Attire Accessories - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 75)

96 Have you ever taken on a product that did far better than you expected? If yes, what was it and why do you think it was so popular with customers? It’s all a test for us right now to see what works in the shop, so it’s always nice to hear feedback. We had some Scandi fabric cushions and lampshades in the shop for launch day, and they’d sold out within a week – that was a lovely surprise! Describe your customer base. We have a really diverse customer base in the shop, but they all love to be inspired by great design and thoughtful gifts. Do you hold any events in the store? We hold pop-up shops occasionally to showcase local designers in the shop. We also held a few Christmas shopping events that were really great! How important is social media for the business? Social media is hugely important for our business both online and for local customers. We use it not only to get our brand message across, share our products and celebrate the brands we work with, but we now also use it to update local customers about events at the shop, opening times etc. What has been the highlight of the business so far? The highlight was definitely launch day at the shop in June! I had no time to speak to anyone, and the day went by in a flash – it felt a bit like a wedding in that sense! There was such an exciting buzz and amazing feedback, which was a huge boost not only for me but for the designers who were there for launch and saw people buying their products! What advice would you give someone wanting to open an independent gift shop? Shop life is tough. It has huge ups and downs, but it’s so rewarding. I would tell anyone opening a gift shop to be prepared to be flexible and don’t be afraid try different ways to promote. Also, ask customers for feedback! What does the future hold for Walter and May? Next year will see changes to our product range in the shop and we will be expanding our homewares range. We’ll also be offering Chalk Paint workshops in 2019 which we are super excited about.