Date Created: 17th May 2013
Walking sticks are a great way for a person to add gravitas to their appearance, hence their popularity with American presidents (see below). They also enable to sculptor to create long, elegant lines, to the benefit of their sculpture and the person it depicts. Here are a few that have causght our eye, but statues with canes can be found in almost every western city in the world. Continued...
Date Created: 10th May 2013
We have recently exhibited at the NAIDEX trade fair for the healthcare industry, which is held annually at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. It was well supported by existing Classic Canes stockists. We were very pleased to see so many of you on our stand. Here is our report on this year's NAIDEX: Continued...
Date Created: 8th April 2013
One of the joys of working at Classic Canes is our close proximity to the trees, wild flowers, bird and animal life that make up an English woodland. We look out of our windows onto ash trees, coppiced for walking stick production. At this time of year they are alive with greater spotted woodpeckers, blue tits and tree creepers. The coppice system allows plenty of light to reach the woodland floor, so primroses are now in flower, with the wild garlic and bluebells forming alongside, ready to flower in early May. Continued...
Date Created: 14th March 2013
Without doubt, our capital city offers some of the greatest style and the best shopping to be found anywhere in the world, so it is only natural that there are some very interesting sellers of walking sticks in London. Below, for the benefit of visitors in search of Classic Canes walking sticks in London, we recommend some of the leading walking stick shops in central London. They are all exceptional shops in different ways. Many of them are Royal Warrant holders, and all boast illustrious clienteles from around the world. Continued...
Date Created: 27th February 2013
When Classic Canes was founded in 1982, fashions in walking sticks were almost non-existent. More than 40 years had elapsed since the start of the Second World War, which was effectively the end of the period when both gentlemen and ladies routinely used canes as fashion accessories. By the 1980s, much of the elegance and romance of walking sticks had been lost, and a woman in need of a cane usually had to make do with a chunky man's crook, cut down to a shorter height. Happily, three decades further on, we can confidently say that walking sticks are once more playing an important role as fashion accessories as well as mobility aids. Continued...
Date Created: 18th February 2013
February 2013 saw the 24th consecutive appearance of the Classic Canes walking stick stand at the International Spring Fair. This is one of the world's largest gift fairs, with over 3,000 companies exhibiting their wares at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England. Our stand was in the Accessories & Luggage area, which is a good location for us as so many walking stick buyers are also leather goods, travel goods and accessories buyers. Continued...
Date Created: 28th January 2013
January 2013 saw the Classic Canes box van trundling through the streets of London for our first showing of walking sticks at the Top Drawer trade fair. The fair has been established for some years, but as it clashes with the Giving & Living trade fair (formerly the Torquay Gift Fair), we have not been able to attend before. This year however, we thought we'd try this small London fair for gifts and interiors instead and so we took a very bijoux nine metre square stand with the intention of showing our new walking sticks to the London market and perhaps some export visitors too. Continued...
Date Created: 15th November 2012
Walking sticks and seat sticks are generally robust items suitable for active use. However, a little care and maintenance will improve the appearance of your walking stick or seat and may extend its working life. Some useful tips are as follows: Continued...
Date Created: 30th October 2012
Walking sticks are cheerful, useful products that make excellent Christmas gifts. However, both the selection and the display have to be good for sales to be maximised. This is our 30th Christmas as walking stick specialists, so here are some of the tips we have learned along the way. Continued...
Date Created: 29th October 2012
Common Ash (fraxinus excelsior) is one of the most important woods used by Classic Canes for the production of walking sticks, so we are very concerned to learn that Ash Dieback disease has been found in Britain. Ash Dieback disease is caused by the chalara fraxinea fungus, which kills ash trees by stripping them of their leaves, from the top down. It is thought that ash trees form 30% of the British tree population, so the arrival of this disease has potentially disastrous consequences. Continued...
Date Created: 26th September 2012
Walking sticks are fascinating accessories that can be made from many materials, such as wood, whangee cane, aluminium and even glass. In recent years, there has been much enthusiasm among retailers and the public for height-adjustable aluminium walking sticks. However, there is now also a great resurgence of interest in fine quality wooden walking sticks, because they benefit the user in so many ways: Continued...
