to design another issue of Wunderdog, so it’s a lot of sitting at a computer. In regards to Akin, all spare time I have is now being put towards opening our shop, I’m sourcing new stock, painting walls and fitting out the shop, in between packing orders and posting on socials. No two days are the same!
At the end of a long week, what’s your favourite drink to settle down to?
It would either have to be a Gin & Tonic with cracked black pepper or a bottle of Bacchus.
On to cocktails then, do you like to experiment with new drinks or stick to the classics?
Classics all the way, Tom Collins will always be a winner.
Where’s your favourite place to take a moment and savour a cocktail?
My favourite place would have to be by the river, anywhere on the broads or near the sea. I used to live on the South Coast so the water has always been my happy place.
Now, we’d love to know what you’re enjoying as you sip the perfect cocktail — firstly, what are you listening to?
If I’d be listening to anything it would either be Adele, Harry Styles or Little Simz new albums, but I do quite like peace and quiet to really let my brain relax.
And what are you reading?
I’d of course be reading some of our magazines from the shop. I’m a massive fan of Courier, a modern business magazine, 91 an interiors publication and Akin, Issue 05, haha.
And finally, what might you be watching?
If I was by the beach I’d be watching the waves roll in, dogs run past and the sunset. Golden Hour is my favourite time of day.
Find out more about Akin on their website, and give them a follow on Instagram.