Date Created: 10th August 2012
At Classic Canes, we are sad to learn that the Italian grande dame of fashion and cane user extraordinaire has died at the age of 81. Anna was a journalist and stylist for Vogue Italia, and was famed for her flamboyant and entertaining dress sense, claiming never to have worn the same outfit in public twice. Continued...
Date Created: 18th July 2012
At Classic Canes, our location deep in the beautiful county of Somerset is a large part of our identity, and often a source of fascination to our customers. Our offices, warehouse and workshops are hidden away at the end of a long drive through our broadleaved woodlands. Somerset is a county with a very distinctive style, which greatly inspires unusual, specialist companies and brands, among them Classic Canes. Continued...
Date Created: 19th June 2012
This year, much has been written about the revised dress code for Royal Ascot. The famous racecourse has found it necessary to issue what it politely calls the Royal Enclosure Style Guide. This provides excellent guidance as to appropriate skirt length, bans fascinators and cravats and ensures ladies and gentlemen wear proper hats. What it omits is to help people with their walking stick choices, so here is the Classic Canes' Guide to Walking Sticks for Royal Ascot: Continued...
Date Created: 28th May 2012
May 2012 saw a landmark moment in the history of Classic Canes; we celebrated our 30th year in business with two open days for our Trade Customers. Continued...
Date Created: 19th April 2012
As the magnificent occasion of HM Queen Elizabeth II's 60th anniversary Jubilee approaches, and as celebratory events are planned across the Commonwealth, naturally our thoughts turn to the very important question of which walking stick to use for the Jubilee? Continued...
Date Created: 1st March 2012
One of the largest events in our year at Classic Canes is the International Spring Fair, held each February at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England. It is the largest trade fair in the UK, and one of the largest in the world, covering almost all the halls at the NEC. 2012 marked our 23rd consecutive year of attendance and, as always, proved an unmissable and interesting occasion. Continued...
Date Created: 28th November 2011
Blackthorn walking sticks are among the most sought after of all traditional walking sticks, both for their appearance and for their heritage. The blackthorn, or Prunus spinosa, is a shrubby bush with vicious thorns and a suckering habit, so that it forms dense hedges through which livestock cannot escape. It grows particularly well in Ireland and England, where blackthorn sticks cut from hedges have been popular for many centuries. Continued...
Date Created: 11th November 2011
For the gentleman in need of a walking stick, it is very important to choose a cane that is appropriate to his needs and the occasion, adds to rather than detracts from his appearance, and fits his personal sense of style. Such a stick will become a much loved companion. Continued...
Date Created: 2nd November 2011
Good display is probably the single most important factor that contributes to successful retail sales of walking sticks. Please click on 'Continued' to learn the basics, or contact us to discuss the specifics of creating an effective display in your own shop. Continued...
Date Created: 31st October 2011
Choosing the right walking stick is very important. A lady's walking stick should be fashionable and elegant. Not only must it offer appropriate support for your requirements, it must also suit your personality and your wardrobe. A walking stick is as much a fashion accessory as it is a mobility aid, and the choice of walking stick can reveal a great deal about its user. Continued...
Date Created: 27th September 2011
Much of the charm and elegance of walking sticks derives from their history as fashionable accessories. The recent Goodwood Revival at the Goodwood motor racing circuit in Sussex, where spectators dress in vintage fashions, was therefore a wonderful opportunity to see walking sticks, shooting sticks and umbrellas used en masse. Continued...
Date Created: 31st August 2011
We are delighted to have launched our new catalogue, which contains over 70 new models of walking sticks, folding canes, seat sticks and umbrellas. Copies are winging their way to all our stockists in the UK and in more than 40 other countries, so walking stick fashions are about to be updated all around the world. Continued...
Date Created: 30th August 2011
Many people, especially first-time walking stick users, are unsure which type of walking stick handle will best suit their requirements. The main styles and their benefits are as follows: Continued...
